Various dried fruits such aspeanutsbecome commonly stored snacks.However, it is reminded that boiling peanuts can nourish the stomach and lungs;roasting or frying peanuts can easily cause heatiness if consumed in excess.

Peanuts were first recorded in China in 1503.During the Ming Dynasty, peanuts were listed as a medicinal herb in The Compendium of Materia Medica Supplement. It says that "peanuts invigorate the spleen and stomach, nourish and adjust the qi, and moisten the lungs and resolve phlegm," with a sweet taste and fragrant aroma.Peanuts can treat coughs with phlegm, blood deficiency, and weak spleen-stomach conditions, helping to extend life and slow down aging, hence people call peanuts "longevity nuts".The red skin of peanuts contains components that can prevent the dissolution of fibrous protein, promote bone marrow production of platelets, strengthen capillary contraction, and adjust defects in coagulation factors. This can treat purpura, nosebleeds, excessive menstrual bleeding, etc.Peanuts should be used appropriately or they may cause adverse effects, as recorded in The Compendium of Materia Medica Supplement: "Peanuts originally have the function to remove phlegm...the common folk use them after roasting, which paradoxically produces more phlegm."

Different preparation methods result in different effects.Boiled peanuts can moisten lungs and stop coughing; raw consumption helps expel phlegm; frying will produce phlegm.Generally speaking, eating boiled peanuts nourishes the stomach and moisturizes the lungs, while frying or roasting them may cause heatiness.Some people are not suitable for eating peanuts: those with severe gallbladder inflammation or removed gallbladders.Peanuts contain a lot of plant oil that requires significant bile to digest. A lack of bile will overload liver function;people with arteriosclerosis or cardiovascular diseases should also eat peanuts sparingly.Peanuts have blood-coagulating effects, which are not beneficial for treating external injuries; they may increase pain and should be avoided temporarily by those with injuries.

The oil in peanuts has a laxative effect. People with intestinal stagnation or loose stools should not consume too much at once as it can cause abdominal distension and generate heat, producing phlegm.Insomnia Tea: 60 grams of fresh peanut leaves, or 20 grams of dried leaves, wash them, then steep in boiling water to drink like tea. This tea calms the mind and helps treat insomnia.Hypertension and Lipid-lowering Soup: Take 100 grams of peanut shells daily, boil them into a decoction, drink as much as desired.Cough Syrup: Soak 50 grams of shelled peanuts in water until soft, then stir-fry until cooked. Add a small amount of honey to mix and form a paste. This syrup can moisten the lungs and stop coughing.Peanuts nourish the stomach and enhance intelligence

porridge: 45 grams of peanuts,

30 grams of yam,

100 grams of glutinous rice, an appropriate amount of rock sugar.First, peel off the skin from the yam, clean it, slice it into small pieces;boil the peanuts for 1-2 minutes, remove them when hot and peel off their skins, then crush them to a size like rice grains;

rinse the glutinous rice and mix it with the crushed peanuts and sliced yam in a pot. Add water and cook over high heat until boiling, then switch to low heat and continue cooking until the rice is soft and the porridge is ready.During this process, stir continuously in one direction to prevent the rice, peanuts, and yam from sticking together.When the porridge is almost done, add rock sugar. It can be eaten now.This porridge benefits: tonifies energy and stomach, strengthens the brain and enhances intelligence. Suitable for those with excessive use of their brains or blood deficiency-induced memory decline, such as students or seniors.30 grams,glutinous rice100 grams, an appropriate amount of rock sugar.First, peel and wash the yam, then cut it into pieces or rice-grain size;Soak the peanuts in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, remove them while hot to de-shell, then crush them into rice-grain size;Wash and clean the glutinous rice, mix it with peanuts and yam crumbs in a pot, add water and boil. Use high heat at first until it boils, then switch to low heat and cook until the rice is soft and the porridge is cooked.Stir continuously in one direction during cooking to prevent sticking.Add rock sugar just before the porridge is done, then serve.This congee benefits: nourishes energy and stomach, strengthens brain function. It suits those with overuse of brain or insufficient qi and blood, such as students or seniors.