Red dates can be eaten raw or cooked, and can also be processed into dried dates, date paste, date jam, drunken dates, date puree, roasted dates, canned dates, date tea, date wine, black dates, honey dates, date vinegar, and date juice. They can also be used in cooking as an ingredient for stewed chicken, stewed duck, stewed pork feet, etc., adding a unique flavor and nourishment. In daily life, traditional food made from dates is diverse and exquisite, such as date rice dumplings, date steamed cake, date rice cake, date flower cake, date roll cake, date pot cake, and longevity cake. Date paste can also be used as a filling for various pastries. The "gelatin date" and "Chinese honey wine" made from red dates are also exported overseas and highly praised.
(1) Application of red dates in Chinese medicine
① Strengthen the spleen and stomach: For those with weak spleen and stomach, diarrhea, fatigue and weakness, eating 7 red dates per day or using them together with Codonopsis pilosula and Atractylodes macrocephala can invigorate the middle and boost qi, strengthen the spleen and stomach, increase appetite, and relieve diarrhea. Red dates, ginger, and pinellia ternata can be used together to treat symptoms such as stomach distension and vomiting caused by accidental overeating.
② Tonify qi and nourish blood: Red dates are excellent for nourishing the body and are often added to medicinal diets to nourish the body and nourish qi and blood. Red dates are often used together with astragalus, Codonopsis pilosula, and Angelica sinensis in medicinal formulas, which can enhance the body's vitality and strengthen the immune system.
③ Nourish blood and calm the mind: For women with depression, restlessness, anxiety, and menopausal syndrome, using red dates with licorice and wheat can make Ganmai Dazao Tang, which can nourish blood, calm the mind, and relieve liver depression.
④ Moderating the nature of medicine: Red dates are often used in medicinal formulas with strong medicinal properties to reduce the side effects of strong drugs and protect the body's vitality. For example, in Shizao Tang, red dates are used to alleviate the toxicity of Rhubarb, Euphorbia fischeriana, and Corydalis yanhusuo, protecting the spleen and stomach from harm.
(2) Various ways to eat red dates
① Soaked in alcohol: Red dates can be soaked in white wine to make medicinal wine.
② Boiled in water: Boiling in water will not change the medicinal effects of red dates and can also avoid diarrhea caused by eating them raw.
③ Made into soup: Making soup with red dates, Chinese yam, longan, tremella, and rice is a top-notch tonic that can invigorate the spleen and stomach and nourish deficiencies. For example, red date and longan soup.
