Food is Medicine: Watermelon
Dear Patient,
We tend to think of medicine as something manufactured in a lab and delivered to us in a bottle. But medicine is all around us, and one of my favorites this time of year is watermelon.
It’s juicy, it’s delicious, and it’s been an accepted medicinal substance in China for 800 years. Physician Wu Ren first included watermelon, or Xi Gua (translated as “West Fruit”), in the Household Materia Medica in 1330.
Watermelon is classified in the Traditional Chinese Materia Medica as an herb that clears heat and drains fire. It excels at cooling down an overheated body and replenishing fluids. It’s a popular summer treat for a reason—if you’re feeling hot and dehydrated, watermelon is one of the quickest ways to restore balance.
Food heals us. It’s a gift from the earth, its fullness appearing at the time when we need it most, like plump, juicy watermelons in the height of summer. Now’s a great time to enjoy a slice or two of medicine.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
P.S. You’ve probably heard the quote “Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food” attributed to ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. Turns out that quote never appears in any of his writings, according to research by Diana Cardenas. In reality, the quote started to emerge in the 1920s, and really gained popularity in the 1970s.