Globe amaranth flowers are commonly used as a type of vegetable, cultivated widely for not only their delicious taste but also for the numerous excellent health benefits they offer.

The globe amaranth, also known as bachelor’s button, is a herbaceous plant belonging to the amaranth family. It has a slender, non-twining stem that can reach a length of 1 to 10 meters, with a golden-green hue when young and covered in fine hairs and watery sap. As it matures, it turns a light gray color, becomes smooth, and develops small, sparse, spongy nodules on the stem.

Unexpected Benefits of Globe Amaranth Flowers, What Diseases Can Eating Globe Amaranth Flowers Treat? – Image 1. Illustration of the diverse health benefits of globe amaranth flowers.

Globe amaranth leaves grow opposite each other, have a heart-shaped form, and are thin and soft with a green color. The flowers, abundant in number, form clusters resembling fans in the leaf axils, exhibiting a pale yellow-green color. The flower petals unite to form a long tube, exuding a pleasant fragrance. The seeds are elongated.

The globe amaranth usually blooms in the summer, with the peak in July. People often cultivate globe amaranth for ornamental purposes, harvesting both the flowers and leaves for cooking to avail of their preventive and therapeutic effects on various diseases. Additionally, all parts of the globe amaranth, whether fresh or dried, can be used for medicinal purposes.

Health Benefits of Globe Amaranth Flowers

According to traditional Chinese medicine, globe amaranth flowers have a sweet taste, neutral properties, and are known for their cooling, calming, and pain-relieving effects. In modern medicine, globe amaranth flowers boast a diverse nutritional composition, including fiber, protein, vitamin C, B vitamins, calcium, iron, zinc, etc. Therefore, consuming globe amaranth flowers is highly beneficial for health, such as:

Treating Joint Pain and Bone Aches

For individuals suffering from joint and bone ailments, using both globe amaranth leaves and flowers yields the best results.

Aiding in Weight Loss

Globe amaranth flowers are rich in fiber and chlorophyll, low in calories, and consuming dishes prepared with these flowers can induce a feeling of fullness, effectively restricting fat absorption.

Improving Insomnia

To address insomnia, prepare a broth using approximately 30-50 grams each of globe amaranth flowers and sweet wormwood leaves. Clean them thoroughly and cook them together; adding pork or carp to enhance health benefits and taste. Consume this continuously for a week for effective results.

Healing Hemorrhoids

For treating hemorrhoids, commonly known as piles, clean 100 grams of fresh globe amaranth leaves, crush them finely, mix them with table salt, and add 50ml of filtered water. Filter the mixture to obtain the liquid. Use cotton to apply the liquid directly to the hemorrhoids.

Before implementing this remedy, ensure cleanliness with warm saline water. Then use gauze to fixate the application overnight, performing this continuously for 4 to 6 days for noticeable effects.

Preventing Pinworm Infections

For a pinworm remedy, prepare 30g of globe amaranth flowers, 25g of Codonopsis pilosula, and 20g of Chinese knotweed. Clean all the ingredients thoroughly, steep them in water, and drink the medicinal infusion three times a day for three consecutive days. Additionally, preparing a soup with fresh globe amaranth leaves for children to consume continuously for over a week can effectively harness the benefits of globe amaranth.

Treating Pimples

Take fresh globe amaranth leaves, crush them into a paste, and apply the paste directly to the pimples. Continuously apply until the pimples disappear completely.

According to traditional medicine, each part of the globe amaranth—leaves, flowers, and the plant itself—has unique functions:

• Globe Amaranth Leaves: These have a bitter and neutral taste. They are used to reduce inflammation, alleviate joint pain, treat external hemorrhoids, soothe eye inflammation, and promote rapid healing of non-oozing skin lesions. Some individuals also use globe amaranth leaves to cook, although this is not as common as using the flowers.
• Globe Amaranth Roots: Typically used as a medicinal herb with properties that help treat frequent and painful urination, urine with white sediment, or bloody urine.

Unexpected Benefits of Globe Amaranth Flowers, What Diseases Can Eating Globe Amaranth Flowers Treat? – Image 2. Both the leaves and flowers of the globe amaranth are highly beneficial for health. Illustration.

Delicious Dishes Prepared with Globe Amaranth Flowers

1. Stir-Fried Beef with Globe Amaranth Flowers: Quick stir-fried beef on high heat results in a tender and irresistible dish when combined with crispy and sweet globe amaranth flowers.
2. Sour Soup with Snakehead Fish and Globe Amaranth Flowers: Famous as a folk dish in the South, sour soup with snakehead fish and globe amaranth flowers is an ideal choice for family meals. The sour broth, mixed with the sweet taste of globe amaranth flowers, a touch of snakehead fish, and aromatic cilantro, creates a delightful culinary experience.

Considerations When Using Globe Amaranth:

While globe amaranth is considered mild and safe for health, it should not be overconsumed. According to nutrition experts, consuming 1-2 servings of globe amaranth flowers per week is recommended, rather than eating them continuously every day.

When using globe amaranth flowers for cooking to treat joint pain, it is not advisable to combine them with iron-rich foods such as liver, pork, and water spinach. Iron in these foods may push zinc out of the body.

Overcooking globe amaranth flowers can reduce their nutritional value and may not yield the desired therapeutic effects.