Our country has always had the saying "medicine and food share the same source," which is particularly evident in wild vegetables. Wild vegetables contain various biologically active components. Among them, polysaccharides can enhance the human body's immune function and prevent infectious diseases and tumors; flavonoids can inhibit the damage of free radicals to cells.
It also has the effect of improving cardiovascular function. The following 10 types of wild vegetables are common in our daily lives and can be bought in the market, but can you clearly distinguish their medicinal and dietary value?
1. Purslane can treat diabetes
Purslane, also known as purslane or longevity vegetable. It is generally reddish-brown, with thick, long-ovate leaves, named for its resemblance to a horse's teeth. It contains various nutrients such as protein, fat, thiamine, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid. Because it contains a relatively high amount of acidic substances, it tastes slightly sour when eaten.
The medicinal function of purslane is to clear heat and detoxify, cool blood and stop bleeding. Because it is rich in norepinephrine, it can promote the secretion of insulin from the islets of Langerhans, regulate the body's sugar metabolism process, lower blood sugar concentration, and maintain blood sugar stability, so it has a certain therapeutic effect on diabetes. In addition, it also contains an unsaturated fatty acid called 3-W, which can inhibit the production of cholesterol and triglycerides, and has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. There are many ways to eat it, such as stir-frying after blanching, cold mixing, or making fillings. For example, stir-fried purslane with eggs, steamed purslane buns, or cooking a purslane and garlic porridge to clear heat and stop dysentery.
2. Eating dandelion is good for the liver
Dandelion, also known as蒲公英 (pú gōng yīng), many people have seen it in the wild. Its pollen contains vitamins and linoleic acid, while its stems and leaves contain choline, amino acids, and trace elements.
The main functions of dandelion are to clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling, and promote urination. It has a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect and can also stimulate the body's immune function to achieve the effects of promoting bile secretion and protecting the liver. It can be eaten raw after blanching, stir-fried, or made into soup, such as jellyfish skin mixed with dandelion, stir-fried dandelion with shredded pork; it can also be mixed with green tea, licorice, honey, etc., to make a cup of dandelion green tea that can clear heat and detoxify, reduce swelling.
3. Sonchus oleraceus can inhibit leukemia
The scientific name of Sonchus oleraceus is Quma菜 or Jùmài cài. Its stem is yellowish-white; the leaves are round-lanceolate, green on the surface and gray-green on the back; the flowers are bright yellow and tongue-shaped. Dried Sonchus oleraceus is rich in elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper.
Sonchus oleraceus can clear heat and dry dampness, reduce swelling and discharge pus, resolve stasis and detoxify, cool blood and stop bleeding. The ethanol extract of Sonchus oleraceus, concentrated by water decoction, has an inhibitory effect on acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute and chronic granulocytic leukemia. More common ways to eat it include garlic mashed Sonchus oleraceus, sauce mixed Sonchus oleraceus, and Sonchus oleraceus stewed with pig liver.
4. Ferns have a sedative effect
Ferns, also known as Fern'er cài or Dragon Head Vegetable, are relatively common among wild vegetables. When the fern leaves are curled, it means they are fresh and tender; when they are old, the leaves will unfold.
5. Platycodon grandiflorus can resist ulcers
Platycodon grandiflorus, also known as Mingye cài or Monk's Hat, is what the Korean people call Dola ji. It can produce small blue flowers at the tips of its branches. What we usually eat is the root of Platycodon grandiflorus, which has the effects of resolving phlegm and relieving cough, relieving pain, reducing fever, sedation, lowering blood sugar, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, anti-tumor, and antibacterial.
6. Shepherd's purse is good for tonifying deficiency and strengthening the spleen
The flowering period of shepherd's purse is from April to June. On the edges of fields, people can often see small white flowers of shepherd's purse dotted around. Its main medicinal and dietary effects are to cool blood and stop bleeding, tonify deficiency and strengthen the spleen, clear heat and promote urination. In spring, pick the tender stems and leaves or overwintering buds of shepherd's purse, which can be eaten cold after blanching, dipped in sauce, made into soup, used as a filling, or stir-fried. It can also be cooked into a delicious shepherd's purse porridge.
7. Eat more amaranth in hot weather
The root of amaranth is generally purple or light purple; its stem has few branches and has green or light purple stripes; the leaves are ovate.
We usually eat the tender stems and leaves of amaranth, which have the effects of clearing heat and promoting urination, detoxifying, nourishing yin and moistening dryness. In addition to stir-frying, cold mixing, and making soup, amaranth is also often used as a filling. For example, cold-mixed amaranth, amaranth with shredded chicken, amaranth dumplings, etc.
8. Water celery can lower blood pressure
Water celery, also known as watercress or river celery. Its stem is hollow, its leaves are triangular, and its flowers are white. It mainly grows in humid places, such as beside ponds, rivers, and in paddy fields.
Water celery has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, moistening the lungs, strengthening the spleen and harmonizing the stomach, promoting digestion and guiding stagnation, promoting urination, stopping bleeding, lowering blood pressure, resisting hepatitis, resisting arrhythmia, and resisting bacteria. We often eat stir-fried water celery with pork, water celery and lamb dumplings, and water celery mixed with peanuts.
9. Aralia elata nourishes the kidney and benefits essence
Aralia elata, also known as Dragon Beard Vegetable or Liaodong Aralia, mainly grows in shrubs and forest glades. Unlike other wild vegetables, it is not a herbaceous plant but a woody plant. Its bark is gray and covered with large, hard thorns; its flowers are light yellowish-white; its fruit is a spherical, black berry.
The part of Aralia elata that is eaten is mainly its tender buds, which can have the effects of tonifying qi, activating blood, expelling wind, promoting diuresis, relieving pain, nourishing the kidney and benefiting essence.
10. Allium macrostemon can prevent arteriosclerosis
Allium macrostemon, also known as Xiebai or small root vegetable. Its stems and leaves look very similar to garlic and also have the smell of onions and garlic. Its effects are to unblock yang and transform qi, open the chest and disperse stagnation, promote qi and guide stagnation, treat dysentery, and inhibit the increase of peroxides in the blood of patients with hyperlipidemia, preventing atherosclerosis. The main ways to eat it are Allium macrostemon mixed with tofu, or cooking a porridge with Allium macrostemon and white fungus.