Ginkgo Nuts
Once the meat is removed from the fruit which incidentally has a foul smell, you see a brown hard shell that holds the nut (Bai guo) Ginkgo is edible.
These nuts can be purchased fresh in some markets in China, but more commonly they get dry or canned in Chinese supermarkets.
If you decide to buy them fresh, make grilling or cooking before eating, because they can be toxic without cooking and should be handled with gloves, in Chinese cooking are roasted and served as appetizers and are added to a variety of soups and stews.
Ginkgo nuts are high in starch and low in fat, with a portion of 30 g provides about 30 kcal, have a starchy content, such as beans and a soft texture with a slightly sweet flavor.
It is thought to have a circulatory effect because it increases the supply of blood throughout the body and reduces its viscosity.
They can also counteract the harmful effect of free radicals when they enter the body and chemicals that alter the neural control.
Moreover, the extract of Ginkgo leaves in recent years has become an increasingly popular alternative charge of medicine worldwide.
Typically used to protect or treat dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but may also be prescribed for depression, anxiety, concentration problems, headaches and tinnitus.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, ginkgo is considered an aphrodisiac.
In the light of a shortage of well-designed studies, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (USA) is conducting a large-scale 8-year study involving 3,000 subjects must end in July 2009.
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