Traditional Chinese medicine holds that Gorgon fruit strengthens the spleen and tonifies the kidneys.
Tips
culture
Also called 鸡头米 (jītóumǐ, 'chicken-head rice') because the spiky purple fruit pod resembles a rooster's head. A specialty of the Suzhou region, where it's freshly harvested in autumn and added to sweet soups, congee, or the famous 桂花鸡头米 (osmanthus and Gorgon fruit) dessert.
usage
In TCM and herbal pharmacies you'll see dried 芡实 sold by weight; in Jiangnan cuisine, the fresh peeled kernels are seasonal and prized. The medicinal claim is strengthening 脾 (pí, spleen) and 肾 (shèn, kidney).
