The sticky rice vine is a medicinal and edible plant that is mainly distributed in mild climates in China, such as Hunan, Hubei, and Fujian. The entire plant of the sticky rice vine can be used as medicine and has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, invigorating the spleen, and stopping bleeding. So how is the sticky rice vine grown? Let's find out together.
Image of sticky rice vine
【Identification of the Characteristics of Sticky Rice Vine】
The sticky rice vine is a perennial herb that grows upright or inclined, or the lower part lies on the ground while the top grows upwards. It usually has stiff hairs. The main root is thick and conical. The leaves are opposite, ovate or elliptic-lanceolate, 3.5-7 cm long, 1-2 cm wide;
The apex is blunt or gradually pointed, the base is round or nearly cordate, with entire margins. The basal veins are trifoliate, and the reticulate veins on the back of the leaves are obvious, with stiff hairs. The upper surface is rough or has stiff hairs; the leaves are either sessile or have short stalks; the stipules are broadly ovate.
The flowers are small and unisexual, with both male and female flowers on the same plant, clustered in the leaf axils, yellow-green in color; the male flowers have 3-5 lobes, arranged in a clasping arrangement in the buds, the lobes bend inward sharply, forming a ring, with stiff hairs on the ring, and 5 stamens;
The female flowers have a tubular calyx, a drill-shaped stigma, and a broad ovoid fruit with a pointed apex, longitudinal ridges, black in color, and smooth. The flowering period of the sticky rice vine is from July to August.
Image of sticky rice vine
【Uses of Sticky Rice Vine】
The sticky rice vine is non-toxic and has a slightly bitter-sweet taste. It only becomes delicious after cooking, especially when stewed with meat. In the past, many knowledgeable farmers used the sticky rice vine to stew meat.
Pick fresh leaves of the sticky rice vine, wash them clean, chop them, then fry them with meat in a pot until half cooked, and stew them with water. The taste is delicious and it also has the effect of invigorating the spleen.
In addition to being edible, the sticky rice vine also has high medicinal value, such as clearing heat, detoxifying, treating indigestion, injuries from falls, stopping bleeding, urinary difficulty, and menstrual pain, etc.!
Furthermore, the sticky rice vine is also used to treat gynecological diseases in women. When women have a large amount of vaginal discharge, using the sticky rice vine to make soup can effectively alleviate the symptoms.
The sticky rice vine can also effectively treat gastrointestinal flatulence and abdominal pain. Select some sticky rice vine, fry them, and drink the decoction. It will be better after a few days.
Image of sticky rice vine
【Methods of Growing Sticky Rice Vine】
1. Seed propagation
In Sichuan region, sowing is done in March to April. After preparing the land, make a 1.3m wide bed and dig holes with a row spacing of about 26cm, about 7cm deep, with a flat bottom.
After applying animal manure water, use 7.5kg of seeds per 1hm2, mix them with straw ash and animal manure water, and sprinkle them into the holes.
2. Field management
When the seedlings are 7-10cm tall, thin out and fill in the gaps, with 4-5 seedlings per hole, and weed once and fertilize once. Weed and fertilize again in June, August, and November.
Afterwards, every year during seedling emergence and in May and November, weed and fertilize once. In spring and summer, animal manure water is the main fertilizer, and mixed fertilizer is applied in winter.
