Sweet and sour flavor with a slightly cold thermal nature, acting on Liver, Spleen, and Stomach meridians.

Active compounds: Its rich in many antioxidants but especially in lycopene, which has been well studied as an anti-cancer agent. In particular lycopene has been shown to help combat prostate cancer. It contains a large amount of vitamins A (beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin), B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Niacin), B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Lycopene. Lycopene is a strong antioxidant twice more powerful than ß-carotene and 100 more times powerful than vitamin E. Tomato also contains Vitamin H that accelerates the catabolism of fat and promotes the growth of lactic acid bacteria in the Intestines.

Functions and Indications:

• Clear heat, promote the production of Body Fluid, quench thirst. It lower fever, restlessness, and dark urine. After febrile diseases or due to Common cold in summer. Eat skinless tomatoes with sugar to clear Heat. Use with watermelon.
• Strengthening Stomach, aiding digestion, relieving dyspepsia, invigorating the Kidney and inducing diuresis.
• Calm the Liver, remove Blood stagnation, cools and cleans blood, hypertension, bleeding at the bottom of the eyes. Eat 1 – 2 large pieces of tomatoes on empty Stomach for 2 weeks, every day.

Directions: Eat raw, in a salad, as a sauce, raw, fried, streamed.  Grind to get juice. Stir fry tomatoes with vegetable oil, then make a soup or add to soup.

Precaution: Those with spleen and stomach deficient cold should avoid eating too much.

Tomato Soup with Tofu

6 medium tomatoes, ripe red and

1 medium potato

                              1 medium carrot

                              250g fennel

1 liter of water 1 tablespoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary 150g tofu into cubes

How to Prepare

Peel the potatoes and carrots. Cut in half the tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. Put them in a pressure cooker with water and fennel. Return to heat and simmer for about 25 minutes (from the time where the pan start beeping). Let cool slightly and blend everything in a blender. Pass through a sieve and add salt, rosemary and diced tofu. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 servings

From the book Nutri – Quantology, a Clinical Guide to TCM ©