Several incidences have been pointing to the porcupine date stone as one amazing alternative medicine for almost all kinds of diseases even tumor and cancer. Its high medicinal value is comparable to the Chinese herbs for cancer. Some stories about this porcupine stone were quite unbelievable but true. Sometime in the history of the Chinese herb medicine, the porcupine date stone was used to cure patients suffering from terminal illness. The porcupine date is popular only to people who had witnessed its amazing works on patients with terminal diseases but hasn’t gain much popularity around the globe.

Interesting facts about Porcupine…

Porcupines have special stiff needle like quills as hair that serves to sting and drive predators away. The muscles are controlling the quills. The quills are filled with air and it can lie flat or straight up. Research across the world established only two types of porcupines. Those that live and eat on the ground and those that spend most of their time in trees. The quills make the porcupine buoyant in water. Although they don’t have venom, they do have barbs on each end that tend to expand as they penetrate the skin of the enemy. Any movement from the enemy causes the quill to go deeper making it most of the time, impossible to remove.

Porcupines belong to the herbivores group of animals. The favourite foods of porcupines are bitter tasting roots and branches of plants and herbs. The diet of this group of animals was associated to its strong immune system and ability to heal quickly. They possess very strong immune system that effectively fights toxins and inhibits the effects of poison. It certainly works as effective antidotes to poisons. Porcupine Date is known as Porcupine Bezoar or in Chinese called ‘Hao Zhu Zhao’. Bezoar literally means antidote in Persian language. The herb that they seek when sick contains certain chemical compounds that help fight the damages brought by toxins as well as facilitate healing. Several studies revealed that unused chemical compounds form a stone like substance inside its body called porcupine date. A porcupine date stone is a mass of food found in the stomach believed to treat diabetes, hepatitis, and dengue fever. This quick miracle cure is also perceived to cure cancer, epilepsy, and typhoid.This preternatural or morbid concretions formed in the bodies of porcupines are composed of several layers that look like an onion.

Composition

The bigger porcupine date, also known as porcupine stone or porcupine bezoar, demonstrates better quality and higher medicinal value. A porcupine date stone is comparable to Chinese herbs for cancer because it consists of trichobezoars, phytobezoars, or pharmacobezoars. Trichobezoars are partially digested hair. Phytobezoars are fibres coming from fruits and vegetables. Pharmacobezoars are hardened blocks of drugs.

Classification

The classification of the types of date depends on their habitat and the length of time it is being harvested from the body of the porcupine. They are classified as follows:

Perfect composited date
Produced from stronger porcupines. These substances have stayed in a porcupine’s body for longer periods. It is highest in quality and price. It is usually reddish-brown, pink or brown in colour. Its surface is smooth and bright. It also feels harder compared to the other categories. Some of these appear to have thin layers of stripes surrounding them. It has pungent smell of Chinese herbs. It tastes bittersweet, with the dominating taste being bitter. It has the best medicinal values.

Semi perfect composited date
Every porcupine’s internal structure varies, the habitat in which it seeks herbs to be consumed is also different, which is how different types of porcupine date is formed. From the outside, semi perfect composited dates are usually brown, pink or greenish-brown in colour. Its surface is rougher and has some grass & roots around it. It is hard but feels a little soft. Tastes bittersweet, and its medicinal value is somewhat like perfect composited date but its price is cheaper.

Grass date
Its surface is the roughest compared to the above two categories. It usually is greenish-brown in colour. It has some grassy substances around it and feels softer than the semi perfect composited date. It tastes bitter. Can be grind into powdered form. Although cheapest of all, it also has high medicinal values.

Could we take the date to improve skin health? Fortunately, it is being used by traditional medicine to treat variety of skin diseases and acne including hardening of coronary vessels. Could date fight against age related diseases? If we are going to look closely, ancient and traditional Chinese medicine is already using the stone for relieving wind, treat stress, cure gastric and heartburn. It also promotes muscle growth, removes toxins, and strengthens the immune system.