How to store raw walnuts? Best to place raw walnuts in a bag, ensuring no moisture remains inside. Opt for a bag with high airtightness. Once packed, store in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. The freezer's low temperature prevents rapid oxidation. This way, walnuts can be stored indefinitely and retrieved from the freezer whenever needed.
Walnuts, also known as Chinese walnuts or Qiangtao, belong to the Juglandaceae family. Alongside almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts, they are celebrated as one of the world's "Four Major Nuts."Walnut kernels are rich in nutrients, containing 15-20 grams of protein per 100 grams, a higher fat content, and 10 grams of carbohydrates. They also provide essential trace elements and minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and iron, along with vitamins such as carotene and riboflavin. Beneficial for human health, they help strengthen the brain. As one of the most beloved nut foods, they are hailed as the "fruit of longevity" or "immortal nut."
Walnuts thrive in sunlight, tolerate cold, and exhibit strong resistance to drought and disease. They adapt to diverse soil types, preferring fertile, moist sandy loam. While they favor water, nutrients, and sunlight, they are not overly demanding in these aspects. Pruning should be avoided between leaf fall and bud break to prevent sap bleeding. Suitable for most land types, they particularly favor calcareous soils and are commonly found in deep-soiled areas along mountain river valleys.
Medicinal Properties: Sweet, neutral, warm, non-toxic, slightly bitter, and mildly astringent. Walnuts enter the Kidney, Lung, and Large Intestine meridians. They tonify the kidneys, secure essence, strengthen the waist, warm the lungs to relieve asthma, and moisten the intestines to promote bowel movements.
Main indications: Kidney deficiency with asthma and cough, lower back pain; (the woody partition within the nut) bitter, warm in nature; tonifies the kidneys and astringes essence.
1. Breaks blood stasis and removes stagnation: Used for blood stasis causing amenorrhea, blood stasis abdominal pain, blood accumulation causing mania, and bruising with blood stasis.
2. Moistens dryness and lubricates the bowels: Addresses constipation due to intestinal dryness with difficult bowel movements. Its bitter nature disperses stasis, entering the liver meridian's blood division. It possesses potent effects of promoting blood circulation, regulating menstruation, removing stasis, and generating new blood, making it suitable for severe blood stasis. Additionally, it moistens the intestines and alleviates coughing.
3. Nourishing and Strengthening the Body: Animal studies demonstrate that diets containing walnut oil promote weight gain and increased serum albumin levels while causing a slower rise in blood cholesterol. Thus, walnuts are a rare high-fat nutritional supplement.
4. Skin Care: The oils abundant in walnut kernels help moisturize the skin and maintain vitality.
5. Cancer Prevention and Suppression: Studies show walnut components inhibit S37 tumors in mice. Walnut extracts demonstrate inhibitory effects on various cancers, including esophageal, gastric, nasopharyngeal, lung, thyroid, and lymphosarcoma.
Additionally, walnuts provide pain relief for cancer patients, boost white blood cell counts, and protect liver function.
6. Brain Boost: A new study from Oxford University found that children who regularly consume fish and nuts perform better academically. Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA) in children's blood correlate with improved reading skills, memory, and reduced risk of behavioral issues.
Primary dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids include deep-sea fatty fish like sardines, mackerel, salmon, and tuna, as well as flaxseeds and various nuts such as walnuts.