6 Benefits of Grass Jelly

Grass jelly, also known as divine grass, xian cao or chin chow is one of the favorite traditional sweet treats among Asians. It is a common dessert in countries like China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and Singapore, where it is served chilled with other toppings.

Grass jelly remains a popular breakfast option for Muslims in the Southeast Asian region, especially during the month of Ramadhan. This is because grass jelly can soothe a sore throat, a condition that typically arises for those who fast as their throat is left fry for at least 12 hours per day during the month.

What is Grass Jelly?

It is derived from the Platostoma palustre plant and possesses a mild and slightly bitter taste. After extraction processes, it comes in the form of a jelly-like substance. It has a deep dark green to black color.

Now, let’s look at the 6 Benefits of Grass Jelly

1. Promotes Digestive Health
Grass jelly helps your digestive system function at its optimal level as the sugar compounds in this plant have the ability to defeat the bacteria that causes stomach pain. Leaves of grass jelly have some alkaloid compounds that contain considerable amounts of vitamin B and C. When consumed, the combination of both vitamins is highly effective in preventing diarrhea. Moreover, the fiber content in grass jelly helps clean your digestive tract, thereby alleviating stomach pain from heartburn and constipation.

2. Promotes Weight Loss
Grass jelly contains a lot of beneficial nutrients, including vitamin A, B1, C and calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrates but low in calorie. All this makes a perfect fit for your weight loss diet. High-fiber diets are known to aid in weight loss by preventing you from experiencing the occasional hunger pangs and thus reduce excessive eating.

3. Prevents Cancer
Grass jelly contains antioxidants such as isokandrodendrin and S-S tetandrin compounds that are potent in eliminating tumor cells in liver, kidneys, lung, breast and cervical cancer. Thus, the consumption of grass jelly in powder or beverage makes it an effective antidote for the prevention of cancer.

4. Prevents Diabetes
Grass jelly contains bisbenzilsokuinolin and chlorophyll compounds which can control high blood sugar levels of diabetics. These two compounds ensure that sugar found in the grass jelly does not cause any form of insulin spike.

5. Treats Fever and Sore Throat
Grass jelly is one cool remedy for fever and sore throat as it contains nutrients like alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tendradine, and cardioplegicum as well as vitamins A and B. These anti-toxin compounds are more than capable of treating symptoms of fever.

6. Speeds Up Bowel Movement
The two most basic elements for healthy digestion are water and fiber. Lack of fluids in the body can adversely impact your water balance and cause the passage of stool to be challenging. The fiber and water in glass jelly essentially help to channel your food through the digestive tract smoothly for healthy digestion and easy defecation.

The Takeaway
Grass jelly not only offers you a wealth of health benefits, but it is also a delicious and refreshing drink when it is served chilled. However, be mindful not to add too much sugar to suppress its bitter taste as this will only be creating health issues instead of preventing them.

Get your glass jelly and enjoy without moderation!