Some of the health benefits of jujube are inhibits spread of cancer, boosts immunity, controls weight, promotes a healthy heart, treats ovary cysts, removes breast milk toxins, treats insomnia, stress and anxiety, aids digestion and improves cognitive function.
Ziziphus jujuba commonly called as jujube, red date, Indian date, Korean date, Chinese date is a species of ziziphus in the buckthorn family of plants. The fruit is an oval smooth-green when immature, with the consistency and taste of an apple, maturing to purplish-brown, and eventually wrinkled looking like a small date. Looking similar to an olive pit, it contains single kernel with two seeds.
The jujube fruit is packed with nutrients and minerals like calcium, potassium, saponins, flavonoids, betulinic acid, and vitamins a and c. It works amazingly as a defence mechanism from small aches to the pains caused from as major as cancer. Since this fruit is both tasty and filled with insane number of nutrients and minerals, adding it to the diet on a regular basis may help cure many health problems from the most minor to the major ones.
11 Amazing Health Benefits of Jujube in your Diet
Inhibits Spread of Cancer
The antioxidant enzymes present in jujube help in preventing cancer cells. According to one study done at the university of cambria, jujube extract could effectively slow down the spread of and even kill malignant breast cancer cells. Another study done in iran exhibited the ability of it in inhibiting the spread of cancerous tumor cell lines, especially leukemia cell lines.
Promotes A Healthy Heart
Jujube fruit is loaded with potassium and low in sodium which makes it easier to relax your blood levels and maintain the blood pressure. It works as an antiatherogenic agent that prevents the accumulation or clogging of fat in your arteries. It was also found that it helps lower the amount of lipids in the blood of obese adolescents, reducing the chances of any kind of heart diseases.
Treats Ovary Cysts
A research done by the Tehran university of medical sciences (Iran) revealed that by using a herbal product of jujube called Shilanum was just as effective as birth control pills to treat ovary cysts without causing too many side effects. Therefore, adding jujube to your diet might improve your ovarian health and fight with any possible diseases or infections.
Removes Breast Milk Toxins
In a study conducted in Iran reported that lactating mothers who ate 15 grams of fresh jujubes a day for 2 months had lower levels of toxic elements in their milk compared to that of the control group. The antioxidants present in jujube help reduce the levels of lead present in breast milk, eventually removing any toxins present in the body.
Treats Insomnia
Jujube is used as a Chinese medicine to treat insomnia. This is possible due to the saponins present in this fruit which have a sedative and hypnotic effect, which is perfect for inducing sleep. Consuming a cup of warm jujube tea before going to bed is the most natural way of getting a restful sleep and treat insomnia.
Stress and Anxiety
The calming effect of jujube fruit on the mind and body is the reason why it is used to treat anxiety, stress and depression. Where taking low doses of jujube can treat stress, taking high doses might result in sedative effect. Hence, feel free to eat a few jujubes whenever you seem to experience stress and anxiety (take in limited amount, unless you plan to sleep after, due to its sedative effect).
Aids Digestion
Jujube works like magic in your stomach. The saponins and triterpenoids found in it make sure that the nutrients from the food are absorbed by the body, and the fiber content maintains smooth and regular bowel movements, thus ensuring that you are free from constipation, bloating, flatulence, or any other digestive problems.
For Brain
Jujube improves the functioning of astrocytes that are responsible for protecting the neurons. It also inhibits the activity of glutmate (an excitatory neurotransmitter) that can cause brain damage in people who have suffered from a stroke, seizures, or parkinson’s disease. Jujube also prevents the cells from degenerating, eventually preventing from neurological disorders, and brain damage.
Improves Cognitive Function
The fruit that boosts the brain activity at its best level is jujube. In a study conducted on mice, jujube extract helped deteriorate overall memory and special memory after they were given alcohol. Added to it, it also improved the nerve cell growth and development in dentate gyrus area, which is one of the two areas where new nerve cells develop.
Boosts Immunity
The powerful antioxidants vitamin a and c present in the jujube fruit work as an amazing agent in boosting your immunity. These essential nutrients fight against radical damage, protecting the immune system and preventing heart diseases, cancer, and working as an anti aging agent. They do so by regulating inflammatory cytokines. It also possesses some anti-allergic and anti-anaphylactic properties.
Controls Weight
Jujube is a great supplement of unhealthy snacks for all the fitness freaks, or the ones with “i want to lose weight” plans. All you got to do is replace your regular unhealthy snacks with this tasty yet healthy fruit. The fiber and protein content of jujube not just fills your stomach up fast, but also regulates good blood circulation, eventually giving you a healthy beautiful skin.
These are just some of the popular health benefits of the jujube fruit. It also works amazing in keeping your bones strong due to its calcium content, works as a anti-inflammatory agent, relieves muscle pains, detoxifies blood, might increase hair growth, and protects from many other diseases.
Jujube Recipes
Since you are now aware of the countless benefits of jujube, make sure to add it in your regular diet or take it as a snack whenever possible to enjoy the effective treatment of this amazing fruit. Some recipes where you can add jujubes are:
- Jujube salad
- Jujube tea
- Jujube kababs
- Longan and red jujube tea
- Jujube juice
- Jujube pickle
Eat it raw or add it to any other recipe, jujube does well in adjusting with the other ingredients and improves the flavor. Anything over the limit is bad for health, so make sure to keep your diet healthy and limited.
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