Fruit that aids digestion
The tsaoko fruit is among the most commonly used spices in Chinese food, particularly in stews or braised dishes.
Known as caoguo in Chinese, it is also used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a natural remedy for digestive ailments.
The oval, reddish-brown fruit with ridge lines on its surface comes from a perennial herb related to the ginger family.
In China, the tsaoko fruit is grown mainly in Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou provinces.
Mr Feng Jiayang, a TCM practitioner at Sinchong Meheco at People’s Park Centre who is also a professor at the College of TCM Singapore, said there are as many as 20 to 30 seeds in each fruit, which is each about 2cm to 4cm long and 1cm to 2.5cm wide.
The fruit is harvested in autumn, and cleaned and dried before use.
Mr Feng said good quality fruits feel full, are free of contaminants and have a fragrance.
The tsaoko fruit is sold at $2.40 for a 100g packet at some medical halls here.
HOW TCM USES IT:
The pungent tsaoko fruit is regarded as a warm herb, with the ability to disperse disease-causing pathogens in the body.
Two of these pathogens are “dampness” and “cold”, yin pathogens which cool the body excessively and damage the flow of qi (vital energy).
In TCM, a balance of yin (the element responsible for cooling organs) and yang (the element linked to heat) in the body is needed for good health.
A good flow of blood and qi is also needed for good health.
Mr Feng said factors such as the consumption of cold food and drinks – such as ice cream or cooling tea – over a prolonged period, a person’s inherited constitution, and being exposed to cold environments without sufficient clothing, can result in “cold-dampness” in the body.
This then affects the functions of the spleen and stomach, which work together for the normal distribution of nutrients and water in the body.
Mr Feng said a person with “cold-dampness” may exhibit a host of ailments which can be resolved by using the tsaoko fruit, which moves through the meridians of the spleen and stomach.
Meridians are channels in the body through which qi travels.
The symptoms of “cold-dampness” include gastric pain, a cold sensation in the abdomen, abdominal bloatedness, loose stool, and a tongue with a thick, white coating,Mr Feng added.
WHO IT IS FOR:
In TCM, obesity may be caused by an impaired digestive system. When the stomach and spleen are weak, they transform nutrients into “dampness”, instead of qi and blood.
Over time, this “dampness” will congeal into phlegm and become fat tissue, so obese people would do well to strengthen their spleen and stomach with the tsaoko fruit, Mr Feng said.
A safe dosage for the herb would be between 3g and 5g a day, he said.
WHO SHOULD AVOID IT:
Mr Feng advised people who have yin deficiency and, hence, exhibit “heaty” symptoms such as a dry mouth, red tongue, excessive thirst and dry, hard stool, to refrain from consuming this warm herb.
WHAT RESEARCH HAS SHOWN:
In a study published in the journal Food Science And Technology Research in 2007, six groups of adult mice were fed a diet containing 1 per cent or 0.1 per cent of one of three spices – tsaoko, turmeric or garlic powder – for 90 days.
The study reported that the two groups of mice fed with tsaoko of either dosage gained significantly less weight than mice fed on turmeric of either dosage.
Previous studies had shown that high doses of turmeric taken over a long period can inhibit weight gain.
Hence, the authors from Japan said this showed that the tsaoko fruit was “even more effective in reducing weight gain than turmeric”.
The authors also found that plasma glucose concentrations, or the amount of sugar in the blood, were significantly lower in mice on the 1 per cent tsaoko and garlic diets compared with those on the 1 per cent turmeric diet.
They said these results “suggest that tsaoko-supplemented diets not only impart flavour to food but also possess potential health benefits”.
Source: Asia One
Published: 28 Jan 2014
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
