Cooling for summer

Part of summer gatherings in my family, as I guess many of yours is Watermelon.  According to Traditional Chinese Medicine  watermelon is very cooling with a sweet flavor.  It is used to remove heat problems; It influences the heart, bladder and stomach, builds body fluids, moistens the intestines and is used to treat thirst, urinary difficulty, edema, canker sores depression and Kidney and Urinary tract inflammations.  It should be eaten with caution if you have weak digestion, anemia or excessive or uncontrolled urination.  The seeds can be consumed, (you mean I should not see if I can spit them farther than my brother…?) and are used as a general diuretic.  They contain cucurbocitrin, which dilates capillaries lowering high blood pressure and are a remedy for constipation.  Dried seeds can be decocted into tea or fresh they can be consumed if chewed well.  As a child my parents made pickles out of the rind.  The rind which also has may of the benefits listed above and are used to treat diabetes and high blood pressure (Juiced for this application not with the salt content of pickling).  Pickles can be made in the same way as vegetable pickles

{this information is not intended to treat anything but offered for informational educational purposes.  If you have issues we are happy to discuss them with you and see if this would be appropriate}