The water chestnut, is a grass-like sedge grown for its edible corms. The water chestnut is actually not a nut at all, but an aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes, underwater in the mud. It has tube-shaped, leafless green stems that grow to about 1.5 metres. The small, rounded corms have a crisp white flesh and can be eaten raw, slightly boiled, or grilled, and are often pickled or tinned. They are a popular ingredient in Chinese dishes. In China, they are most often eaten raw, sometimes sweetened.

The Chinese water chestnut is native to China and is widely cultivated in flooded paddy fields in southern China and parts of the Philippines.

Health Benefits:

• Water chestnuts are just the perfect food for those who want to lead a healthy life. They are almost fatless and are therefore, a healthy food option. Half a cup of water chestnuts contains only 0.1 g fat.

• Water chestnuts are an excellent source of potassium, which is a very important mineral for human health. Half a cup of water chestnuts contains 350 to 360 mg of potassium.

• Water chestnuts are known to have cooling properties and as such, they are just perfect to beat the summer heat. They are also known to have numerous curative and supplementary properties.

• Drinking water chestnut juice can help alleviate the problem of nausea and bad appetite in kids.

• Water chestnuts are also known to contain detoxifying properties and are considered to be good for people suffering from jaundice.

• Water chestnut powder helps to relieve cough. Grind water chestnuts to make a powder. Consume this powder with water twice a day. This dosage will bring quick relief in cough.

• Water chestnuts are also good in treating conditions like measles. Boiling them in water makes the best drink for the measles patients, which can be given from the third day till the ninth day of the cycle.