“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. Human Health Benefits through Daily Consumption of Artichoke
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, is one of the most famous phrases attributed to Hippocrates, the father of medicine. Scientific research on superfoods has increased in the last six years. These foods have nutritional and pharmacological properties, such that they can help to fight against diseases and poor nutritional status. Helianthus tuberosus L., or Jerusalem artichoke, appears to be a superfood that provides benefits to human health at the level of the digestive, gastrointestinal, and dermatological systems, being fit for patients with diabetes mellitus due to its high content of inulin and use in an optimal hypocaloric diet due to its low carbohydrate content. In fact, 5 to 15 g per day is beneficial, with evidence of a prebiotic effect. Unfortunately, its consumption and cultivation are not well known worldwide. For this reason, the present review describes the benefits of H. tuberosus in human health to promote knowledge about its nutritional benefits.
PHARMACODYNAMICS OF DRY ARTICHOKE FLOWERS
Dried artichoke flowers are effective in protecting health, cooling the body and especially the type that also helps us fight and prevent some diseases such as cancer, restore liver function ...Artichoke flower is a famous special of Dalat, this part contains many nutrients and has many very good effects for health. In addition to fresh artichoke flowers, people are also thinly sliced and dried to make dried artichoke flowers for convenient storage without losing essential nutrients.In Oriental medicine, dried artichoke flowers are used in many remedies thanks to their beneficial properties for human health.
1. Rich in vitamins and minerals
An average amount of artichokes meets 20% of the body's vitamin C needs in 1 day, provides about 60 calories and is rich in potassium and magnesium, so it is very good for the heart.Artichoke's ability to fight oxidation helps the body fight diseases.
2. Good for the digestive system
Weak liver, poor functioning will not be able to digest the amount of food the body takes in, causing stomach pain, bloating, abdominal pain after eating and indigestion, Artichoke stimulates the liver to secrete bile to help the digestive system work well.Many scientific studies have found significant improvements when treating indigestion with artichoke extract.
3. Lower cholesterol and heart disease
Artichoke limits cholesterol from the body's fat absorption, the liver does not secrete enough bile to increase cholesterol in the body, so people with liver diseases often have high cholesterol.Artichoke stimulates the liver to secrete bile, so it helps lower cholesterol. Research in Germany has shown that taking artichoke extract for a period of 6 weeks reduces bad LDL cholesterol by more than 22%.Artichoke prevents the formation of new cholesterol in the liver.
4. Lower blood sugar
The liver secretes bile to digest food and body fat, and keeps excess sugar in the form of glycogen and converts it back into glucose for the blood supply.This is a system that works perfectly in the body. However, in some people, the liver is constantly working to make too much glucose that the blood doesn't need, and this excess glucose causes diabetes and other health problems.Through animal studies, researchers have found that Artichoke contains substances that have the ability to block the process of making too much glucose in the liver.
Reference:
Angela Méndez-Yáñez, Patricio Ramos, & Luis Morales-Quintana. (2022). Human Health Benefits through Daily Consumption of Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) Tubers. Horticulturae, 8(620), 620–. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8070620
