Why is carrot called "native ginseng"?

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that carrots are sweet in nature and have a mild taste. They have the effects of lowering qi and replenishing the heart, strengthening the spleen and resolving stagnation, nourishing the liver and improving eyesight, and relieving the toxins of measles and acne. In addition, the carotene content in carrots is also very high. Today we will talk about the benefits of carrots.

Since we praise carrots, the first thing we should praise is of course the carotene named after carrots. Studies have found that α-carotene concentration in human blood is negatively correlated with mortality from various causes of death. In other words, the higher the concentration of α-carotene in the blood, the less risk people have of dying from various diseases in advance, and the more likely people are to live a healthy and long life.

The main source of carotene is carrots. Each 100g of carrots contains 3.48mg of carotene. In comparison, 100g of pumpkin contains 0.52mg of carotene, mango has 0.009mg and papaya has even lower levels. Only 0.002mg. After reading these data, you can understand that carrots are still a very good vegetable.

Another advantage of carotene is that it is not afraid of high-temperature cooking, and cooking broth with carrots will not cause obvious loss of carotene. On the contrary, cooked food is more conducive to the absorption of various carotenoids, and only a small amount of fat can achieve full absorption.

Everyone must have guessed it when eating hard carrots, which contain a lot of plant fiber. Plant fiber has strong water absorption and easily expands in volume in the intestine. It is a "filling substance" in the intestine, which can strengthen the peristalsis of the intestine, thereby promoting diaphragm and wide intestine, laxative and cancer prevention.

Can you eat carrots casually? Not really. Eating too many carrots may cause the skin to turn yellow. Excessive carotene will be deposited in the skin and subcutaneous tissue, causing the skin to turn yellow. This phenomenon is called carotenemia, so it is recommended to eat it every day. The average does not exceed 200 grams. Don’t be afraid if carotenemia has already occurred, as it will gradually return to normal within a week or two after stopping consumption.