Eating Lilies

There's a short article in this month's issue of Self magazine that extols the benefits of eating lily bulbs(百合).

I read this on the plane to Shanghai, and being the highly impressionable consumer that I am, I promptly went out and bought about 20 bulbs from the nearest hypermarket.

Of course, now I haven't got a friggin' clue what to do with them.


Eat your flowers


I've seen fresh lily bulbs being sold in Beijing supermarkets, but never really took the initiative to figure out what I could do with them until now.

It turns out that at 162 calories/100 g (albeit starchy), fresh lily bulbs actually come with quite a number of health benefits:


They clear your pipes
Fresh lily bulbs can be consumed to "clear heat", relieving coughs, dry throats and other respiratory conditions.

They calm the spirits
It also works as a mental tranquilizer (no, not like weed) and helps treat insomnia and loud heart thumping ('palpitations')with it's tonic properties that promote restful sleep.

They fight Cancer
Lily bulbs have anti-tumor properties (I am not a med student, so I don't know which ones) and are a cancer fighting food.

They make you pretty
According to the March issue of Self (China) magazine, the bulbous lily root also gives you a smooth,rosy and supple complexion.


I don't know about you, but I know what I'm going to be eating for the next few days...