First published: 1 April 2015. Updated: 05 Jul 2021
The title of this week is based on a Chinese saying,”一日吃三枣，一辈子不显老” and there is a reason why.
I usually like to encourage patients or friends around me to look into herbal products which are of low cost and at the same time, beneficial to health when they wish to improve their sub-health*. And red dates are one of them. They are very commonly found in medical halls, supermarkets and added in herbal soups. Red dates are also However, not all of us are fully aware of its health benefits.
*Side note: Sub-health is 亚健康 in Chinese. It can be defined as a state characterized by some disturbances in psychological behaviors or physical characteristics, or in some indices of medical examination, with no typical pathologic features
TCM Properties of Red Date
Red date is sweet in its taste and warm in its nature. Due to its healing benefits targeting at the 3 meridians (spleen, stomach and heart), it nourishes and strengthens the qi within the body, replenishes blood level and calms the mind.
That is why some local hospitals provide red dates teas as post-labour drink to mothers who just give birth and have lost huge quantity of blood during labour.
It can also help to gain weight. Ladies, please don’t panic first and read further. Because it can strengthen the qi within spleen and stomach, it improves the digestion system and appetite, allowing the body to absorb the nutrients more effectively.
Nutritions in Red Date
Rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin P and nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, iron and cyclic adenosine monophosphate
TCM Clinical Applications
In TCM clinical application, red dates are also added as a supplementary to protect the stomach and alleviate toxic properties of some herbs with strong effects or high toxicity such as 葶苈子 (Pepperweed Seed), 甘遂 (Gansui Root), 大戟 (Peking Euphorbia Root) and 芫花 (Lilac Daphne Flower Bud). One notable example is 十枣汤 under《伤寒论》(“Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders”, compiled at the end of the Han dynasty), which are commonly prescribed by TCM physicians to treat exudative meningitis, tuberculous pleurisy, liver cirrhosis, pleural fluid, ascites or systemic edema caused by chronic nephritis, and ascites caused by advanced schistosomiasis, etc, which are considered as internal fluid TCM disorders.
On the other hand, there is one classic TCM formula, 甘麦大枣汤 under 《金匮要略》(“Essential Prescriptions from the Golden Cabinet”, first published in the Northern Song dynasty), which uses red dates as one of its main herbs to treat hysteria, menopausal syndrome, neurasthenia, pediatric night cry, etc, which are considered as insufficient heart-yin and liver-qi disharmony under TCM perspective.
Who should eat more? Those who experience:
- Poor appetite
- Get tired easily
- Experience loose stools
- Dizziness due to low blood level/anemia
- Heart palpitation
- Insomnia
- Looking into weight gain
- Elderly
- Female
However, eating more doesn’t mean we can take in huge amount per day so that we can see its effects quicker. There’s always a strike for balance.
Due to its high fibrous and sugar content, it is recommended to take about 3 to 5 per day. If consumed too much, it can cause our stomach to become bloated.
Ok…and who cannot take red dates?
- Diabetic
- Females who experience water retention during menstruation
- Occasionally experience bloatedness in stomach
- Feel sensation of heaviness within the body, e.g. high level of dampness within body
- Constipation
- Those who are taking antipyretics medication
- Those with oral conditions, e.g. toothache.
And also, there are food which can counteract with the medicinal effects of red dates, as such these are to avoid taking together:
- Crabs: can cause fluctuations of body temperature
- Prawns: can lead to food poisoning
- Chives and garlic: can lead to indigestion
- Carrots and cucumbers: can lead to the loss of red dates’ initial effects
For the past few weeks, I have been exploring several local medical halls to ask about red dates, their benefits and the differences among the types of dates. Not sure if any of you have ever noticed, there are 3 main types of dates (or sometimes, we call them jujubes): (1) Small and red, which we call 鸡心枣/小枣, (2) Huge and red, which is 大枣* and (3) Small and it’s black in colour, 黑枣.
*Side note:大枣 is also called 红枣, which is not necessarily referring to the bigger one.
Question now: which should I buy?
As a mystery shopper in several medical halls, I posted this question to many staff members. Not many gave me a satisfactory answer, until I met one young lady whom I was finally convinced to buy the product and do a quick taste test at home.
It all depends on your preference of level of sweetness. The bigger red dates are generally sweeter than the smaller ones. So for smaller ones, you can take about 3 to 5 per day while 1 to 3 per day for the bigger ones. Take this as a reference, if you realise you experience any slight bloatedness in stomach, you can re-adjust the quantity accordingly (provided your body constitution fits the ok-to-consume criteria).
If you are looking into a stronger effect of blood nourishment, you can purchase black dates. Black dates are post-processed product of red dates.
Prices can vary according to the types and places of production of the red dates. You might notice that those red dates from Xinjiang, China, are more costly from those produced in other parts of China. It is mainly because Xinjiang is one of the main origins producing high quality red dates. So again, it is pretty much up to your own consumer’s decision of which to purchase.
Yummilicious!
There are plenty of ways to eat red dates. You can eat them raw. You can boil. You can make it into tea, which is the most convenient for many working adults.
To make it into tea, you can simply add in 1 to 2 red dates (crash them) and hot water. Such tea will last you for a morning. Not just that, you can also include american ginseng for body strengthening, wolfberries for moisturizing dry eyes.
Any Comments or Recommendations?
Feel free to give your comments or recommendations, on the tcm-related topics you are interested to know, in the comment box below! So that I can continue to improve on this blog to make it as useful as possible for you! =)
However, any form of service/product advertising will not be entertained and will be removed. Ya, this is just a humble platform for providing general health information for everyone.
mantologue 
What is nan zao, it is good
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