When eating fruits, few pay attention to the leftover parts such as peels, seeds, and pits. However, these discarded items can have medicinal properties, such as tangerine peel, peach seeds, lemon seeds, lotus seeds, and the red fruit of the rose apple…
Tangerine Peel: The green tangerine peel is called “qingpi,” while the dried ripe tangerine peel is known as “chenpi.” Fresh tangerine peel contains essential oils, carotene, and vitamins A, B, and hesperidin. The older the dried tangerine peel, the better it is. This medicinal herb helps strengthen the stomach, resolve phlegm, treat indigestion, stomach pain, chest tightness, and malaria. The recommended dosage is 4-12 grams per day in the form of decoction; it can be used alone or combined with other herbs in the following cases:
For stomach pain, vomiting, belching, poor digestion: 8 grams of chenpi, or 8 grams of fragrant herbs, 3 slices of fresh ginger, decoct with 200 ml of water until 50 ml remains, and drink once a day.
For whooping cough: 20 grams of chenpi, 20 grams of mulberry root (prepared with honey), 20 grams of male papaya flowers, 12 grams of fritillaria, and 10 grams of burnt alum. All ingredients should be ground into a fine powder. For children aged 1-5 years, take 1-4 grams each time; for ages 6-10, take 4-8 grams. Administer three times a day.
For swollen and painful testicles: Mix equal parts of chenpi, lychee seeds (thinly sliced, dried, and roasted), and star anise, grind to a fine powder. Take 4-8 grams daily with a small amount of alcohol, divided into 2 doses.
Peach Seeds: The ripe peach seeds are dried and can be used with their outer skin and pointed end intact. Crushing them raw helps break up blood stasis; soaking in hot water to remove the outer skin, cutting off the pointed end, and roasting them enhances their blood-moving properties. This medicinal herb, known as “taoren,” helps eliminate stasis, relieve constipation, promote urination, regulate menstruation, and reduce coughing.
For menstrual blockage and blood stasis: 6 grams of peach seeds, 10 grams of angelica, 10 grams of red peony, 5 grams of safflower, and 3 grams of ligusticum. All should be cut small, dried, decocted with 400 ml of water until 100 ml remains, and taken in two doses per day.
For irregular menstruation and menstrual pain: 8-10 grams each of peach seeds, safflower, cowherb, sandalwood, and turmeric root, decoct and drink one dose daily.
For asthma and difficulty breathing: 10 grams of peach seeds, crushed and cooked with 50 grams of glutinous rice to make porridge to eat throughout the day.
Lemon Seeds: Bitter in taste and warm in nature, they help resolve phlegm, relieve constipation, and detoxify.
For chronic cough: 10 grams of lemon seeds, 10 grams of calamondin seeds, 10 grams of calamus leaves, and one black chicken egg. All should be used fresh, crushed, mixed with sugar, steamed, and taken 2-3 times daily.
For children’s cough: 10 grams of lemon seeds, 15 grams of chives, 15 grams of male papaya flowers, and 20 ml of water. Crush the herbs, mix with water, add honey or sugar, and drink in three doses daily.
For constipation: 10-20 grams of lemon seeds, freshly removed from the fruit, soaked in hot water for a few hours. Strain the sticky water surrounding the seeds, which will swell and dissolve into a thick solution, add sugar, and drink once daily.
For snake bites: 10-20 grams of fresh or dried lemon seeds, crushed, mixed with water, strained for drinking, and the residue applied externally.
Lotus Seeds: These are the dry sepals from ripe lotus fruit, known in herbal medicine as “shide.” The main chemical component in lotus seeds is tannin.
For bedwetting: 8-16 grams of dried lotus sepals, cut into small pieces, decocted and taken once in the evening before sleep.
For hiccups: 8 grams of lotus sepals, 8 grams of cloves, and 5 slices of ginger. Decoct and drink in 2-3 doses throughout the day.
For vomiting, anxiety, and irritability: 7 lotus sepals, 7 peppercorns, 4 grams of patchouli, 4 grams of cardamom, 7 slices of ginger, 3 cloves of garlic, and 2 bulbs of onion. All ingredients should be chopped, decocted, and consumed throughout the day. The stem of the lotus fruit can also be used with similar effects as the lotus sepals.
Lotus Pod:
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Lotus pod (Photo: Comcast) |
The base of the lotus flower that has been cleaned of old fruit is known as “lianfang.”
For bleeding: 2 lotus pods, 80 grams of nutmeg, burnt and ground to a fine powder, taken in 16 grams divided into 2 doses daily. Alternatively, 2 lotus pods, 40 grams of dried areca nut, cut small, boiled to make a strong decoction, and taken in two doses daily.
For blood stagnation: 20 grams of roasted lotus pods, 20 grams of black bugleweed, 12 grams of mugwort, 12 grams of good luck grass, 20 grams of gotu kola, and 12 grams of spikenard, decocted and taken in two doses daily.
For excessive menstruation: Burn the lotus pods and grind finely; mix with fresh hibiscus flowers (that have just bloomed), dried or roasted, and ground. Use equal amounts of both, mix well, and take twice daily, 8 grams each with rice water.
Deaf Custard Apple: This is a custard apple that has been damaged by a type of fungus, resulting in a hard, dry shell that is reddish-purple.
For breast abscess, boils, and mumps: 10-20 grams of dried deaf custard apple, ground to a powder, mixed with vinegar, and applied several times a day.
For diarrhea and dysentery: 20 grams of dried deaf custard apple, burnt, 50 grams of young Lào grass, and 30 grams of well-roasted rice, decocted for daily consumption.
Green Mung Bean Shell: It has effects of clearing heat, relieving thirst, detoxifying, brightening the eyes, reducing inflammation, and promoting urination.
Traditional medicine uses green mung bean shells combined with 10 grams each of raw rehmannia, black salvia, gypsum, activated charcoal, and licorice; dry, grind finely, and decoct for treating high fever, delirium, and convulsions. For poisoning from deadly nightshade, take 80 grams of green mung bean shells, 40 grams of honeysuckle, 20 grams of forsythia, and 10 grams of licorice; decoct and take one dose daily.
According to folk experience, dried green mung bean shells stuffed into a cloth bag can be used as a pillow to provide a cool and comfortable sensation, relieving headaches, especially during hot and humid seasons. Decocted green mung bean shells can be sweetened with sugar and consumed to treat general poisoning, mushroom poisoning, and heatstroke. In cases of hot colds with excessive sweating, boil 10 grams of green mung bean shells with 16 grams of young mulberry leaves and 12 grams of perilla leaves for consumption.
For high fever and delirium: 12 grams of green mung bean shells, 12 grams of honeysuckle, 12 grams of bamboo leaves, 8 grams of peppermint, and 6 grams of schizonepeta, decoct and drink.
