The nutritional value of daylily is quite high, but many people ignore it. Its flowers, stems, leaves, and roots can all be used as medicine. It’s better to pay attention to the efficacy of daylily. Here’s what the nutritional value of daylily is.

Every 100g of dried daylily contains 2g protein, 4g fat, 60.1g carbohydrate, 87mg calcium, 176mg phosphorus, 1.2mg iron, 3.44mg carotene, 21mg riboflavin, 16mg thiamine, and 8mg niacin. Carbohydrate, protein, and fat accounted for 60%, 14%, and 2%, respectively. In addition, the content of phosphorus was higher than that of other vegetables.

What is edible daylily

Dryied daylilies

The daylily is sweet and has a slightly bitter taste, but it tastes very delicious. Whether it is fried or cooked in soup, it is delicious.

Edible daylily is the dried flower bud of the daylily plant. The scape of daylily varies in length and is generally slightly longer than the leaves.

Its base is triangular, and its upper part is mostly cylindrical with branches; Bracts lanceolate, some can be up to 3-10 cm, gradually shorter from bottom to top, about 3-6 mm wide, while pedicels are short, usually less than 1 cm long.

Health benefits of daylily

01. Daylily has brain-strengthening and anti-aging functions

Daylily has good brain health and anti-aging effects. It is rich in lecithin, which is very effective in improving and enhancing brain function. It can also clear the deposits in the arteries. It has a good effect on the symptoms of cerebral artery obstruction, memory loss, and inattention.

Among the eight brain-strengthening foods listed by Japanese health experts, the daylily is the first one. They said: “Daylily is a good medicine for preventing the mental decline of the elderly.”

02. Daylily has the effect of lowering blood pressure.

According to expert research, the effective elements in daylily can significantly promote reducing serum cholesterol. Hypertension patients can use daylily as one of the health-preserving vegetables. It is good to eat some daylily for patients with hypertension.

03. Daylily can prevent the growth of intestinal cancer.

Some active ingredients in daylily have a certain inhibitory impact on the growth of cancer cells. Also, it has a good effect on the prevention and treatment of the growth of intestinal cancer tumors.

04. Strengthen the stomach and digest

The daylily is rich in plant fiber. These plant fibers can promote intestinal peristalsis and accelerate digestion. So people with indigestion can eat daylily in moderation.

05. Soothe the nerves and helps sleep

Daylily can play the role of calm the mind, soothing the nerves, and helping sleep. It also has a name called forget worry grass. In addition, it has a good effect on the treatment of insomnia and other symptoms. Therefore, if you often have insomnia, you can eat some daylily to relieve it.

Daylily buds on tree

Precautions of eating daylily

01. Don’t eat too much

Fresh daylily contains a kind of “colchicine” substance. Although it is non-toxic, it is absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract and oxidized to “dicolchicine” in the body, with higher toxicity. So when eating fresh products, don’t eat too much every time.

02. Soak in boiling water before eating

Because the toxic components of fresh daylily can be weakened or disappear at a high temperature of 60 degrees. The fresh daylily should be blanched in boiling water when eating, then soaked in clean water for more than 2 hours. The colchicine can be destroyed in this way, and it is safe to eat fresh daylily.

Some of the dried daylily products on the market have used the additive sodium metabisulfite over the standard amount in the processing process. However, this additive will produce sulfur dioxide after processing. The excess sulfur dioxide residue in daylily will cause poisoning after consumption.

It will cause dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malaise, etc., and damage the gastric mucosa. In severe cases, it will poison the liver and kidney. Sulfur dioxide is also a carcinogen.

So it is best to use the above method to clear daylily before eat.

03. Patients with gastrointestinal diseases should not eat

Although daylily has a peaceful nature, it is not easy to digest. It will cause physical discomfort If people with gastrointestinal problems don’t eat it properly.

People with ulcers and gastrointestinal discordance should eat less. Also, people usually have more phlegm, especially those with asthma and pruritus better to avoid it.

Daylily contains a lot of crude fiber, and patients with gastrointestinal diseases should be cautious in eating it.

Is fresh daylily poisonous

Fresh daylily buds

There is a toxin called colchicine in fresh day lily. Colchicine can inhibit the growth of cells, so it has been used to inhibit cancer cells, but at the same time, it also affects normal cells. So it is harmful to the body.

Eating more than 100 grams of fresh daylily at a time can cause poisoning symptoms. It can be mild poisoning symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.

In severe cases, it may be muscle pain and weakness, numbness of fingers and toes, abnormal bruising or bleeding, etc. What needs to be known is that 7-65 mg of colchicine may be fatal to the body. So we can be concluded that fresh daylily is poisonous.

How to eat fresh daylily without poisoning

Fresh daylily can eat safely with a little treatment. You only need to cook it at a high temperature to treat the colchicine in fresh daylily. Colchicine will weaken or disappear at a high temperature of 60 degrees.

Therefore, the best way to deal with fresh daylily is to remove the stamens and use them after blanching in boiling water and soaking in clean water for about 2 hours. After that, it is completely fine to fry the food. Then, you can eat it with confidence.

Can pregnant women eat daylily

The answer is yes. The daylily is beneficial to pregnant women’s nutritional supplement and fetal development. Daylily contains protein and minerals phosphorus, iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, etc. It is rich in nutrients and delicious, especially suitable for soup.

In addition, daylily has the effects of lowering high blood pressure and reducing obstruction of pregnant women. It is good for the body. However, pregnant women eating fresh daylily need clean and sufficient heating, otherwise, there will be a risk of poisoning.

Author

Sam Perera, Founder of Stethostalk, is a food safety follower and organic food lover. He has completed the PLANT-BASED NUTRITION Cornell Certificate Program, Cornell University, US. Before this, he worked for a few years in IT services. A dedicated follower of nature, he believes in healing with natural foods. In his free time, he loves Gardening, Blogging, and traveling.