Health Benefits of Chives
By Madhusudhan Tammisetti
Chives are tiny bulb-forming plants that seem quite similar to shallots to the untrained eye. They were formerly known as rush leeks, and they were used for adornment, fortune-telling, and warding off evil. Chives scientific name is allium schoenoprasum. They may have been originally grown in Greece, Siberia, or China and are usually native to Europe. They're now widely available in grocery shops and may be found in almost any country. They're used as delicacies or beautiful garnishes by top chefs, and they're also used as medicinal herbs by others.
Chives are not well known as their other family members that include garlic and onion, but they can nourish the body. Including them in the diet may improve your general health.
Chives provide a variety of health benefits, including boosting heart health, supporting healthy skin, aiding in eyesight improvement, acting as a cleansing agent, promoting healthy hair, aiding in cancer prevention, and aiding in bone health. Other advantages include improved digestion, prevention of birth abnormalities, better sleep, and a stronger immune system.
Improves Quality of Sleep
Chives, due to the phytochemicals and vitamins found in them, may enhance your sleep quality. Chives are high in folate and choline, which helps break down homocysteine into amino acid cysteine, which is important for sleep and mood control.
Promote Healthy Bones
Though chives aren't particularly high in calcium, they contain chemicals that help keep calcium in the blood and bone, limiting calcium outflow and maintaining bone integrity. Chives aid in the synthesis of osteocalcin, a cofactor that helps maintain bone's mineral density and is necessary for it to stay functional and healthy. Vitamin K helps preserve bone and decrease the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women by reducing bone loss in the body. Chives may also help prevent osteoporosis, a condition that affects the integrity of the bone matrix.
Heart Health Improves
The heart may be considered as the body's primary transportation center. It regulates life-sustaining processes. A healthy diet improves heart health and reduces the risk of heart disease in later stages of life. Chives may help prevent artery calcification and the development of atherosclerotic plaque. The allicin found in the plant's leaves reduces the amount of bad cholesterol in the body and simultaneously controls the amount of good cholesterol in the body. Because of allicin, the blood flow from the heart to other body organs is controlled and optimized in a variety of ways.
You can also find potassium in chives, which aids in the prevention of heart-related disorders, including heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and the reduction of stiffness in blood vessels. Potassium reduces blood pressure through increasing blood vessel enlargement and lowering blood flow resistance and plays an important role in maintaining circulatory health.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Fitchburg, Wis.