1. Medicinal herbs from eggplant

Eggplant has the scientific name Solaum melongena L, the Sino-Vietnamese name is Nuy qua, belongs to the Solanaceae family, the same family as some foods such as Tomatoes, Potatoes and Pepper.

Eggplant is herbaceous, thermophilic. The stem is 50-150cm high, with small thorns around the stem; The leaves are wide, the underside is covered with fine hairs; The flowers are white or light purple, the stamens are yellow; The fruit is a berry, grows singly, oblong from 15 – 23cm long, the diameter of the fruit is about 4 – 5cm or larger depending on the variety of eggplant. The fruit has a thin purple skin, with small seeds inside.

The part used as food or medicine is the eggplant when it is just ripe.

Chemical composition includes:

• Eggplant contains many antioxidants, low calories, lots of water, suitable for the diet of people losing weight.
• 100g of eggplant only provides 35 kcal but is rich in other nutrients such as: fat, fiber, protein, trace elements (calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, manganese, copper), Vitamin C, vitamin B6, thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Folate, Lutein and zeaxanthin, Vitamin K,…

You should add eggplant to your meals for more nutrition.

2. What are the effects of eggplant?

According to traditional medicine, eggplant is extremely cold, with the following uses: diuretic, liver-clearing, laxative, phlegm-dissolving, hemostasis, heat-clearing and detoxifying.

So what diseases does eggplant cure?

• Good for cardiovascular health : rich in potassium helps stabilize heart rate, reduce LDL-Cholesterol, increase HDL-Cholesterol (due to flavonoid active ingredient), reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
  Eating eggplant helps fight free radicals, strengthen the immune system, protect cells, prevent cancer cells, slow down the aging process thanks to its antioxidant content.
• Improve memory: eggplant is good for mental and cognitive health, eliminates toxins in cells, increases brain circulation, improves memory.
• Helps lose weight: contains a lot of soluble fiber which is very good for the cardiovascular system, makes you feel full quickly, suitable for people on a diet.
• Prevent anemia: The iron content in eggplant helps prevent the causes of anemia, increase protein metabolism.
  Improve eyesight: Anthrocyanin compounds help increase the transmission of the central nervous system, prevent cataracts, and make eyes brighter and healthier.
• Strengthen bones: Phenolic components can prevent osteoporosis in the elderly. In children, iron and calcium in eggplant help bones grow stronger and healthier.
• Prevent hair loss: B vitamins and vitamin A help hair grow thicker and healthier, increase hair shine and reduce hair loss.
• Diuretic effect: drinking eggplant juice has a diuretic effect, eliminating toxins from the body due to some diseases that cause mild edema such as heart disease, kidney disease, etc.
• Control blood sugar: insoluble fibers in eggplant can slow down the digestion of food, reduce the risk of sugar absorption in the body, help stabilize blood sugar, and prevent diabetes.

3. Some remedies from eggplant

In addition to being processed into delicious dishes in the family, eggplant can also be used as a medicine to treat diseases.

Remedies from eggplant help to cool, detoxify, diuretic, lower blood pressure

• Ingredients: 200g eggplant, 15g Plantago, 10g onion, 5g ginger, 10g garlic and other spices to taste.
• Preparation: Wash the ingredients and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Heat the pan on the stove and pour in oil, wait for the oil to heat up, add ginger and onion to fry until fragrant, then add eggplant and plantago to stir-fry until cooked, add spices to taste. Eat once a day.

Remedies for indigestion, fat loss, and blood pressure reduction

• Ingredients: 1 chicken, 200g eggplant, 15g hawthorn, 5g ginger, 10g onion, other spices to taste.
• Preparation: Clean the chicken, remove the organs, wash and slice the eggplant, and chop the other ingredients. Put the pot on the stove to heat up, then pour in the oil. Wait for the oil to heat up, add ginger and onions, saute until fragrant, then add the chicken and stir-fry. Pour in enough water, then add the remaining ingredients, boil over high heat for 30 minutes, then season to taste. Eat once a day.

Blood pressure lowering medicine with vegetarian dishes

• Vegetarian dishes made from eggplant such as braised eggplant, eggplant with tomato sauce, fried tomatoes can reduce blood pressure values.

Eating and drinking eggplant juice helps quit smoking:

• Some studies have shown that eating 10g of eggplant contains the same amount of nicotine as smoking for 3 hours. Therefore, when you feel like smoking, you can eat dishes made from eggplant.

Remedies for digestive bleeding, coughing up blood, and hematuria

• Eating eggplant combined with lemon, lotus root, and celery strengthens blood vessels and prevents bleeding caused by damage to blood vessels.
• Boil eggplant with the whole fruit and stem, then filter the water to drink to treat hematuria.

Eating eggplant prevents purple rashes and age spots in the elderly

• Using eggplant as food in meals helps reduce blood stasis, red rashes, or age spots in the elderly.

Remedies for acute bronchitis

• Ingredients: 500g eggplant, 4 slices of fresh ginger, 3 cloves of garlic.
• Preparation: Wash and cut eggplant lengthwise. Chop ginger and garlic, mix with soy sauce, oil, salt, and sugar. Then squeeze the eggplant and steam it.

Remedies for hepatitis and its symptoms

• Slice eggplant, mix with rice, and cook continuously for many days to reduce symptoms of jaundice and yellow eyes.

Medicine to protect teeth, prevent bad breath

• Wash eggplant, cut into small pieces and mix with salt in a ratio of 5 eggplant, 1 salt and pour enough water to cover. Soak the mixture for at least 3 days, squeeze tightly and leave in a dark place, then take the eggplant out to drain, dry in a cool place, roast until burnt and then grind into fine powder. Use this powder as daily toothpaste, prevent tooth decay or oral diseases.
• This powder can be used to treat gingivitis, oral mucosal damage.

How to make eggplant juice to drink

• Ingredients: 160g eggplant, 1 liter of filtered water, 100g lemon, squeeze to get the juice.
• Preparation: Wash eggplant, cut into thin slices. Boil water then add eggplant and cook until soft for about 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, let cool and squeeze to get the juice, add lemon juice and drink daily.

Note: Eggplant is very cold, should not be combined with other cold foods, when preparing the dish, add a few slices of ginger to reduce the coldness. People with cold constitution, diarrhea, loose stools should not eat too much eggplant.

In short, eggplant is an easy-to-find food, easy to process into many daily dishes. Eating and drinking eggplant juice has many effects in treating diseases of the body.