Benefits of petai

Again, I am here to share with you guys about petai as I feel the need to give you all some extra information about this magic bean, a natural remedy for many illness. Well, for those who love it may find it their favorite, yet I must say, frankly, it is not everyone’s cup of tea because of its stinky smell.

Hope this simple add on can give you a little extra information if you did enjoy my last hub about petai.

Again, a little simple introduction here about petai before I move on further...

• It is available in the tropical Southeast Asia countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines.
• The tree is tall with slender leaves and bears the fruit - petai.
• Ripe pods are about a foot long.
• Most stinky beans sold on the market are taken from the forest and villages or stinky bean farm.
• It’s a delicious dish and could be medicated use as well.

The previous hub of mine has mentioned that just two servings of petai can provide enough energy for a strenuous 90 minutes workout which has been proved via research, so, it is no wonder then petai becomes the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

However, those who love petai know well that despite of the energy, it helps us too to overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Let’s revise some of those which I have mentioned previously in short before I add on some other benefits.

• Anemia: it stimulates the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
• Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. The US Food and Drug Administration have just allowed the petai industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
• Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating petai at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
• Constipation: High in fiber, including petai in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
• Depression: Wonder how it helps? As petai contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND among people from suffering from depression, many felt much better after taking it.
• Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a petai milkshake, sweetened with honey. The petai calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
• Heartburn: Petai has a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating petai for soothing relief.
• Morning Sickness: Snacking on petai between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
• Mosquito bites: Try rubbing the affected area with the inside of the petai skin. It can amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
• Nerves: it helps calming the nervous system because of is high in B vitamins.
• Overweight: Researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady, and petai is one of it.
• Ulcers: Petai is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
• Temperature control: In Holland, pregnant women eat petai to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature as it can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers.
• Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Petai can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer, tryptophan.
• Smoking: The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
• Stress--When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium petai snack.
• Strokes: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating petai as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%"
• Warts -- Carefully hold the petai in place with a plaster or surgical tape, yes it can kill the wart.

• Enhance immunity - The immune system is made up of a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to protect the body. It is the body's defense against infectious organisms and other invaders, when the immune system becomes weak; it is hard to protect the body against autoimmunity.
• Relieve neurasthenia – well, what is neurasthenia? A disorder characterized by loss of energy, lack of motivation, and feelings of inadequacy, along with vague physical symptoms such as headache or muscle pain. So, the good news is petai can do us the favor to relieve it.
• Conducive to recovery after illness – well, you know this is so great especially to those who just recover their illness.
• Prevention of atherosclerosis – atherosclerosis, a disease in which the clotting material in the blood, which we called it plaque that builds up inside your arteries. It is a general term for the thickening and hardening of arteries. It can lead to serious problems including heart attack, stroke or even death.
• Eliminate the jet lag – for those who often occurs after long flights when you crosses into a different time zone, you know that giving your body time to adjust to a new time zone will cure it, but if you may need some help sometimes if you still having trouble falling asleep on the correct schedule, try some petai dishes then.
• Slowing aging spots – don’t want to accept aging skin too early? Then slow down it by consuming petai regularly.
• Anti-cancer – it is believed that petai does help in fighting off the cancer.
• Prevent the occurrence of thrombosis -- yes, it prevents the formation of a blood clot inside the blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system.
• Promote digestion
• Stomachic
• PMS (premenstrual syndrome): Girls out there forget the pills and instead, eat petai. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Last but not the least, it is believed that not only can it improve kidney function, but ameliorate urinary frequency(the need to urinate more often than usual)and nocturnal enuresis(an inability to control urination during sleep). That’s why men in Southeast Asia treasure them very much.

Coupled with its nature, stinky beans bear fruit all year long regardless of the season. It becomes not only the South-East Asia's most civilians’ favorite, but also be categorized as specialty fine dining dishes.

However, a little attention may need to be taken though everyone of us is encouraged to enjoy its delicious and benefits...

It is suitable especially for people with -

• acute and chronic nephritis, hepatitis, night blindness and myopia(short-sighted).
• Three high-population—high blood lipids, high blood sugar, high blood pressure.

But Not Suitable for -

• Patients with allergic dermatitis and itchy skin.
• Patients with stomach deficiency especially during menstruation.

Petai, the stinky bean we so called, can be eaten either in raw or cooked. It is easy to eat in raw, just simply cut directly to the pods, remove the beans, yes, that’s it.

If you want to try the pods as well, it is advised not to eat in raw. Well, simple enough, just cut the pods into sections, boil it with some salt or bake it on charcoal, and then just stripping out the peas will do.

You can enjoy tasting it too with some "sambal belacan".

Sambal belancan: the Malay food trademark paste which have some mixture of spicy hot, sour, salty and sometimes a little sweet taste. It usually is made of fresh red chilies or bird's eye chilies, a little shallot or onion, sometimes ginger, a squeeze of lime, belacan (a Malay word, is a kind of preserved prawn-based paste used for cooking Malaysian or Singaporean food) and a little sugar.

Select those pods that with narrower coverage, plump peas, prominent green with some yellow color.

For those pods that are still not ripe enough, the aroma and taste of pear is poor and terrible.

There might be times that you have bought too many or any other reasons that you might not be able to cook it within a day or two. Well, just keep in mind that either of these two ways can always help you to keep it fresh.

1. Wrapped the whole pods with newspaper, and then put them in refrigerator.
2. The best and ideal way though, is to remove the clothing and stripping out the peas, and put it into plastic bags or containers and keep it in refrigerator.

Trust me, either of the two methods can keep the stinky beans in good condition for about two weeks long.

So, forget about how the stinky smell is, just enjoy the benefits of the petai and the delicious of it will do.

Get me? I hope you do.