Konjac, also known as Magic Jade, is the ancient name of Konjac in China. After being introduced into Japan, it is still called konjac, but its name in China has been lost among the people. Konjac medicine has a long history in China, which was recorded in the book Records of Famous Doctors written at the end of Han Dynasty. The bulb of Amorphophallus konjac is a traditional Chinese medicine, which is cold in nature, pungent in taste and toxic. Its main functions are to reduce swelling and attack poison, treat carbuncle and lump, as well as snake bite, tumor, cervical lymph node tuberculosis, furuncle and hernia. Most of them are for external use and need to be decocted for a long time after oral administration.

Japanese and China nutrition and public health experts and professors have done many clinical experiments on the health care and medical effects of konjac, and the conclusions are basically the same. Konjac glucomannan belongs to water-soluble hemicellulose, and its outstanding nutritional and health-care function lies in that it can play the role of dietary fiber in regulating nutritional imbalance. Unlike the water-insoluble fiber contained in vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and celery, it can participate in the metabolism of human body and affect the change of intestinal bacteria in a healthy direction. The main health care and medical functions of konjac flour are as follows, based on a large number of experiments and published papers by Zhang Maoyu, Huang Chengyu and Peng Shusheng of the former School of Public Health of West China University of Medical Sciences (now the School of Public Health of West China University of Sichuan):

I. Prevention and treatment of constipation

With the refinement and aging of diet, the number of constipation patients has increased dramatically. The main way to prevent constipation is to increase the content of dietary fiber in the diet, and konjac is a high-quality food with high dietary fiber.

Second, regulate lipid metabolism.

Coronary heart disease has become one of the main causes of human death. Zhang Maoyu et al. (1989) found that the plasma cholesterol level is closely related to the occurrence of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Soluble dietary fiber can increase cholic acid excretion and cholic acid synthesis in vivo by combining with intestinal cholic acid, thus reducing blood cholesterol level, and also reducing the possible carcinogenesis of gallstones and cholic acid metabolites accumulated during biliary tract excretion. According to experiments, insoluble crude fiber has no hypolipidemic effect, while soluble fiber has hypolipidemic effect. It has been reported at home and abroad that konjac can significantly reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels; After the blood lipid reaches the normal level, it will not continue to decline, thus playing a role in regulating lipid metabolism and preventing hyperlipidemia.

Third, improve sugar metabolism.

Diet control is an important measure for the treatment of diabetes. Dietary fiber is not digested and absorbed, does not contain calories, but also feels full, and can reduce and delay the absorption of glucose, so it is a good auxiliary drug for diabetes. Studies show that soluble fiber can significantly improve sugar metabolism, while insoluble fiber has no obvious effect. Huang Chengyu's research (1989) confirms that: Giving refined konjac flour (i.e. crude glucomannan) or konjac food to diabetic patients can reduce blood sugar level.

Fourth, the role of weight loss

Walsh of the United States confirmed the weight loss effect of konjac by double-blind method. It has also been further confirmed in China. The filling effect of dietary fiber in the stomach increases satiety and reduces the absorption of thermogenic nutrients. Adding a certain amount of konjac to the diet can prevent obesity and lose weight slowly.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) Other functions

It is reported in the literature that many non-starch polysaccharides can regulate the immune function of the body and enhance one or more aspects of nonspecific immunity, cellular immunity and humoral immunity. Peng Shusheng's research (1994) shows that konjac powder can improve the specific and nonspecific immune functions of normal mice and immunosuppressed mice, and has immunomodulatory activity.

Epidemiological investigation and some experimental studies show that dietary fiber has a certain preventive effect on colon cancer and breast cancer. The mechanism of cancer prevention may be that soluble fiber absorbs a lot of water to dilute the concentration of intestinal carcinogens and cancer precursors and strengthen their excretion. Zhang Maoyu and other studies have pointed out that it also affects the changes of intestinal flora and the increase of anaerobic bacteria. Bifidobacterium in anaerobic bacteria has anti-tumor effect and accelerates the excretion of metabolites of bile acid, a suspected carcinogen.

Judging from the above five aspects of health care and medical treatment of dietary fiber, glucomannan, the main component of konjac, belongs to soluble hemicellulose, and its effect on the above five aspects far exceeds that of insoluble fiber contained in ordinary vegetables.