Health Benefits of Chives

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The fiber content helps clean the colon and shorten the time foods spend there (and therefore lowers your colon cancer risk. Other advantages of eating chives include having anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties.

As far as daily recommended values, a generous serving of two tablespoons of chopped chives gives you 16 percent of what's needed in vitamin K, Known primarily for forming and strengthening bones and limiting neuronal damage in the brain, vitamin K is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's. Chives are an excellent source of vitamin A –145 percent of the daily recommended value per 100 grams – more than any other allium, and with it, carotenes, which are flavonoid antioxidants like zeaxanthin and lutein that protect you from lung and mouth cancers.

While some have trouble telling the difference between chives (related to the lily family), scallions, and even green onions, a few characteristics help chives stand apart. A member of the allium family with garlic, shallots, and leeks, chive "stalks" are extremely slender and hollow with the appearance of lush, one-foot-high grass, the largest being less than the circumference of a pencil. Perennials that stand a foot tall on average, chives are hardy and draught tolerant, growing in tight bunches. In mid-summer, they form beautiful lavender blossoms with the appearance of spiky spheres.

Chives are high in fiber, which acts as a laxative, and folate, which is essential for DNA synthesis, cell division, and helping to prevent neural tube defects in the newborns. They're an excellent source of calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese and also provide healthy amounts of thiamin, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, riboflavin, and zinc. This combination of phytochemicals, among other things, is known to promote ease in digestion, soothe upset stomachs, prevent bad breath, and have a diuretic effect that can lower high blood pressure.

Chives are an attractive garnish for green salads, taste great when sprinkled on grilled fish or baked potatoes, and add dimension to creamy potato soup. They're delicious stirred up in mashed potatoes fines herbes (the classic French combination of chervil, parsley, chives, and tarragon) with a dollop of sour cream. Deviled or scrambled eggs, butters, vinegars, sauces, and nearly any vegetable can be enhanced with a sprinkling of chopped chives. If needing a substitute for this herb, slicing the length of a leek leaf thinly before chopping is a close second. If cooking with chives, it's best to add them at the last moment to retain their nutritive benefits.

Like other allium members, chives contain antioxidants that kill free radicals. Thiosulfinites like allyl propyl disulfide and diallyl disulfide (known to inhibit breast cancer cells1) contain enzymes that convert to allicin when its leaves are cut or crushed. Studies show allicin can cut cholesterol production by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme responsible for producing cholesterol in liver cells, decreasing blood pressure, blocking platelet clot formation, and lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A Chives Healthy Recipe

              Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 - 1½ Tbsp. fresh fines herbes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Beat the eggs together with the salt, pepper, and fines herbes.
2. Heat the butter in a pan until almost bubbly. Pour in the eggs.
3. Gently stir the eggs with the flat back of a fork until cooked to your desired doneness.
4. Fold the omelette into thirds and slide onto a plate. Place a small pat of butter in the center of the omelette for a fresh, glossy appearance. Serve immediately.

Summary

Not just a tasty garnish or baked potato topping, chives are considered both a healing herb and an allium vegetable related to onions and garlic. Flavor-wise, these tall, graceful garden additions can be compared to a mild cross between garlic and leeks (although chives are Lilliputian next to leeks).

High in vitamins A, C, and K and known for having antioxidant power to take the bite out of free radicals, chives contain flavonoid antioxidants like carotenes, zeaxanthin, lutein, and many other healthful phytonutrients. They've been shown in clinical studies to have anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties, even inhibiting salmonella in certain foods, lowering high blood pressure, and reducing the risk of gastric, lung, esophageal, stomach, and mouth cancers. Try snipping a small handful of chopped chives in your next quiche for a hint of pleasantly subtle flavor.

Novice gardeners find chives easy to grow. Chives thrive in full sun and rich, moist soil, although they'll tolerate partial sun and other soil types and still produce generously. Depending on your culinary needs, harvest by snipping a small handful an inch above the ground when they're around six inches tall. Chives grow so rapidly that before long the area you cut first will be ready for harvest again. Each spring's crop is generally double the last, so thinning keeps the chive section of your herb garden tidy.

To even out a section of your chives, a sharp chop with a shovel several inches into the dirt can remove root clumps and all. Give a clump to a friend! This is a great way to share this lovely, versatile garden herb.   

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