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There is a song whose lyrics may be familiar to many people: "On the high green hills, daylilies bloom..." (Are you singing along?)

What we eatDaylilyIt is a kind of daylily. It is delicious and a bit "chewy" when cooked properly. However, daylily cannot be eaten casually. If it is not handled properly, it may cause poisoning.

In this article, we will talk about the nutritional value of day lily, and then tell you how to enjoy the deliciousness of day lily "safely".

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Daylily is also called golden needle vegetable, daylily, and forget-me-not.Daylily is known as one of the "Four Great Vegetarian Delicacies" along with mushrooms, black fungus, and winter bamboo shoots.It not only has ornamental value, but is also edible. It has a golden appearance, aromatic flavor, and is a rare delicacy whether it is used for stir-frying or making soup.

The fresh and fragrant daylily is also very nutritious. It is the best in many nutrients among vegetables. It is not only rich in dietary fiber, but also provides us with abundant nutrients such as carotene, calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, etc., and the protein content of daylily is also very advantageous among vegetables.

Fresh daylilyInsoluble dietary fiberThe content is as high as 7.7 grams per 100 grams, which is higher than the vegetables we often eat, such as Chinese cabbage, broccoli, celery, etc.Nearly 8 times as much as a celery stalk。

The dietary fiber content of dried daylily is higher, at 12.4 g/100 g.Sufficient intake of dietary fiber can, on the one hand, help us increase satiety, promote defecation, and prevent constipation; on the other hand, it helps regulate blood lipids, stabilize blood sugar, and is beneficial to cardiovascular health.

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The carotene content of fresh daylily is as high as 1840 micrograms/100 grams. Although this content is not as high as that of carrots, it is higher than that of pumpkin and is more than twice that of pumpkin.

Eating more foods rich in carotene is beneficial to the health of eyes and skin, especially for office workers and students who use their eyes every day. It can reduce the damage of blue light to the retina, protect eyesight, and prevent and relieve dry eyes.

The calcium content of fresh daylily is higher than that of milk, at 301 mg/100 g, which is nearly three times that of milk. Although the absorption rate is not as good as that of milk, at least it can win in terms of quantity.

The potassium and magnesium content of fresh daylily are 620 mg/100 g and 85 mg/100 g respectively. This means that if you eat 100 grams of properly cooked fresh daylily, the potassium and magnesium content can meet 33% and 26% of the daily requirement of an average adult respectively. This can not only reduce neuromuscular tension and relieve fatigue, but also help maintain heart and blood pressure health.

The zinc content of fresh daylily is 3.99 mg/100 g, which is second only to dried red pepper and dried black bamboo shoots in the vegetable classification of the "Chinese Food Composition Table".

Zinc supplementation not only plays a positive role in reproductive health, but is also essential for the development of the immune system and maintaining normal immune function in the human body.

The selenium content of fresh daylily is 4.22 micrograms per 100 grams, and in dried daylily it is as high as 24.8 micrograms per 100 grams. Selenium plays a variety of physiological functions in the human body, including antioxidant effects, immune effects, and regulation of thyroid hormones.

The iron content of fresh daylily is as high as 8.1 mg/100 g, which is higher than spinach, which is believed to have a high iron content. It is 2.8 times that of spinach, and even higher than lean pork, which is 1.3 times that of spinach.

onlyAs a plant, daylily's iron absorption rate is not as good as that of animal foods, so don't expect to supplement iron by eating it.

Daylily is rich in polyphenols, such as catechins, chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin, etc. It is also rich in flavonoids, mainly in the form of flavonols and flavonoid glycosides, as well as a small number of isoflavones and dihydroflavonoids. They all have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, can reduce the body's inflammatory response, and are also friendly to cardiovascular health.

To sum up, although the nutritional value of daylily is very high, it should be noted that:The calories of daylily are not lowOh! The calories of fresh daylily are as high as 214 kcal/100 grams, which is nearly 10 times that of the leafy vegetables we often eat.

At present, most of the day lilies bought on the market are dried.If one person eats, generally about 25 grams of dried day lily is enough for one meal.It’s about one handful, and it’s delicious to make a serving of scrambled eggs with day lily.

Image Source:Photographed by the author

Image source: Photographed by the author

But it should be noted that:The fresher the daylily is, the more dangerous it is to eat. Be careful of poisoning.

From 1978 to 2020, more than 30 incidents of poisoning caused by eating fresh day lilies were reported in my country over the past 40 years, causing more than 900 people to be poisoned.

This is because,A component in fresh daylily can cause nausea, vomiting, dry mouth and diarrhea when consumed.

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As for what this ingredient is? In previous studies, it has been believed that this ingredient is colchicine. After being absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, colchicine is partially oxidized to dicolchicine, which will irritate the gastrointestinal tract and cause gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. After steaming and blanching, colchicine will be decomposed and can be eaten safely.

However, in recent years, some researchers have put forward different views on the "toxic ingredients" in daylily. The study believes that daylily does not contain colchicine, but contains co-eluting components of multiple compounds, which are easily soluble in water and can be decomposed by steaming and blanching. It can be safely eaten after cooking.

No matter what this "toxic ingredient" is, it is a fact that it can cause physical discomfort and poisoning symptoms in consumers.

Since fresh daylily is poisonous, does that mean it cannot be eaten? Not really.

As long as fresh daylily is properly handled, it can still be "tasted"If you want to enjoy the deliciousness of fresh daylily and avoid poisoning, you must first understand the correct processing methods.

The stamens of fresh daylily contain high levels of toxic substances.You need to remove the stamens first, then wash and blanch them, then soak them in cold water for an hour or two, and cook them thoroughly. This will remove toxic substances and avoid food poisoning.

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Although it can be eaten after such operation, it is really too troublesome. If any step is not performed properly, there may be a risk of food poisoning.The most recommended is to buy dried day lily directly, the drying process of daylily can destroy the toxins it contains, so it is safer to eat.

Dried daylily needs to be soaked in warm water for 1-2 hours before consumption, then washed. The water used to soak the dried daylily may turn yellow. This is not because the daylily has been dyed. If you look closely, you will find that its pollen has dissolved in the water, causing the water to look yellowish.

In May this year, a couple in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, picked up day lilies from the park and took them home to cook vermicelli. Unexpectedly, the couple were poisoned, felt dizzy, and vomited continuously, and were admitted to the hospital. The doctor thought that the couple might have eaten day lilies, and after emergency treatment, they were out of danger.

Both the large-flowered daylily and the golden baby daylily are ornamental plants and can often be seen in the flower beds of parks. They look very similar to daylilies and belong to the genus Hemerocallis in the lily family, but not all of them are safe to eat.

The content of toxic substances in the flower buds of Hemerocallis dasyphylla and Hemerocallis chinensis are 12.21 times and 11.83 times higher than that of daylily, respectively. If not handled properly, the risk of poisoning is high.

In particular, even after steaming and blanching, the content of toxic substances in golden baby is still higher than that in day lily, which means that although the treatment reduces the consumption risk of golden baby, it still cannot guarantee its consumption safety.

Therefore, don’t pick wild flowers on the roadside, and don’t eat the flowers in the flower beds casually!

Summarize:

Although daylily is colorful and delicious, you must know the correct way to eat it! If you are worried, just buy dried daylily, which is both worry-free and safe. At the same time, I would like to remind everyone: Don't eat the "daylily" in the flowerbed!