What are the benefits of eating Sophora japonica flowers? It’s these!

Sophora flowers are a kind of fruit that grows on trees. They have a sweet taste and can be picked and cooked directly or dried and eaten. Studies have found that eating Sophora japonica flowers have many benefits. They can not only cool blood and stop bleeding, but also clear the liver and reduce fire. They are a rare nutritious food.

1. Introduction of Sophora japonica

Sophora flowers are the flowers and buds of the Sophora japonica plant of the Leguminosae family. Sophora japonica is a deciduous tree, often planted near houses and roadsides, and is widely cultivated throughout the country.

Harvest in summer when the flowers bloom or buds form, dry them in time, and remove branches, stems and impurities. You can also spread cloth, mats, plastic film, etc. under the tree when the flowers are in bloom, knock the flowers down, collect them and dry them.

The flowers of Sophora japonica are commonly called "Sophora japonica flowers" and the buds are commonly called "Sophora japonica rice".

1. Sophora flowers are mostly wrinkled and curled, and the petals are mostly scattered. The complete calyx is bell-shaped, yellow-green, with 5 shallow lobes at the tip; there are 5 petals, yellow or yellow-white, 1 of which is larger and nearly round, with a slightly concave tip, and the other 4 are oblong; there are 10 stamens, 9 of which are united at the base, and the filaments are slender; the pistil is cylindrical and curved.

The best ones are large, compact, yellow-green in color, and without stalks.

2. Sophora japonica seeds are oval or elliptical in shape, 2 to 6 mm long and 2 to 3 mm in diameter. There are several longitudinal lines on the lower part of the calyx. Above the calyx are yellow-white unopened petals and the pedicels are small. It is light in body, has a slight smell and tastes slightly bitter.

2. The efficacy and function of Sophora japonica

Cooling blood and stopping bleeding, clearing liver and purging fire

3. Nutritional value of Sophora japonica

Sophora japonica flowers contain rutin (i.e. rutin, Rytub), quercetin, tannins, sophoradiol, vitamin A and other substances. Rutin can improve the function of capillaries, maintain normal resistance of capillaries, and prevent bleeding, hypertension, and diabetes caused by excessive fragility and high permeability of capillaries. Taking it can prevent bleeding. Therefore, Sophora japonica flowers are often used as a commonly used medicine for treating bloody stools. They are used for hemorrhoid bleeding, bloody stools, bloody diarrhea caused by damp-heat in the large intestine, and vomiting blood and epistaxis caused by blood heat. It is usually decocted and taken orally, 10 to 15 g, and applied externally in appropriate amounts. It should be taken with caution by those with spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, and those with yin deficiency and fever without actual fire.

4. How to choose Sophora japonica flowers

It is best to choose flowers that are about to bloom, because the flowers are not fully open and are relatively tender. They smell fragrant and taste crispy and sweet.

5. Storage method of Sophora japonica

Do not wash the Sophora japonica flowers with water first. Put them into a plastic bag, tie the bag tightly and put them in the refrigerator. They can be stored for a week. If you don't put it in the refrigerator, you can put it in a basket (don't wash it), cover it with wet cotton cloth, and place it on a cool ground. It can also be kept for a few days.