Contents
What it is
The jujube is the fruit of a tree in the buckthorn family, native to northern China and long cultivated in Korea. Unripe it is pale green and crisp like a small apple; as it ripens it reddens and then loses water while still on the branch, wrinkling into the dried fruit most people recognise. Inside is a single long, hard stone. It is an entirely different plant from the Middle Eastern date, despite the shared name in Korean. It goes into teas, sweet rice dishes, ginseng chicken soup and herbal medicine alike.
Scientific name Ziziphus jujuba
Fresh and dried jujube deserve to be treated as different foods. Fresh jujube carries 69 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, more than an orange's 53 mg.
Dried, water leaves and sugar concentrates: carbohydrate exceeds 70 g per 100 g. Most of the vitamin C disappears during drying and heating. Same fruit, entirely different nutrition label.
Key benefits
- Nutrition data
Fresh jujube is dense in vitamin C
69 mg per 100 g, above citrus. Vitamin C is a cofactor in collagen synthesis and sharply increases absorption of plant-source iron. This advantage belongs to the fresh fruit only.
- Early research
It has a traditional use for sleep and calm
In East Asian medicine, jujube seed (suanzaoren) has long been used as a sedative. Animal studies suggest saponins and flavonoids act centrally, but clinical evidence in humans is limited.[1]
- Nutrition data
It supplies potassium and fibre
Dried jujube is especially concentrated in potassium, and its fibre rises too, which helps bowel movement. Remember that the sugar concentrates in the same proportion.
- Nutrition data
Polyphenols contribute antioxidant activity
Flavonoids and polysaccharides have been reported to show antioxidant activity. The red tint of jujube tea relates to these compounds.
How to eat it well
- In autumn, eat them fresh, crunched like an apple. It is the only way to get the vitamin C intact.
- Treat dried jujube as a sweetener, not a snack. Three to five a day is a sensible ceiling.
- For tea, remove the stones and split the fruit so the compounds infuse properly.
- Adding them to samgyetang or sweet rice dishes brings sweetness and aroma in place of sugar.
- The stones are hard enough to crack teeth — always remove them.
How to read the grades
Each benefit carries a label showing how far research on people supports it. Grades differ between items even within the same ingredient.
- Nutrition data
- A fact verifiable from food composition databases or health authorities. This is a different kind of statement from a clinical effect.
- Strong evidence
- Consistently confirmed across randomised controlled trials or meta-analyses.
- Moderate evidence
- Human studies exist, but effect sizes are small or results are mixed.
- Early research
- Cell or animal work, or small preliminary studies.
- Not established
- Commonly claimed, but not confirmed in studies on people.
What to watch out for
- Dried jujube is very high in sugar. With diabetes, fix a number and stick to it.
- Jujube teas and pastes often have added sugar — check the label.
- In herbal medicine jujube is used to modulate the action of other herbs, so if you are taking herbal prescriptions, do not increase the amount on your own.
- The fibre load means a large portion at once can cause bloating.
- If you restrict potassium for kidney disease, dried jujube warrants particular care.
Nutrition
Approximate values per 100 g edible portion.
- Calories
- 79 kcal4%
- Carbohydrates
- 20.2 g7%
- Fiber
- 2.4 g9%
- Protein
- 1.2 g2%
- Vitamin C
- 69 mg77%
- Potassium
- 250 mg5%
- Magnesium
- 10 mg2%
Percentages are of the US FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 and over. National reference intakes differ by sex and age.
Calculate this alongside other ingredients →
Key nutrients
By health concern
Dishes with this ingredient
Sources
The databases and health authorities this article's nutrition figures and health statements draw on.
- 1Comparison of the sedative and hypnotic effects of flavonoids, saponins, and polysaccharides extracted from Semen Ziziphus jujubeAnimal or lab studyJiang JG, et al. Nat Prod Res 2007PMID 17479419
- 2MFDS Food Composition Database · 식품안전나라Food composition database
- 3USDA FoodData CentralFood composition database
- 4PubMedResearch literature
