Autumn Fruits Can Heal or Harm
Autumn Fruits Can Heal or Harm
After autumn arrives, various autumn fruits flood the market—diverse in variety, rich in nutrition, delicious in taste, and beneficial both as food and medicine. Many people buy and taste them eagerly. However, eating autumn fruits isn't always better in larger quantities; overeating or binge-eating can actually cause illness.
Apple juice helps stop diarrhea; eating apples on an empty stomach treats constipation; eating after meals aids digestion. But apples are rich in sugars and potassium salts—excessive intake is detrimental to heart and kidney health. Those with coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, nephritis, or diabetes should avoid overconsumption.
Pears have cough-relieving, phlegm-dissolving, and moistening effects. Simmered with rock sugar, they treat stubborn coughs; mashed with honey, they prevent autumn dryness and treat hoarseness. However, pears have high sugar content—overeating raises blood glucose, increasing pancreatic load. Diabetics should eat sparingly. Also, pears are cold in nature; those with weak spleen and stomach should not eat too many.
Oranges and Tangerines: Fresh tangerines strengthen the spleen and stomach, warm the lungs, and stop coughing. Tangerine peel boiled with sugar treats colds. Crushed tangerine seeds mixed with vinegar make a paste applied externally to treat mastitis. Oranges are warm in nature—excessive consumption can cause "heatiness," leading to red eyes, toothaches, hemorrhoids, and skin yellowing.
Persimmons: Persimmon calyx decoction treats hiccups; simmered with rock sugar treats pregnancy-related vomiting; fresh green persimmon juice treats hypertension. However, persimmon flesh contains large amounts of tannic acid and persimmon gelatin, which have strong astringent properties—those with constipation should avoid overeating. Also, eating on an empty stomach or with crabs may form persimmon stones. Therefore, those with gastritis or weak spleen and stomach should limit or avoid consumption.
Chestnuts: Have functions of tonifying kidneys, strengthening tendons, enriching the spleen, and stopping diarrhea. Cooking with black-boned chicken enhances bone-strengthening and tonifying effects. However, overeating may cause indigestion.
Bananas: Have moisturizing lung, generating body fluids, nourishing yin, and clearing dryness effects. Due to their cold nature and high sodium content, chronic nephritis, edema, and hypertension patients should consume cautiously. Due to high sugar content, diabetics should eat sparingly or avoid altogether.