Snakehead is the name of a kind of freshwater predator fish. Maybe this name sounds strange to our ears. What about cork fish? These fish are known by different names in different regions. In Malay language is called ikan haruan, while in Indonesian is known as cork fish.
In Betawi Indonesia area known as kocolan. This fish is also known as Kutuk in some areas of Java. Fish with the Latin name Channa striata can grow up to 1 meter long with large heads and sprouts resembling snakes. So, it’s named snakehead.
Nutrition Facts of Snakehead Fish
Servings: 150 grams
| Calories | 118 | Sodium | 0 mg |
| Total Fat | 4 g | Potassium | 0 mg |
| Saturated | 0 g | Total Carbs | 15 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 0 g | Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Monounsaturated | 0 g | Sugars | 0 g |
| Trans | 0 g | Protein | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Vitamin A | 0% | Calcium | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 0% | Iron | 2% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Snakehead fish have a lot of protein and very important for society in rural area. In contrast to coastal communities, rural communities have limited options to meet animal protein intake. Therefore, the fish is one of the important source of protein. Albumin is an important protein that is found in the meat of the fish.
Healh Benefits of Snakehead Fish
It is known that the snakehead fish contained a lot of albumin which is very important for for our health. The albumin has many benefits such as:
- Prevent Occurrence of Swelling
Albumin is an important protein that prevents swelling. Swelling or edema occurs because blood cells lose their shape. Blood cells are only liquid, but in them there are molecules and particles that in normal circumstances do not mix with each other. Albumin is what makes this blood cell cells mixed.
If albumin in the body is not fulfilled, it will form precipitate deposits of blood in various parts of the body. Sediment precipitation is what causes swelling and bruising in the body. You may also read about Health Benefits of Gindara Fish
- Maintain Liquid Balance
The human body consists of 70% liquid. The body does not always get enough fluid intake. Whereas the cell body cells need fluids to perform metabolism. Then how does the body keep the fluid balance in the body? Apparently albumin also plays a role in this process. If the body cells are deficient in fluid, albumin will make water in the blood into the cells until the balance occurs.
Conversely, when there is excess water concentration, albumin plays a role to remove this excess from the cell. Then this excess water goes back into the blood.
- Media Storage Nutrition and Hormones
Just like fatty acids that help store and digest fat soluble vitamins, albumin also has the same function. Albumin not only keeps blood cells in the form of dissolved, but also other nutrients. Some proteins, hormones, and minerals are stored in albumin to then be circulated throughout the body. Hence the lack of albumin will cause disturbances in the human circulatory system. You may also read about Health Benefits of Haddock Fish
- Helping to Fix Tissues Damage
Albumin has an important role in improving the cell regeneration process. This is very important if the body tissue is damaged. Not only accelerate the regeneration process, albumin also sends signals to the body’s immune system if there are cells and tissues that are damaged. Somehow it happens when the body lacks albumin in a long time. You may also read about Health Benefits of Grilled Fish
- Role in the Formation of White Blood Cells
White blood cells have an important function as the body’s immune system. When there is a foreign object that enters the body, white blood cells are the body’s main defense with its phagocyte properties. Albumin is a protein that plays a role in the formation of this white blood cell. Lack of albumin can cause the body easily ache and inflammation.
More Snakehead Fish Benefits
The health benefits of snakehead fish is not only caused by its albumin content but also by some other content in it. Here are some other health benefits of snakehead fish :
- There are some diseases that caused by the decreasing of albumin, they are kidney failure, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and tuberculosis. The treatment for these diseases is by getting infusion of albumin. The infusion of albumin is just like another infusion but the content is fully by albumin. You may also read about Health Benefits of Goldfish
- It is used for increasing the blood osmotic pressure which is low (below the standard that is 3.5 – 5.5 g/dl) that caused an inflammation or edema in some parts of the body.
- For example some people who suffered diabetes, they got swelling in their feet. The way to increase albumin by getting albumin infusion is a medical therapy to increase low albumin (hypoalbumin). But actually there are some other way to give the albumin of snakehead fish such as in the form of fresh fish, food, capsul, gel, or liquid.
- It also known that the albumin in snakehead fish is contained zinc (Zn) that can be used to heal wounds. Because of that, people in Sulawesi and Kalimantan from Indonesia have been use the snakedragon fish to heal the wounds caused by khitan (circumcision) on children and maternal wounds on mothers.
- The albumin of snakehead fish is also known to have amino acids as its content. Those amino acids such as arginin, lisin, isoleusi, vialin, glutamine, and histidin. For example glutamine that can be used for improving body’s immune system so it would fasten the healing process of the wound. You may also read about Health Benefits of Catfish
There have been many people who already experience the health benefits of snakehead fish to be healthy. From people who just got inflammation to people who got severe diseases like diabetes and cancer. If people who suffered from cancer have to lose their hair and easily limp, people who used the albumin from the snakehead fish would not experience that. The albumin infusion does not make them to lose their hair and easy to limp in the healing process.
Thus are the description of the health benefits of snakehead fish which has a lot of albumin content. Although it has many benefits but fish consumption beyond the recommended daily limit is not recommended. May be useful.