Energy Booster and Skin Moisturizer: Dates 

There is a saying which goes “Dates in Fall” in Korea. Traditionally, each Korean household should have harvested and dried dates by this time of the year. Fewer and fewer people are doing this now with modernization and the comfort of being able to order dried or fresh dates at any time of the year.

They are called the “natural lumps of vitamins” because nutritionally, a date has 7 times more vitamin C content than a mandarin/tangerine and 70 – 80 times more vitamin C content than an apple. It is also called the “No.1 and leader of all the fruits” for that reason. Not only that, but they also contain abundant calcium, phosphorus, iron, multiple vitamins, and high sugar content which makes them nutritive with high calories. These nutrients make them effective for energy recovery, boosting muscular strength, and skincare during this season when the skin can easily lose moisture and elasticity. Their rich flavonoid content makes them beneficial for hypertension/high blood pressure, coronary artery diseases, chronic and acute hepatitis, hypersensitivity disorders such as allergies, asthma, and cancer.

Dates are as commonly used as licorice for making tonic dishes in Korea, due to their sweet taste which makes the dish more palatable and their warm nature which can be supportive to Yang. Dates can strengthen the Spleen and Stomach to improve appetite and regulate bowel movement and the quality of the stool. It also replenishes the Qi and Blood to treat those with low energy, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, and anemia. They also have the ability to harmonize/neutralize the toxicity of the other herbs, similar to licorice. Ancient Chinese medicine texts describe dates as something that can prevent aging and maintain youth when consumed daily. When various grains are consumed with dates, their effects are said to be superior to those of Reishi/Lingzhi mushroom (Ganoderma lucidum) for supporting homeostasis and preventing diseases via enhancing the immune system. When dates are consumed with sesame seeds and sticky/glutinous rice, their effect on benefiting the skin by restoring moisture and elasticity is enhanced.

However, as with all the other herbs and foods, dates are not a panacea. Dates’ high sugar content makes Dampness and Heat accumulate in our body so it is not good for individuals who have excessive Phlegm-Dampness with symptoms and signs like obese/overweight body type with weight accumulation especially on the belly, distension/fullness of the abdomen, heavy sensation of the body, head not feeling clear, and thick tongue coating at all times. Dates should also be avoided when there is food retention/stagnation (indigestion/dyspepsia), dental cavities/caries, jaundice due to acute hepatitis, and diabetes as they are contraindicated in these cases. It may also be worthwhile to mention that dates that are commonly seen in Canada are the Arabic kinds which are longer in shape. They are often sold in the honey-preserved format. The added honey will worsen the Dampness and Heat accumulative effects of dates so it should be even more cautioned for those with such constitutions.           

Let’s remember that any food can be a tonic when we know it and we consume it, and a poison when we don’t know it and consume it. Also, the famous saying of Paracelsus rings true in Chinese medicine food therapy and the principle of moderation - “All things are poison and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison.”