Pteridium aquilinum is a kind of wild vegetable. When the spring breeze is green and the mountains are wild, It is the best season to take the opportunity of hiking to pick bracken. The tender leaves of bracken before stretching are curled up. It is very cute, so there are many nicknames such as cat’s claw dish, fist dish and Ruyi dish in the folk. Pteridium aquilinum is not only beautiful, but also delicious to eat: fragrant and smooth, crisp and tender in taste. Traditional cold-mixed fern root powder, Pteridium aquilinum fried shredded pork and other dishes are really hard to resist when placed in front of us, just want to move chopsticks immediately!
However, at this moment, the mobile phone shook and WeChat sent. Open it and see, my whole body quivered! The title of this WeChat popular science article is really shocking-don’t buy bracken any more, because bracken causes cancer! But also 100% carcinogenic!
My God, can bracken still be eaten in the future? Also, I have been eating bracken for so many years. Do I have a deal with cancer, Can I still sleep from tonight… I’m afraid many of the readers of this article have already begun to panic. For the sake of the truth and the physical and mental health of the public-the rumor must be refuted. This WeChat article is not only a theme party, but also full of mistakes and misleading. Let’s hold our breath and launch a targeted refutation.
Pteridium aquilinum does cause cancer.
First of all, I would like to emphasize a sad fact for bracken lovers: Bracken is indeed carcinogenic. The history of concern about bracken carcinogenicity can be traced back to before World War II or even earlier. Reports have been made in the 1940s that cattle raised on pastures where bracken grows luxuriantly, Chronic hematuria is high. By the 1960s, It is also found that feeding bracken to cattle can lead to acute poisoning, Specific symptoms are leukocyte and thrombocytopenia, bone marrow hematopoiesis disorder, hemorrhage, etc. Then it was found that the bladder of cattle developed malignant tumor. This discovery became an important opportunity for the research on the carcinogenicity of bracken. In 1965, the research found that grinding bracken into dry powder and feeding it orally to rats can induce cancer, and the younger the part (precisely the favorite place of human beings! ) The stronger the carcinogenicity is, the more likely the tumor is to occur in the large intestine, bladder, etc., as well as breast cancer and leukemia. The carcinogenic risk of bracken has thus entered the public eye.
Why does bracken cause cancer?
So which substance contained in bracken is responsible for the carcinogenicity of bracken? It was not until 1983 that Japanese scientists (Nagoya University, Yamada and other scholars) gave the main answer to this question: One is known as [Ptaquiloside], The carcinogenic substance of bracken is successfully isolated and extracted from bracken. The reason why Japan is the most advanced in this field of research is that, One of the key reasons is that Japan, as an East Asian country, has a bracken-loving food culture similar to China (and even South Korea). Epidemiological studies suggest that, Good eating of bracken (especially the habit of regular eating since childhood) is closely related to malignant tumors such as gastric cancer and esophageal cancer. In fact, there is more than one carcinogen in bracken. This WeChat article also mentioned that, In addition to the original fern glycoside, benzoic acid, fern lactam, flavinol compounds and so on are also considered to be related to carcinogenicity, but the most critical is the original fern glycoside. How strong is the carcinogenicity of the original fern glycoside? Some studies have found that not only bracken itself, but also groundwater and even milk in some areas with abundant bracken may be contaminated by protopterin, resulting in carcinogenicity and even acute toxicity.
How carcinogenic is bracken?
1. Carcinogenic rating of bracken under international standards Let’s first look at the actual carcinogenic degree of bracken. First, let’s look at the rating of bracken by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). Bracken is classified as “Grade 2B” here. That is, it may cause cancer to human beings. Specifically, the criteria for judging grade 2B carcinogens are:-there is not enough evidence to show that the substance is carcinogenic to human beings, but there is sufficient evidence to show that the substance is carcinogenic to animals; -Or there is certain evidence of carcinogenicity to human beings and strong evidence of carcinogenicity to animals; -There is evidence to prove that the mechanism may cause cancer, but there is no clinical evidence. Please note that the rating here is for bracken, not protopterin, which is actually lower in carcinogenic rating-only belongs to level 3, i.e.-there is not enough evidence to show whether the substance is carcinogenic to humans and animals; -Or although the substance is carcinogenic to animals, However, there is sufficient evidence to prove that it will not have similar effects on human body. The reason is as mentioned earlier. Pteridium aquilinum contains several other carcinogens besides protopterin, There are both carcinogens and carcinogens. 2. It seems that other foods at the same level as bracken are difficult to obtain perceptual cognition just by looking at the ratings of the world’s authoritative organizations. Now let’s look at what other things we know well in our daily life [lucky] are listed as Class 2B carcinogens together with bracken? A look is really an eye-opener-there are as many as 200 kinds at present! Among them, the one closest to life is: coffee! Kimchi! Mobile phone radiation! Petrol! Diesel fuel! Wait… Excuse me, can you completely leave all these things in your life? You may not have thought that even the [indispensable] acrylamide in the popular French fries has a higher rating as a carcinogen than bracken, belonging to Grade 2A! 3. [Safe Dosage] Seeing this, some people may burst out laughing with relief and then plan to rush to the hotel to eat fern root powder for 10 years in a row. Wait a minute! Don’t forget that the carcinogenic intensity of carcinogens cannot be separated from the intake dose. Even if bracken is only a Class 2B carcinogen, Long-term gluttonous, After all, it may still increase the risk of cancer. On the contrary, Even if you take a very occasional sip of a grade 1 carcinogen, such as aflatoxin, which is abundant in moldy rice and peanuts, there is no need to worry about getting cancer to the point where you don’t think about tea and rice. Some friends who like to break the pot and ask the truth may wonder: So how is eating bracken in large quantities? As there is no threshold for carcinogenicity of bracken, Therefore, it is impossible to give a definite answer. However, the experiment of orally feeding rat bracken mentioned earlier-if the amount fed to rats and causing malignant tumors is converted to human, It is equivalent to letting a person eat 350 grams to 3.5 kilograms of bracken every day. For 20 years in a row. And, If bracken is processed, Although the concentration of carcinogenic substances will not disappear completely, However, it can be further greatly reduced. 4. [Correct Technology] for Eating Pteridium aquilinum in this regard, The traditional culinary culture that has come down in one continuous line from generation to generation always shines brightly. The Chinese are especially lucky. Our food culture generally does not like raw food, The same is true for bracken. Of course, Fresh bracken itself has an indescribable bitter taste, It is difficult to eat raw. The harmful substances contained in bracken such as original fern glycoside are inherently unstable in chemical properties. When boiled in high temperature, it will begin to decompose, Under the excellent cooking skills of Chinese people such as soaking, blanching, cooking and frying, It is also full of grief and mass disintegration-but it is necessary to be especially careful that, Never drink the water left by soaking and blanching as drinking water, Be sure to throw it away. Japan, which also has a long history of bracken consumption in the east, has its own unique skills. That is the traditional method. The so-called “grey juice” is to dissolve heavy Cao (i.e. Baking soda powder) in water to soak bracken. The bracken treated in this way, Harmful substances can be reduced by at least two thirds from the original, And the taste is better. Below, Share this method, very simple, interested friends may as well try: (1) put the bracken in a spacious large pot one by one, pour 1% of the bracken weight baking soda. (2) Pour boiling water until the bracken is fully submerged. (3) Cover it until it cools. (4) Wash, pour in a large amount of water, and then take it. The rest can be stored for one week after changing water every two days.
Summary
After reading this, Everyone should have a full understanding of the truth about the carcinogenicity of bracken. Cancer is complicated, The diet judgment of eating what and not eating what is sometimes the same-after all, everyone has only one life, Health and disease prevention must always be paid attention to. However, After all, the appetite that varies from person to person is also one of the important parts of happiness. After all, Diet judgment, It is the balance between reason keeping healthy and sensibility pleasing oneself. Too inclined to either side, You may not be really happy. So, if you love bracken, remember to eat smart and restrained. Eating smart can minimize the price you may pay for gluttony. Eating restrained is because bracken is not the staple food of rice and you will not die if you don’t like bracken, then perhaps there is no need to taste something novel.