Chinese Red Dates or Jujube Fruit-Health Benefits of This Superfood

Chinese red dates or Korean dates are other names for Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) fruits. This superfood is also known as jujubes, juju fruits, or Jujyfruits. It originally comes from China, where they have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years ago. Nowadays they are grown in the United States, Russia, parts of northern Africa, and southern Europe. Jujube or Chinese red dates come from a relatively small tree, around 40 feet high with shiny green leaves.

Chinese Red dates, or jujube, is one of the best popular health foods in China. Dried dates are slightly soft on the outside with a sweet smell and moist inside. Chinese people treat them not only as a fruit but also as a health tonic.

Chinese red dates or Jujube fruits

Flavor and texture:

They are brown-red stone oval fruits with thin shiny skin. Red dates can be eaten fresh, raw, or infused into the tea to gain their anciently old health-promoting properties. It can be dried and put in a can too easily consume.

Jujube fruits taste similar to an apple with a crispy texture, but dried jujube tastes similar to, just like a dried date have a similarly impressive nutritional profile. It is similar to olive or small dates in size. Fresh jujube fruit has a texture and is crisp.

Dried Jujube or Chinese red dates should be stored in an airtight container in a dark cool place.

Where can I buy jujube? How to Select and Store:

You can buy Jujube at most Asian supermarkets.

Unfortunately, in the U.S. Chinese red dates aren’t available in local grocery stores, but they can be easily found in Asian specialty stores that import exotic fruit.

Best Chinese dried jujube or red dates in details

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How do I choose the best-dried jujube dates?

While purchasing raw fruits choose from ones that are unblemished, firm and full, and yellowish-red in color with smooth skin. When the fruits are maturing, their reddish skin turns into a maroon and then to purplish-black and begins to wrinkle like a date.

You can eat Jujube fruits, raw or used in any recipe as a substitute for apples. Just remove the single seed inside to use in any recipe. It can also be boiled, baked, stewed, or dried. The puree or paste of the fruits is added to dishes for additional flavor, sweetness, and health benefits and also vitamin C-rich jam.

The raw, fresh dates can be preserved at room temperature for about three to four days, but a couple of weeks when refrigerated. Dried red dates should be stored in an airtight container just make sure they are kept away from direct heat and light. Thus, they can last for several months.

Nutritional facts about Chinese red dates:

1. Jujube fruit is rich in energy, essential vitamins, nutrients, and minerals, which provide many health benefits. the fruit, seeds, and bark of jujube are used to treat anxiety and insomnia In traditional medicine. They have also been used as an appetite stimulant or digestive aid.

2. Because of the health benefits, in the modern world, the red date is very popular and is recommended as a “natural vitamin supplement”

3. Chinese Red dates are rich in protein, Vitamins B, and C, as well as trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and iron.

4. It contains vitamin C about 80 times that in grapes.

Health Benefits of dried Jujube Fruit or Chinese Red dates:

1. Anticancer Abilities:

The water extracted from jujubes inhibits cancerous cells. Vaccine and Serum Research Institute in Iran tested the water extract of dried jujube fruit for possible anticancer effects and the induction of apoptosis (automatic cell death) of human tumor cell lines. Researchers have proved using DNA fragmentation analysis that jujube extract suppressed the human tumor cell lines, especially a leukemia line. This scientific study showed this superfood jujube’s wonderful ability to kill off tumor cells, and that makes jujube fruit a potential cancer-fighting food. So it is good to treat any kind of cancer.

2. Red dates soak (liver detoxification)

When the dates are soaked in water, it helps to nourish the liver and detoxify the body. If you drink  Chinese red date water every day, it can increase the body’s serum protein levels and helps to protect your liver, and also detoxify the body.

3. Insomnia Treatment:

Chinese Red dates soothe the nerves to help you sleep. One study in China proved that the saponin in these fruits demonstrated an effective sedative and hypnotic function, which can help you sleep without any drugs.

A cup of jujube tea before bed is just like the ticket to a restful night’s sleep and helps treat insomnia. This tea will help you to alleviate stress. It can bring a pleasant feeling and minimize your dizziness.

Jujubes or red dates and their seeds are used in Chinese medicine to treat common sleep troubles in the patient. They contain compounds that are known as flavonoids, saponins, and polysaccharides. Jujube’s high saponin content act as a natural sedative and have a soothing effect on the entire nervous system.

4. Blood-building and maintaining blood flow:

Chinese Red dates contain a lot of iron, and are a powerful natural remedy against anemia and replenish the red blood cells. of the body.

It also helps to maintain the strong blood flow inside the arteries.

5. Eases sunspots or freckles and maintains youthfulness:

They can help you to maintain youthfulness and muscle tone. It can also help to reduce freckles. If you have tea every afternoon, it will bring a healthy skin appearance to your face and body.

The Chinese red dates or jujube maintain the youthfulness of the body. Even it helps to reduce the appearance of early wrinkles on the face, as it is a good anti-oxidant too. Therefore, it can maintain your youthful look and reduce the symptoms of aging.

6. Blood Pressure Helper

Eating fresh jujube fruits or drinking Chinese red dates tea regularly, regulates your blood pressure. Red dates in their dried form contain even higher levels of potassium. A cup of fresh jujubes contains around 15 percent of your daily potassium needs. This helps in keeping the blood vessels relaxed to improve blood pressure. Which is in turn excellent for your heart health.

7. Protects the throat:

To alleviate a dry throat, red dates are so helpful. Consuming the tea, which is soaking some dates in a cup of hot water can soothe the inflammation and aid in the treatment of a dry throat. When you feel uncomfortable in the throat, tea can be an option to soothe it.

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8. Reduce Cholesterol:

Consuming Jujube tea is really good to maintain your cardiovascular health. It helps to lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood flow. Besides this, it can avoid the possibility of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or heart attack.

Chinese red dates stimulate the production of white blood cells in our body, which improves immunity and decreases the levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

9. General Gastrointestinal Benefits:

Jujube fruits or red dates are traditionally used as a puree, paste, tea, or soup to improve digestion.  The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed in a study that an adequate consumption (40 milligrams per day) of jujube can improve the overall gastrointestinal environment. It can decrease the exposure of the intestinal mucosa to toxic ammonia.

10. Cataract:

Zeaxanthin, a phytonutrient that is available in high amounts in dates, is beneficial for the eyes and prevents from developing the cataract.

11. Uplifting and Calming abilities of Chinese red dates:

Jujubes create a soothing effect on our minds and body. So they are traditionally used as a natural antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and anti-stress medicinal food. Studies have shown that the seeds of this fruit have been specifically implicated in reducing anxiety.

12. Immune system:

Extracts of the Jujube fruits also appear to enhance the immune system of the body. The fruit appeared to have clear therapeutic effects on constipation. The red dates help to get relief from the common health problem of chronic constipation, working as a natural constipation remedy.

When and How much to Eat:

While it’s healthy to consume a few red dates every day, they should be eaten in moderation to avoid bloating. Three to five whole fruits are usually enough for one day. Diabetics and people with digestive problems should avoid these Chinese red dates. Chinese herbal medicine says that people with too much internal humidity should avoid red dates.

You can eat fresh red dates or can add them to your cooking such as in broths, soups, teas, or desserts. TCM suggests that one should intake 5 dates as snacks, three to four times a week.  Taking more fruits does not mean better so be mindful to limit consumption.

How to make Chinese Red Date or Jujube Tea?

Preparing a red date tea is not so difficult. In fact, it is quite easy to serve with a ton of benefits. Here is the recipe for creating the tea:

The Ingredients:

1. 3 dried red dates or Jujubes

2. 1 teaspoon of  raw honey

3. 1 cup of hot water  (300ml)

How to prepare:

1. At first, boil the water in a pan

2. Take the red dates and rinse them very well.

3. When the water is boiling, put the red dates in a cup.

4. Pour the boiling water into the cup.

5. Now add the honey to the cup slowly.

The homemade  Chinese red dates tea is ready to drink and enjoy.

Warning:

Chinese Red dates contain a lot of sugar, so Jujubes can be dangerous for those who are suffering from diabetes. It can have a negative effect on your blood sugar levels.

Take equal amounts of dried lily flowers, lotus seeds, and red dates in a cup of hot water to serve as tea. It will help you to alleviate stress.