So a persimmon led me to blog again...

Wow, as I look back at my last post it's been pretty close to a year since I significantly wrote on this blog. Thanksgiving is rearing it's head, we just finished the midterm elections, I am still working at Mother's and about to hopefully embark on a new journey and business venture in regards to health and wellness. Whew what a year!

So last night at work one of the produce guys gave me a persimmon to try. I have never eaten a persimmon in my life. I've thought about it a time or two but never have I actually bought one or picked it from a neighbor's over hanging tree. I thought I'd give it a try.

I wasn't quite sure how to eat this strange little fruit. I didn't know if you peel it or eat the peel, if it would be sour or sweet, mushy or firm. I soon found out that peeling it was a good idea, it has a tough exterior and not really worth the chew. The flesh is firm(ish) and tasty but not too sweet. Overall an enjoyable fruit but that's not really what sparked my mind to post on my blog.

I've been meaning to post for a long time now, I'll think up a good topic and tell myself I need to take a moment to sit down and write it out. I've debated several times where I want to take this blog, should I make it completely familiar or talk about random items or make it a health blog and link it to my site? I figure given the name I can swing this thing anyway I choose and someone might get use out of it, hopefully it can be cathartic for me as well.

As I ate the persimmon I thought to myself I have no idea the nutrient content of this fruit maybe I can look it up online and see if this thing is really good for me? So ok I get that fruit in general is a good thing but I wanted to know the actual vitamin and goodness that this baby gave me so I googled it.

What came up next was actually what sparked me into writing this blog...I came across an article entitled "Persimmons for heat, hiccoughs, hemorrhoids, hangover." I didn't look at the site it came from as I clicked. I just thought the name was intriguing so I took a gander and to my surprise it was the type of article I ALWAYS look for but RARELY find when looking for facts about an item online.

At first glance I thought hmmm interesting; no hiccups right now or at least that's what I assumed they meant by "hiccoughs," no hangover (it's only Thursday afternoon) and maybe this is TMI but I gave birth two times, hemorrhoid info is always a plus. So I delve in, and it was magnificent.

What lead me to write today was actually when I finished the article I looked to the top and saw it was an editorial from a site called china.org.cn, directly from China. The reason it was written so interestingly was because it was based in Traditional Chinese Medicine and as you all know alternative medicine is right up my alley. So I went to go take a shower and since that is where I solve all of the world's problems I got to thinking about just how awesome and holistic Chinese medicine is. The range is so deep and it really gives you practicality in the mundane that is medicine. The first sentence reads: "One of the most beautiful and beneficial fruits of autumn is the glossy orange-red persimmon. TCM says it's a 'cold' food that can clear heat, help lower blood pressure and brighten the complexion." Marvelous! A sentence so encompassing that it leads you right into the next...a "beautiful and beneficial fruit of autumn that can clear heat (very Chinese med.) lower blood pressure AND brighten your complexion. That is great. A little orange-red fruit can do all that? So I read on. It went on to talk about TCM (or Traditional Chinese Medicine) and how the persimmon has lots of cold "yin energy" that can expel "pathogenic heat." Meaning that if you are fighting off a bug of some sort and have a fever or inflammation this little fruit can quell the heat. AMAZING! And we in the US only think of Tylenol when we get a fever. Now I'm not advocating the next time you come down with the flu you should keep persimmons on-hand instead of other remedies but it does give one lots to think about.

The article goes on to tell when the persimmons are in season and the different varietals one can purchase, then it gets deeper into the importance of said fruit, how it can "promote fluids, nourish the lungs, dispel pathogenic heat, reduce internal bleeding and blood clots and aid the digestive system. It's good for hangovers and hemorrhoids too. The iodine content can help goiter patients." Wow again a little fruit with all that power? Remarkable! And here we thought only pharmaceutical drugs can help such problems. Then after all that importance they throw in that, by the way, persimmons unlike apples are not available all year but can be dried and eaten like a cake. I am going to assume it's more like a hard jam rater than a cake we think of here but options are always a plus. The article states that if the leaves and stems are made into a tea it's helpful for coughs and "frequently drinking persimmon leaf tea can help lower blood pressure and treat hardening of the arteries," and I think that is so cool to read about a simple fruit.

An article that gives info. about nutritional value of a fruit, medicinal value of a fruit and when it's in season, completely all encompassing. I love it! It even throws in the "don'ts" of persimmon eating. It says to not eat them if you are a "cold" person. If you have diabetes to beware of the high sugar content and if one has anemia they should stay away from the skin because the high tannin content can inhibit iron absorption. Toward the end they recommend that no one should eat more than three because too much cold energy is not good and can throw off balance. It even lists foods you should avoid when eating persimmons like: goose, crab, sweet potatoes, sauerkraut and vinegar.

Then finally the pièce de résistance of the whole commentary, the end tells you to make sure and clean your teeth well after consuming so the high tannin content and sugar do not damage your teeth. Now that, my friends, is an article. The type I constantly look for when trying to research and can never find.

Why would I bother getting so excited by this article? Why even think about it in the shower when other more pressing world conflicts are out there and in need of being on my thought docket? Well because it was beautiful quite frankly to think that a simple little fruit, the persimmon, one which I have never eaten could be so versatile and complex all in one is astounding. The actual crux of this article is Traditional Chinese Medicine and how amazing it is to be able to look at the simple and develop the complex. Most importantly, to see where food is our true medicine and how it was given to us on this Earth as a gift, not to ravage and rape like we do with our food sources but to balance. Not to make into other compounds and pretend it is nourishment, not to refine and repackage but to eat and enjoy the natural. The goodness which is given to us in our whole foods. That is what I find so powerful about this piece and this fruit. The idea that we can find the answers to what ails us in random items we might enjoy and eat everyday or like me try new for the first time is stunning. We all need to learn to let food be our medicine and let our minds think in the abstract to help us to be whole. To help our inner chi and make good decisions to keep the balance our bodies so long for.

So hello again to all my friends in Bloggerland, Mama's back and she's ready to post!!!


Love and Hugs,
Raná


For full text of the article I reference please go to:
http://www.china.org.cn/health/2008-09/09/content_16416466.htm