🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Tomato, also known as "fresh tomato," originates from Peru and Mexico in South America. It was introduced to China during the late Qing Dynasty, hence the name "tomato." Now cultivated widely across China. *Lu Chuan Cao Ben* states: "Tomatoes can generate body fluids, quench thirst, strengthen the stomach, aid digestion, and treat thirst and poor appetite."
Medicinal Value
Tomatoes are sweet and sour, slightly cold in nature. They have effects of clearing heat and toxins, generating body fluids, quenching thirst, nourishing yin, cooling blood, strengthening the stomach, and aiding digestion. Clinically, they are used for treating dry mouth, irritability, thirst, poor appetite, stomach heat, bitter taste, gum bleeding, mouth sores, and as adjunctive treatment for hypertension and coronary heart disease.
Tomatoes contain abundant carbohydrates, vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, beta-carotene, citric acid, malic acid, niacin, citric acid, adenine, arginine, glutathione, and other components. The carbohydrates in tomatoes are mainly sugars—glucose and fructose—with minimal starch and sucrose. Modern medical research shows that citric acid, malic acid, and sugars in tomatoes promote digestion and benefit kidney patients by promoting diuresis. Tomatine inhibits various bacteria and aids digestion. Tomatoes can also lower blood cholesterol, helping prevent atherosclerosis.
Tomato vitamin content is substantial. Analysis shows: 500 grams of tomatoes contain 52 mg of vitamin C—equivalent to 1250 grams of apples, 1500 grams of bananas, or 2200 grams of pears. Tomatoes are slightly acidic, protecting vitamin C from destruction during cooking. Among the vitamins in tomatoes, vitamin P protects blood vessels. Vitamin PP maintains skin health, supports normal gastric secretion, and promotes red blood cell formation. Vitamin C strengthens the body’s resistance in patients with gingivitis, periodontitis, nosebleeds, and bleeding disorders, and enhances cancer-fighting ability. Beta-carotene protects skin elasticity, promotes bone calcification, and prevents rickets, night blindness, and dry eye syndrome in children. Vitamin B1 benefits brain development and slows brain cell fatigue.
Recent studies reveal tomatoes have anticancer properties. Researchers added natural tomato pigments to oral cancer cell cultures—cancer cells quickly lost viability and died. Studies in the U.S. and Italy confirm tomatoes can shrink prostate tumors and reduce risks of digestive tract, pancreatic, and breast cancers.
Therapeutic Recipes
◆ Tomato and Loofah Stir-Fry
Ingredients: 250g tomatoes, 250g loofah, 10g black fungus, appropriate salt.
Preparation: (1) Wash tomatoes, blanch briefly, peel, cut into equal-sized pieces. (2) Peel and wash loofah, cut into diamond-shaped slices. (3) Soak black fungus, tear into pieces. (4) Heat wok over high flame, add tomatoes and loofah, stir-fry briefly, then add black fungus, salt, stir, cover, and simmer until cooked. Season.
Benefits: Clears liver fire, calms yang, cools blood, activates blood.
Usage: Can be eaten as a side dish or alone, twice daily—morning and evening.
Indications: Hypertension and atherosclerosis of the liver yang excess type. Symptoms include dizziness, head distension and pain, tinnitus, irritability, insomnia, vivid dreams, wiry and rapid pulse.
◆ Tomato and Red Date Porridge
Ingredients: 125g tomatoes, 50g red dates, 15g goji berries, 100g rice, appropriate rock sugar.
Preparation: (1) Wash tomatoes, chop into small cubes. (2) Remove red date pits, wash goji berries. (3) Wash rice, add to clay pot with red dates and goji berries, bring to boil over high heat, then simmer over low heat until porridge forms. (4) Add chopped tomatoes and rock sugar, cook for another 5 minutes.
Benefits: Nourishes yin and blood, strengthens the spleen and stomach, generates body fluids.
Usage: Twice daily—morning and evening.
Indications: Post-illness weakness, postpartum blood and qi deficiency, general frailty. Symptoms include dizziness, blurred vision, insomnia, fatigue, poor appetite, numbness in hands and feet, pale tongue, white coating. Also useful for cancer prevention.
◆ Tomato and Potato Juice
Ingredients: 500g tomatoes, 200g potatoes.
Preparation: (1) Wash tomatoes, blanch to remove skin, mash, squeeze juice to obtain 150ml. (2) Wash and peel potatoes, cut into pieces, juice using a juicer to obtain 150ml. (3) Mix both juices, stir, simmer until cooked, then consume.
Benefits: Strengthens the spleen, nourishes the stomach, generates body fluids, quenches thirst.
Usage: Once in the morning and once in the evening, continuously for 7–10 days as a course.
Indications: Chronic gastritis of stomach yin deficiency type. Symptoms include dull stomach pain, discomfort, dry heaving, dry mouth and throat, hunger without desire to eat, hard stools, red tongue with little moisture, scanty coating.
◆ Tomato and Pig Liver Porridge
Ingredients: 100g tomatoes, 100g pig liver, 100g glutinous rice, 3 slices of ginger.
Preparation: First, wash and slice pig liver, marinate with salt, soy sauce, starch, and rice wine. Wash tomatoes, cut open. Wash ginger, peel, slice. Wash glutinous rice, place in pot with water, simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and ginger, cook for 10 minutes. Then add pig liver, boil for a few minutes until just cooked. Season and serve as a meal.