1. Mung Beans
Mung beans have a sweet taste and cold nature, known for their ability to clear heat, detoxify, promote urination, and quench thirst. This is why people often consume mung bean soup during summer. Some even use mung bean skins to stuff pillows, which can help clear internal heat, improve eyesight, and lower blood pressure.
2. Honey
Raw honey has a cooling nature and can clear heat, while cooked honey is warm and can replenish central energy. It also has a sweet and gentle taste with functions such as moistening the lungs and detoxifying. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, honey’s properties include clearing heat, replenishing central energy, detoxifying, moistening dryness, and relieving pain. In Indian folklore, honey is considered a “wonder drug” that brings joy and maintains youth.
3. Bitter Foods: Bitter Melon, Bitter Greens, Bitter Tea
Bitter foods generally have detoxifying properties. Despite their slightly bitter taste, they provide sweet relief. Bitter melon has gained popularity in recent years due to its multiple health benefits, such as clearing heat, detoxifying, and improving eyesight. Researchers have found that bitter melon contains various nutrients and a substance similar to insulin, named polypeptide-P, which significantly reduces blood sugar levels. Both injection and oral intake of polypeptide-P have been shown to lower blood sugar levels in animals with severe diabetes, making bitter melon a recommended food for managing diabetes.
4. Garlic: Garlic and Wild Garlic
Garlic is well-known for its antimicrobial properties, particularly raw garlic. The Compendium of Materia Medica from the Ming Dynasty documented garlic’s disinfectant effects. Modern research has shown that garlic can help prevent dysentery, treat chronic active hepatitis, and offer benefits for pulmonary tuberculosis. A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin in 1982 confirmed that garlic also helps lower cholesterol levels, thus benefiting cardiovascular health by preventing atherosclerosis and managing hyperlipidemia.
Summary:
Detoxifying Foods to Consume After a Snake Bite:
- Mung Beans: Clear heat, detoxify, promote urination, quench thirst.
- Honey: Clear heat, replenish energy, detoxify, moisten, relieve pain.
- Bitter Foods: Bitter melon and greens for detoxification and blood sugar management.
- Garlic: Antimicrobial properties, lower cholesterol, support cardiovascular health.