In the event you’ve by no means heard of fox nuts, you would be forgiven for assuming that they do not sound notably palatable. However they’re truly starchy seeds harvested from an aquatic lily and are being hailed as a flexible superfood, with current research supporting why they have been a powerhouse in Ayurvedic and Chinese language medication for 3,000 years, treating every thing from weight problems to excessive ldl cholesterol and irritation. And no foxes are harmed within the course of.
Fox nuts are literally fleshy spherical kernels throughout the seeds of the Eurale ferox flower, an aquatic plant that belongs to the water lily household. Not surprisingly, it is also extra generally often known as the prickly water lily. It is grown in shallow water in tropical areas throughout Asia, together with India, the place the nut is called makhana and phool makhana. However here is the place it will get slightly complicated: fox nuts are sometimes known as lotus seeds on grocery retailer cabinets, nevertheless, lotus seeds truly come from a distant lotus cousin of the E. ferox plant, Nelumbo nucifera. The seeds from this plant are additionally an excellent meals and have lengthy been utilized in conventional medication. Whereas they give the impression of being fairly comparable, seeds from the lotus are elongated with a definite sprout opening at one finish.
Whereas market forecasts for fox nuts differ, all predict development of between 7% and 10% over the following decade, and value the worldwide business at round US$90 million by 2030. A number of firms at the moment are producing fox nuts ‘pops’ as popcorn options, and most Chinese language and Indian grocers inventory a variety of cooked, dried and roasted seeds (that are typically cheaper than different rising health-food merchandise available on the market).
As a result of these small aquatic seeds have arrived on the world stage, we determined it is time to dive into the analysis on this rising superfood.
Their anti-aging properties have been of specific curiosity within the science world. Research in 2012, 2018, 2020 and extra lately in 2023 reviewed the suite of antioxidants in these tiny packages, noting key compounds which might be essential for cell well being and countering irritation.
“An important amino acids current in fox nut are leucine, isoleucine, methionine, cysteine, arginine, and glutamine,” famous researchers within the 2023 paper. “The precursors to creatine are the amino acids arginine and methionine … creatine is essential for the metabolism of cells within the physique. Creatine offers vitality to the cells, permitting for the creation of connective tissue, cells, and metabolism.”
The dietary profile was additional explored in a paper earlier this yr, which additionally cited its use in conventional medication to guard the spleen and kidneys, in addition to regulate blood strain and blood sugar. The super-seeds have about 9.7 g of protein per 100 g, 0.1 g of sugar per 100 g, in addition to magnesium, potassium and phosphorus.
What do they style like? Effectively, not a lot in any respect. However their rise in reputation past their native rising areas appears to have stemmed from the strategy of preparation that basically ‘pops’ them underneath warmth, very like popcorn with out the gritty elements. However they may also be utilized in soups, stir fry, path mixes and porridge, made right into a flour or roasted as a standalone snack. The starchy kernels may also be eaten uncooked.
Whereas a single plant can produce round 100 fox nuts, with 1,000 crops in a position to be grown throughout 2.5 acres (1 ha), they’re nonetheless largely harvested and peeled manually. That stated, India exported 25,130 metric tons of the tiny balls in 2023-2024. And the place did they go? The US, primarily, in addition to the UK, Canada and Australia.
In addition to the mode of harvest, the gradual rise to reputation has additionally been attributed to their blandness and ‘soggy’ texture when uncooked. Nevertheless, a 2022 research discovered that fox nuts not solely retained their dietary profile when roasted and seasoned, however improved on it.
“Outcomes confirmed that roasting considerably improved the minerals content material (from 0.58 to 0.66%), protein content material (from 11.40 to 14.57%), whole phenolics (from 346.02 to 470.62 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (from 4.15 to 4.43 mg CE/g), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging exercise (from 48.54 to 79.13% inhibition) and Ferric Lowering Antioxidant Energy (from 662.46 to 957.14 μmol FeSO4/g),” the researchers discovered. “Thus, roasted fox nuts may be consumed as nutrient wealthy and low GI snack; not solely as a part of nutritious diet however may also be served to sufferers with metabolic problems like weight problems and diabetes.”
In a 2019 research on rats, scientists studied a novel compound remoted from fox nuts, 2β-hydroxybetulinic acid 3β-oleiate (HBAO). They examined for a wide range of biomarkers linked to diabetes.
“HBAO exhibited exceptional enchancment in glycemic management, lipid ranges, plasma insulin, glycogenic liver enzymes and antioxidant exercise in diabetic rats, together with progressive enhancement of distortive histopathological morphology of liver, pancreas and kidney,” the scientists famous. “The outcomes strongly counsel that HBAO may very well be a possible therapeutic agent in diabetes.”
Whereas HBAO was examined in a focus a lot greater than what’s discovered naturally in a single seed, the constructive outcomes have opened the door to growing new and efficient medicine derived from nature.
In one other animal research, on mice in 2019, scientists assessed the discarded seed casings for his or her potential to deal with non-alcoholic fatty liver illness (NAFLD). After 4 weeks, NAFLD mice given a day by day dose of the seed coat extract noticed a marked discount in physique weight, fats within the liver and blood lipids.
Whereas extra human-based research are wanted, rising scientific proof suggests the fox nut is a powerhouse that lives as much as its current hype (in addition to, after all, the three,000 years it has been utilized in conventional medication). Scalability of manufacturing and environmental assessments additionally want additional investigation.
And whereas the fox nut has additionally been utilized in Ayurvedic medication to enhance sexual perform, we have been sadly unable to seek out any Western research addressing this one.
