Watermelons, bananas, lemons, bitter gourds, waky pumpkin and sugarcane are not just commonly grown fruits and vegetables in Vietnam, they seem to have no season. They are available at all times of the year, and relished in many forms.

However, they can also be mixed in different combinations for great therapeutic effect, says herbalist Hoang Khanh Toan.

- To reduce depression and high blood pressure, to cool the body and stop pimples, wash a 1.5- kilogram watermelon, halve and deseed. Slice the red and white flesh of the fruit into small pieces, and put them in a blender. Pour into glass, add a pinch of salt and enjoy.

- To stop constipation, you’ll need a watermelon (one kg), three chu^i tiêu (aromatic banana, a kind of banana) and 100g honey. Wash the watermelon, slice off its top portion with the stalk and use a spoon to beat its red flesh. Peel bananas, cut them into small pieces. Put bananas and honey inside the watermelon, beat them up together. Close the melon with the “lid”, place in fridge for three hours. Serve chilled.

- Refresh yourself with this beverage, a great one for the summer. Prepare a 1.5kg watermelon, 30g honey, 100g lemon and 50ml fruit alcohol. Wash the watermelon, halve and deseed. Scrape the red flesh out, slice it into pieces and put them in a blender. Pour juice into a glass, squeeze the lemon, and add honey as well as the fruit alcohol. Stir. Drink.

- To detoxify the body and treat hangovers, to ease your cough and/or sore throat and to treat constipation, drink a mixture of watermelon, sugarcane and rock sugar. Prepare 500g watermelon, 200g sugarcane juice and 20g rock sugar. Wash watermelon, deseed, and slice flesh into small pieces. Put them in a blender and process. Pour juice in a glass. Smash rock sugar into very small pieces and add to the juice. Mix sugarcane juice with the watermelon juice. This aromatic beverage, which can be had every day, will cool the body, detoxify the kidney and treat hangovers.

- These fruits can also be used to help diabetics, those who are obese and those who want to get rid of pimples. The drink includes the 150g of the white skin of the watermelon, 50g of bitter melon and 50g of waky pumpkin. Peel the green skin of the watermelon, retaining the white part. Deseed bitter melon. Peel and deseed waky pumpkin. Slice the white flesh of the watermelon, the bitter melon and waky pumpkin into small pieces. Put them in a blender and process. Add rock sugar (crushed into small pieces) to make it easier to drink this beverage.