Sweet potatoes are not only nutritious but also medicinal. So what diseases can sweet potatoes cure?

Sweet potato  is a herbaceous plant of the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), originating from the tropical regions of America, and has been introduced to many countries around the world, including Vietnam.

Sweet potato is a familiar food in the lives of our people. Sweet potato has a low starch content and contains many important vitamins that are beneficial to human health.

There are many types of sweet potato: red, white, purple-fleshed, yellow-fleshed… but in general, the nutritional composition and medicinal uses are the same.

In 100 grams of sweet potato contains: 119 Kcal; protein: 0.8 grams; lipid: 0.2 grams; glucid: 28.5 grams; fiber: 1.3 grams; vitamins A, C, B; minerals such as potassium, manganese, copper…

According to Oriental medicine, sweet potato is neutral, sweet, and affects the spleen, stomach, liver and kidneys. Sweet potatoes have the effect of nourishing the body, benefiting the qi, strengthening the kidneys, strengthening the spleen and stomach, reducing inflammation, clearing the liver, promoting bile, brightening the eyes, treating boils, mastitis, spermatorrhea in men, children with indigestion, dysentery, laxative, kidney yin deficiency, supporting the treatment of diabetes, treating boils, helping to lose weight, treating constipation, anorexia in children, lack of milk in postpartum women, motion sickness,  night blindness ,  jaundice  due to hepatitis…

Sweet potatoes are not only nutritious but also medicinal.

1. Some remedies from sweet potatoes

Here are some remedies from sweet potatoes introduced by Dr. BSCK2. Traditional medicine practitioner Tran Ngoc Que:

1.1 Cure constipation

Sweet potato tubers: 250-400g; sesame: 50g; enough honey to dip; crushed roasted sesame. Boil the potatoes and eat with honey and sesame, divide into 1-2 meals a day.

1.2 Cure hot-season fever

Hot weather can easily cause fever due to colds, not being able to sweat, feeling tired, restless: 1-2 sweet potatoes 300g, 30g rice, 50g green beans, 3 cloves of garlic. Cook until soft and eat while still warm. Divide into 1-2 meals a day.

Or: A handful of fresh sweet potato leaves, a turmeric root, 1/2 small cup of vinegar, boil and drink hot.

1.3 Cure kidney yin deficiency, back pain, weak knees

50g fresh young sweet potato leaves, 30g – 50g turtle shell, 1000ml water. Boil until 400ml of water remains, drink divided into 2 times a day.

1.4 Cure lack of milk

200g fresh young sweet potato leaves, 150g pork belly, sliced. Stir-fry until soft, add spices and eat once a day.

1.5 Cure cassava poisoning

300g sweet potato tubers, 1000ml water. Wash, peel, grind or crush, add water, squeeze to get the juice, drink every 30 minutes until the cassava poisoning is gone.

1.6 Treatment of mastitis

300g white sweet potato, 1 small garlic bulb. Peel, mash, wrap in cloth and apply to the inflamed breast, 1-2 times a day.

1.7. Kidney yang deficiency, frequent urination

250g sweet potato, 150g dog meat. Stew thoroughly (until cooked), add 10ml white wine and spices, eat while still warm, once a day.

1.8. Treatment of motion sickness

150-200g fresh sweet potato, peel, chop, chew and swallow both the juice and pulp.

1.9. Treatment of boils

100g sweet potato, 40g dandelion leaves or 50g fish mint leaves, 10g sugar. Crush, wrap in cloth, apply on boils to drain pus

1.10 Cure jaundice

250g sliced ​​sweet potato, 30g rice, 20g mugwort leaves. Peel the potato, cook porridge until soft and eat, once a day.

1.11. Strengthen muscles, prevent pain and fatigue

200g sweet potato, 100g young fig leaves, cut into small strips, 10ml honey. Cook porridge until soft and eat once a day.

1.12 Cure indigestion in children

30g sweet potato, 20g coix seed, 2 – 5ml honey. Cook porridge, crush and add honey for children to eat, divided into 1-2 times a day.

1.13. Cure vision loss due to vitamin A deficiency

50 – 100g sweet potato, 5ml fish oil. Cook the potatoes until soft, add fish oil and a little seasoning, eat once a day.

1.14. Cure male spermatorrhea

250g sweet potato tubers, 50g soft-shelled turtle meat, 50g goat meat. Cook all, add a little seasoning, salt and eat once a day. Use for 30 days.

1.15. Women who have low milk supply after giving birth

100g sweet potato tubers, 2 pig trotters. Cook until soft, eat once a day, eat until there is a lot of milk.

1.16. Help control blood sugar

with low calories, sweet potatoes help balance insulin levels in the body. Therefore, sweet potatoes are considered a safe food for diabetics. Magnesium and high fiber content in sweet potatoes also help prevent diabetes: 150-350g sweet potato tubers. Cook instead of rice or replace part of a meal, and limit rice intake.

1.17. Weight loss support

sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, typically pectin that is easily fermented and soluble. This type of fiber helps increase hormone activity, helping the body lose weight naturally: Sweet potato tubers 150g – 250g. Boil and eat daily, should reduce the amount of starch in the diet. Duration of use: 20-25 days.

1.18. Helps reduce the risk of cancer

Currently, sweet potatoes are ranked first in the list of 36 foods that have the effect of preventing cancer. This effect is due to sweet potatoes having a special ingredient called dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which has the ability to fight cancer. How to use: Sweet potato tubers 100g – 250g, boil and eat during the day, for 15-25 days.

Eating boiled sweet potatoes helps support weight loss

2. Notes when using sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a healthy vegetable, rich in nutrients, with good disease prevention and treatment effects in human life. However, you must know how to use them properly to avoid unnecessary problems.

Here are some things to avoid when using this food:

• Do not eat sweet potatoes when hungry, it can easily cause bloating, indigestion…
• If you use too much sweet potatoes in a day, your body will be “overfed with fiber”, affecting the absorption of micronutrients.
• Absolutely do not use sweet potato parts with black spots (corrupted, infected with fungus…), you must process and cut off all of this part to avoid liver poisoning.
• Do not eat raw sweet potatoes because they are difficult to digest.
• A very small number of people are allergic to sweet potatoes, so absolutely should not use…