Best to Blanch Fresh Chinese Toona Before Eating
Spring brings not only bright sunshine and gentle breezes but also tempting seasonal delicacies. Chinese toona shoots are the epitome of freshness and seasonality among vegetables. Missing the early spring window means missing the chance to enjoy their fragrant aroma.
Chinese toona, also known as Chinese toona buds or toona heads, features vibrant green color, tender crispness, and a unique fragrance—making it a beloved spring vegetable.
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese toona has a bitter taste and cold nature, with functions including clearing heat, detoxifying, improving digestion, regulating qi, killing parasites, and solidifying essence. Additionally, it is rich in vitamin C, high-quality protein, and minerals such as phosphorus and iron—making it a rare gem among vegetables.
Medicinal Value of Chinese Toona
Chinese toona is not only a fine vegetable but also a valuable medicine. Its roots, bark, and fruits are all used medicinally. The young leaves of Chinese toona stimulate appetite and aid digestion. For patients with weak spleen and stomach, bloating, and loss of appetite, use 20 grams of tender toona leaves, 10 grams of magnolia vine, 20 grams of fried three-sprouts, and 15 grams of lotus seeds. Boil in water and take twice daily.
Toona bark, derived from the inner bark or root bark of the toona tree, has functions of clearing heat, drying dampness, astringing the intestines, stopping bleeding, and killing parasites. It treats chronic diarrhea, dysentery, bloody stools, uterine bleeding, leukorrhea, seminal emission, malnutrition in children, and roundworm infestations. Use 50–100 grams of cleaned toona bark, boil in water for external washing or prepare into ointment for treating skin sores—highly effective.
Toona seeds, the fruit of the toona tree, have effects of dispelling wind-cold and relieving pain. Used for treating external wind-cold, stomach pain, and rheumatic joint pain. For hernia pain, use 10 grams of toona seeds and 10 grams of orange seeds, decoct and drink twice daily. For stomachache, use 10 grams of toona seeds and 6 grams of nine fragrant insects, decoct and drink—effective for regulating qi and relieving pain.
Blanch Chinese Toona with Boiling Water
Data indicate that every kilogram of Chinese toona contains over 30 milligrams of nitrite, with older leaves reaching up to 53.9 milligrams per kilogram. Such high levels can easily cause nitrite poisoning and even trigger cancer. Experiments show that raw-washed Chinese toona has 34.1 milligrams of nitrite per kilogram, while blanched toona drops to just 4.4 milligrams per kilogram. Stir-frying unblanched Chinese toona with eggs yields 83.3 milligrams of nitrite per kilogram, whereas blanched toona yields only 1.5 milligrams per kilogram.
Experiments also prove that soaking in 15% or 30% salt water does not reduce nitrite levels. Therefore, always blanch Chinese toona with boiling water before eating.