Many people foolishly cannot tell the difference between Osmunda and ferns, and some even think these two vegetables are the same. Here, let me make it clear to everyone: these are two completely different vegetables. Their differences are manifested in many aspects, such as different nutritional content, different appearance, and so on.
1. Osmunda is a processed product of the young leaves of the sporophyte of the Osmunda genus in the Osmundaceae family of ferns, with fine hairs. It has the function of beautifying the skin and is known as the "beauty fairy." Regular consumption can regulate the body's physiological functions and has a certain effect on human nutrition and health, enhancing physical fitness. It also has the effect of "anti-cancer" and is a precious natural wild food that combines health preservation and edibility. Because it cannot be artificially cultivated, it is extremely precious and has the reputation of "king of wild vegetables."
2. Fern is also called dragon head vegetable, ru yi vegetable, etc. Generally, the plant can reach a height of one meter, with long and creeping rhizomes covered with dark brown hairs. In early spring, the new leaves are curled and trident-shaped. The petioles and leaves are fresh and tender, covered with white hairs, and are pinnately divided. The lower pinnae are opposite, and the brown sporangia are continuously attached to the edge of the leaf blade with a double indusium. It is rich in nutrition and can be stir-fried directly or with meat for a delicious and nutritious taste. It has the effects of moistening the lungs and regulating qi, nourishing deficiency and relaxing collaterals, and clearing heat and detoxifying. Regular consumption can treat diseases such as high blood pressure, dizziness, uterine bleeding, and arthritis, and has a preventive effect on measles and influenza. It is a top-grade mountain wild vegetable.
3. This Osmunda is not a fern at all. Osmunda is small vetch, also known as wild pea shoots, and a fern is a fern. Your Royal Highness, oh Your Royal Highness, why do you eat wild pea shoots and not ferns? The nutrition and taste of ferns are much better than wild pea shoots. Wild pea shoots boiled in water are tasteless, no different from eating grass roots when the Red Army was on the Long March. After two meals, your mouth would be so bland you'd want to take a bite out of anything you see. Ferns are so delicious! They are smooth and crispy, highly nutritious, containing vitamins from A to F, and also starch. Eat a few more meals, and you'll slim down and feel light, almost like a Taoist practitioner.