Plum is native to China and has been planted in my country for more than 3,000 years. After being introduced to Europe, plums were cultivated into European plums. The most common one is the western plum, which is “famous” for its “intestinal moisturizing and laxative” effect. Undoubtedly, there are enormous health benefits to eating this fruit.
What Are Some Health Benefits of Eating Plum?
1. Prevents High Blood Pressure
The plum is from May to August every year. There are about 14 varieties of plums in Asia. The main varieties are red-fleshed plums. The deep purple “Watermelon Plum” and “Taian Plum” are the sweetest among them. There are yellow-fleshed plums, peach-shaped plums, etc. Although the taste is sour and astringent when you bite it, plums are good, according to a 2023 study published in the Journal of Hypertension by a research team from Temple University in the United States led by Japanese professor Eguchi Satoru. Research has found that plums can lower blood pressure and prevent inflammatory reactions in cells that can cause the hardening of the arteries.
The research team conducted the study with laboratory mice. They first injected the mice with vasotocin to create high blood pressure, then divided them into two groups for the experiment. One group was fed concentrated plum juice, and the other was fed plain water. After a two-week experiment, it was found that the hypertrophy of the inner wall of the aorta of mice who consumed plum juice concentrate slowed down. In contrast, the inner wall of the blood vessel in the control group that only drank boiled water was significantly thicker.
2. Prevents Bone Loss During Menopause
The research report mainly mentioned the blood pressure-lowering effect of the “anthocyanins” of plums. Still, the components of plums that help lower blood pressure are anthocyanins and “potassium”! Taiwanese people eat too salty food, and the sodium content in their bodies is too high, which can easily cause water retention and lead to edema and high blood pressure. Potassium and sodium compete in the body. Eating high potassium can eliminate sodium and help lower blood pressure. In addition, the nutrients of plums include sodium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins A, C, B1, B2, etc.
Sour plums are often made into dried fruits. Dried plums are rich in vitamin K and phytochemicals, which can help menopausal women prevent bone loss. This was reported in the journal “Advances in Nutrition” in 2022. Eating 6 to 12 dried plums daily will have an effect!
3. Nourishes the Liver and Eliminates Edema
Wu Mingzhu, a Chinese medicine practitioner, said that traditional Chinese medicine believes that plums are sweet and sour, have a neutral nature, clear the liver and remove heat, promote fluid production and diuresis, and detoxify alcohol. They are suitable for symptoms such as insufficient stomach yin, thirst and dry throat, abdominal edema, and difficulty in urination. It is recorded in “Yilin Zhuan Yao” that plums can “nourish the liver, purge the liver, and break scars.” Sun Simiao, a famous doctor in the Tang Dynasty, mentioned that plums “should be eaten if you have liver disease.” In ancient times, women would drink plum juice and plum wine in the summer, called “skin-retaining wine.” It was said that drinking it could help the skin stay elastic and shiny.
Not only can plum meat beautify the skin, but Chinese medicine practitioner Wu Mingzhu said that plum kernels have been used as facial compresses in ancient times and are called the “fruit of beauty.” According to Li Shizhen’s “Compendium of Materia Medica,” peeling plum kernels and grinding them finely, mixing them with egg white, and applying them to the face, washing them off the next morning can treat dry faces in women.
4. Plum For People With High Blood Pressure and Diabetes
Pickled plums may not suit people with high blood pressure and diabetes, so they can only taste a few bites. Nowadays, many people use dryers at home to dry fruits or meat slices. Liu Chunjun suggested that you might as well follow the method of making “persimmon cakes” To make dried plums, you don’t need to add any seasonings. Just smash the plums slightly and then use a fruit dryer to dry them into dried plums. After dehydration, the plums’ sweetness will be enhanced, and they will not feel sour.
Dried plums are rich in fiber and are often used to improve constipation. However, health professionals remind us that they are also fruits and should not be eaten too much at one time. Just two or three large plums a day will be enough.
5. Eating Too Much Will Damage the Spleen and Stomach
Although plums have many health benefits, Chinese medicine practitioner Wu Mingzhu reminds us: “Don’t eat too many plums.” According to “Southern Yunnan Materia Medica”, eating too many plums will damage the spleen and stomach. Because plums taste sour and can easily stimulate gastric acid secretion, patients with ulcers and weak spleen and stomach should not eat more plums. “Plum kernel” is a high-grade nutritious food therapy product after debiting. It has the functions of dispersing knots, removing blood stasis, and moisturizing the intestines. However, the intestinal moisturizing effect is relatively strong, so pregnant women and people prone to diarrhea and nocturnal emissions should not consume it.
6. How to Choose a Delicious Plum?
Want to pick out delicious plums? According to the Agricultural and Food Administration, there are three common plums in Taiwan. One is the red-skinned and yellow-fleshed plums, which taste sour, such as Salian and Taojie plums. These plums are mainly used for processing, while the red-skinned and red-fleshed plums are red. Meat plums have a sweeter taste and can be eaten fresh or processed. In addition, there is also a kind of “yellow mandarin plum” with yellow skin and yellow flesh on the market, which has a sour and sweet taste.
Suppose you are afraid of eating plums that are too sour but want to obtain anthocyanins with antioxidant effects. In that case, Liu Chunjun suggests that if you eat foods with high anthocyanins, you can choose berries such as eggplants, grapes, blueberries, and darker fruits. There are anthocyanins in them. If you want to supplement high-potassium foods, generally summer vegetables and fruits, except for melons and fruits, which are relatively low in potassium, almost all vegetables contain high potassium. To supplement vitamin K, you can get it from dark green vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, or kale.
7. Pickled Plums Must Be Broken
How to make pickled plums? Liu Chunjun suggested that if the plums you buy are too sour and you dare not eat them and want to change their taste to make them easier to eat, you must break the plums or cut them with a knife. Otherwise, their skin will be hard and salty or pickled. The candied food won’t even taste good. Except for scratching the skin of the plums, first, rub them vigorously with coarse or ordinary salt until the salt is gone, then let them stand in water and then rinse them to make them green. Then, blanch it in boiling water for 30 to 40 seconds, remove it, and add brown sugar. , licorice powder and galangal are removed, and the taste is less sour.
If you can’t wait for the plums to taste delicious, you can also make jam. According to the Agri-Food and Food Department fan group, plum jam can be made as follows:
8. Plum Jam Recipe
- Boil five red-fleshed plums until they peel, let cool, and remove the pits.
- Add one lemon.
- Add half an apple.
- Pour in about 3/4 of the weight of the red-fleshed plums with sugar, and continue to cook until the sugar dissolves and the pulp becomes soft.
In addition to adding flavor, the sugaring taught here can also extend the shelf life.
What Teacher Yulu shared this time was “Small Yellow-fleshed Plums”. She reminded me that yellow-fleshed plums taste sour and astringent. When pickling, you should use a knife or a small hammer to pat the plums to create small cracks or use a knife to cut the plums to make them taste better. She also reminded me that it is best to wear a group of clothes when picking pickled plums. Otherwise, the juice may spray out and dye your clothes red when taking pictures.
After the plums are beaten or cut with a knife, marinate them with a small amount of salt to “kill the cyanine”. Teacher Yulu said that after 5 minutes, the plums would be out of water. Taste them first. The salt can make the plums less sour. Some people use heat to reduce the sourness of the plums. Boiling water kills the cyanine. When it feels almost the same, wash off the salt with boiled water, add sugar to continue marinating, and finally add “south ginger”, which is added to many Nanyang delicacies. It will give out a fragrance and taste better when iced. Come and try it quickly!
