Chinese herbal medicine "Mulan fruit" is a strong ingredient for making soup and has great health benefits. Its appearance is quite strange, and it has the effect of clearing heat and reducing swelling from a medicinal perspective. So, what are the ways to consume Mulan fruit?
Image of Mulan fruit
Mulan fruit is very common in our daily life, and its main value is as a medicinal ingredient rather than for direct consumption.
Mulan fruit is a tall tree that can grow up to 20 meters tall. The young branches and buds have reddish-brown short hairs. The leaves are opposite; leaf stalks are 1-3cm long; leaf scars are elliptical, about 3-4cm long;
The leaves of Mulan fruit are leathery, narrowly elliptical to inverted egg-shaped or inverted lanceolate, 8-17cm long, 2.5-5.5cm wide, with a sharp apex, usually blunt, and a wedge-shaped base. The edges are slightly curled, and the back of the leaves is sparsely covered with reddish-brown hairs. There are 8-12 pairs of lateral veins.
The flower stalk is 6-18mm long, covered with reddish-brown short soft hairs, bracts fall off, leaving a scar.
The flower has 9 petals, white in color, with 3 outer petals, elongated elliptical, 6-7cm long, and 2 inner petals, inverted egg-shaped, 5-6cm long; numerous stamens, about 1cm long, with protruding triangular anthers; numerous carpels, with a group of carpels about 1.5cm long.
The aggregate fruit is inverted egg-shaped, deep red, woody when ripe, and purplish-red in color. The seeds are elliptical, 6-7cm long, and red. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from August to October.
Mulan fruit is a highly effective variety of Chinese herbal medicine. Fresh fruits can be boiled and cooked, adding an appropriate amount of rock sugar for flavor. It can be consumed in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and it has the effects of clearing heat, cooling off, dispelling cold, aiding digestion, and preventing constipation.
Mulan fruit can be processed and brewed into tea, which can be consumed daily. However, the tea must be made with boiling water and consumed like regular tea. It can improve overall health and treat coughs, but the medicinal effects are slower.
For patients with severe coughs, it is recommended to directly boil Mulan fruit, about 5 qian (Chinese unit of weight). In addition to the above methods, Mulan fruit can also be used as an ingredient for soup, which has even stronger dietary and health benefits.
