Snakehead fish is one of the favorite foods, mainly used as food, oriental medicine and treatment. In addition to the rich nutritional composition of snakehead fish, it also has pharmacological effects such as anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, cell proliferation, promote platelet aggregation and anti-nociceptive activities. Snakehead fish contains high levels of essential amino acids and an amount of good fatty acids that can directly improve tissue growth, wound healing, nutritional supplements such as food supplements and pharmaceuticals.
1. Snakehead fish is a healthy food
Snakehead fish has the scientific name Channa striata, also known as “fruit fish”. This is a freshwater fish species that is widely caught in Southeast Asian countries and is considered a source of high quality protein. In addition, it is also considered a popular traditional healing method in many localities.
Snakehead fish is not only a healthy food but is often used as medicine to treat diseases. It is one of the best known fish species with established traditional pharmacological benefits such as wound-treating and pain-relieving effects, and ability to increase the patient's energy. However, snakehead fish have not yet been fully and clearly exploited, although they are an important ingredient in many popular remedies and are also recognized by current and past pharmacopoeias around the world.
Snakehead fish are carnivores, they eat fish, frogs, snakes, insects, earthworms and tadpoles, so its meat is said to have a rejuvenating effect, especially for people recovering from fatal diseases. The popularity of snakehead fish as a therapeutic agent is related to folk beliefs about its effectiveness in treating wounds, relieving pain, and enhancing energy. So in some localities, women follow normal birth or cesarean section, patients recovering from surgery are regularly advised to eat meals containing snakehead fish.
From a nutritional perspective, snakehead fish acts as a functional food, bringing health benefits. It is a good food source because it contains high levels of antioxidants amino acids and fatty acids. Amino acids that may have contributed to the pharmacological properties, include glycine, lysine and araginine, while the fatty acids of snakehead fish are arachidonic acid, plamitic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.
Snakehead fish extract is produced from the whole muscle, skin and mucus. They appear to exert their effects through the formation of certain types of bioactive molecules. Channastritata extract can improve the aesthetic appearance of wounds and achieve patient’s satisfaction.
2. Nutritional composition of snakehead fish
Snakehead fish is a rich source of major nutrient groups, including: useful proteins (78.32 ± 0.23%), lipids (2.08 ± 0.08%), and vitamin A (0.265 ± 0.013 mg). It is high in arachidonic acid (AA) 20:4 omega 6 and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) 22:6 omega 3. Furthermore, snakehead fish contain lipids classified into phospholipids, partial glycerides, cholesterol, fatty alcohols, triglycerides and cholesterol esters. Snakehead fish is known for producing polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help regulate prostaglandin synthesis, thereby helping wound healing.
Many analyzes have shown similar results, suggesting that snakehead fish contain abundant crude protein (23%), crude fat (5.7%) and crude ash (1.8%). It is a low-fat fish with an average fat of less than 10%. The fatty acid composition shows a rich presence of: C16:0 (30%) fatty acids along with other major fatty acids containing C22: 6 (15%), C20:4 (19%), C18:1 (12%) and C18: 0 (15%). Furthermore, the ratio omega-3 fatty acids: omega - 6 was found to be lower than 1 (i.e. 0.55) and the PUFA/saturation (P/S) ratio obtained in muscle tissue of snakehead fish was 0.89. The omega - 3: omega - 6 ratio has been proposed as a reliable index to compare the relative nutritional values of fish oils. It is suggested that a ratio of 1:1- 1:1.5 constitutes healthy diet for the human body.
Based on the above nutritional ingredients, we can see that snakehead fish is a food very rich in nutritional value. However, you should consider using it in moderate amounts and combining it with other foods to provide a full range of nutrients for your body.
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References: /scienceforecastoa.com, myfitnesspal.com
