The Miraculous Benefits of Grapes: Maintaining Cardiovascular Health and Longevity in Chinese Medicine

[The Epoch Times, April 24, 2023]”Grape is a miraculous fruit in nature, and it has the title of “God of Fruits”.” Hu Naiwen, a famous Taiwanese doctor of traditional Chinese medicine, said. The antioxidant properties of grapes can help the body rejuvenate and delay aging.

Grapes are a fruit rich in various nutrients. In addition to being eaten fresh, they can also be made into raisins, wine or grape jam. Grapes contain various vitamins and potassium, calcium, iron and so on. In addition, grape skins and seeds also contain polyphenolic compounds, which are strong antioxidants that prevent free radical damage to cells, which in turn helps maintain normal cell growth and development.

Phenolic compounds have been proven to have great cardiovascular benefits, improving blood circulation and controlling blood pressure.

Through big data analysis, Iranian researchers found that grape polyphenols have a protective effect on cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome and other diseases related to oxidative stress. The paper appears in the 2021 issue of the Nutrition Journal.

As early as 2017, researchers in Brazil conducted a control experiment. They randomly divided 28 healthy adults into two groups, one group drank purple grape juice, and the other drank beverages. After 28 days, it was found that the subjects in the purple grape juice group had increased plasma antioxidant activity, and improved antioxidant capacity and cardiometabolic status under strenuous exercise. The experiment was published in the Journal of Functional Foods in 1917.

Chinese medicine has long known the efficacy of grapes

Grapes are also documented in traditional Chinese medicine. According to the “Southern Yunnan Materia Medica”, grapes are “sweet in taste and mild in nature. Taking it lightly and prolonging life can greatly nourish qi and blood for the elderly, and relax muscles and activate collaterals.” That is to say, grapes can supplement the nutrients needed by the human body, activate the circulation of Qi and blood in the body, and then improve the body’s immunity and disease resistance, and even have the effect of prolonging life. It also has a positive effect on maintaining normal hematopoietic function.

Physician Hu Naiwen mentioned in his Youtube video that grapes are very rich in vitamin B complex, vitamin C, amino acids and other nutrients, which can relieve fatigue, maintain skin and eyes, and even relieve body aches .

If there is no way to eat fresh grapes in daily life, you can also buy raisins to eat. Hu Naiwen said that raisins are natural dried fruits and do not require preservatives. After the grapes are dried in the sun, they can inhibit the growth of bacteria because of the high osmotic pressure, so there is no need to worry about preservatives.

When feeling irritable, Hu Naiwen suggested that you can have a cup of raisin wolfberry tea. He said that this tea has the effects of relieving stress, tonifying the kidney, and protecting the eyes. The wolfberry in it has the effect of protecting the eyes, and the raisins have the effect of promoting fluid and tonifying the kidney, which can calm down the irritable mood.

The specific method is: choose 30-40 pieces of raisins and 20-30 pieces of wolfberry, put them in a teapot and brew them with boiling water, and drink them after 15 minutes.

However, nothing should be overdone. No matter how delicious grapes are, no matter how beneficial they are, they should not be eaten in excess.

Physician Hu Naiwen reminded that from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, to eat healthy, everything should be in moderation, too much or too much is not good, and the moderation is the best. So how much grapes is best to eat? It is better to take 10~20 capsules a day. Grapes are high in sweetness, and eating too much can easily lead to obesity.

So can diabetics eat grapes?

Physician Hu Naiwen said that diabetic patients can also eat grapes. In the theory of Chinese medicine, high blood sugar is only the “disease” of diabetes rather than the “cause”. Diabetes is the inability of the body to regulate blood sugar normally. It is not caused by eating sugar. There is no need to be afraid that eating the sugar contained in grapes will cause diabetes to worsen. A moderate intake of grape nutrition is beneficial to the body.

Overdose of grapes leads to side effects

Physician Hu Naiwen said that diabetic patients can also eat grapes. In the theory of Chinese medicine, high blood sugar is only the “disease” of diabetes rather than the “cause”. Diabetes is the inability of the body to regulate blood sugar normally. It is not caused by eating sugar. There is no need to be afraid that eating the sugar contained in grapes will cause diabetes to worsen. A moderate intake of grape nutrition is beneficial to the body. @

Responsible editor: Chen Wenqi