Friends of gout should have heard the saying of “eating day lily to treat gout”, but is this saying really reliable? Next, let’s explain this problem in the form of a [lawsuit].
Plaintiff: Lao Zhang, a Gout Friend
Defendant: Day Lily
Defense Lawyer: Dr. Clove
1
Lao Zhang:
I have had gout for many years. I heard that eating day lily can prevent and treat gout.
But I didn’t expect to eat day lily, gout is not good, but vomiting and diarrhea.
Day lily has caused damage to my body. I want the court to judge it as toxic and harmful!
Day Lily:
My day lily is not only delicious but also nutritious. It has been a food for thousands of years.
How can I be classified as toxic and harmful?
Dr. Clove:
The scientific name of day lily is Hemerocallis fulva, which belongs to Liliaceae and is the bud of a perennial herb.
Day lily is a vegetable with high protein, low calorie, rich in vitamins and minerals. Because of its rich nutritional value and delicious taste, it is called “Shanzhen” alongside Lentinus edodes, Auricularia auricula and winter bamboo shoots.
However, when eating day lily, one must pay attention to the eating method and amount.
2
Lao Zhang:
I just cook fresh day lily soup and eat it with soup and water, or stir-fry it.
Isn’t this enough to ensure that the nutritional value will not be lost?
Day Lily:
I was wronged! Fresh and unprocessed day lily contains colchicine, which may be poisoned if eaten in excess.
You are colchicine alkalosis, but your eating method is wrong, can’t blame me!
Dr. Clove:
Colchicine is an important alkaloid in day lily. Colchicine is contained in the whole flower part of day lily, with the highest content in stamens. However, colchicine is soluble in water and easy to decompose when heated.
If you want to eat fresh day lily, pay attention to remove the stamens, cook it for a long time before eating, and discard the soup after soaking. Attention should also be paid to the consumption amount, which is usually recommended not to exceed 22 ounces at a time.
It is safer to eat dried day lily because colchicine will be destroyed in large quantities during steaming and drying at high temperature. During the soaking process, the residual colchicine will also dissolve in water, so it is safer.
Stir-fried day lily often cannot effectively destroy colchicine and is easy to be poisoned due to excessive intake, so do not cook day lily in this way.
Three
Lao Zhang:
Day lily contains colchicine, which can be used to treat gout.
So eating day lily can treat gout, isn’t it?
Day Lily:
When treating gout, colchicine has strict usage and dosage!
Although my day lily contains colchicine, colchicine drugs are produced through refining, processing, synthesis and other processes.
As a vegetable, how can I be directly used as a medicine?
Dr. Clove:
Colchicine relieves local redness, swelling and heat pain by inhibiting the infiltration of inflammatory cells.
In the early stage of acute gout attack, taking colchicine within 24 hours can play a very good analgesic role. Colchicine’s main function is anti-inflammatory and analgesic, which is often called “palliative”. Although it does not cure the root cause, it is very necessary during gout attack.
Colchicine produced by human metabolism has stimulating effect on digestive tract and can cause abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms.
Therefore, when taking colchicine, in addition to strictly controlling the usage and dosage, symptoms, signs and related indicators need to be monitored.
In addition, keeping the blood uric acid at a low level for a long time, lower than 360 mol/L for those without tophus and lower than 300 mol/L for those with tophus, is the [permanent] treatment for gout.
Colchicine does not reduce uric acid, so it is impossible to treat gout by eating day lily.
Final Judgment
The court rejected the plaintiff’s claim and warned the plaintiff to respect science, follow the doctor’s advice to carry out regular gout treatment, not blindly believe in dietotherapy and folk remedies, and take responsibility for his own health!