We often see many wild sorghum growing on the roadside and in the fields, which looks almost identical to cultivated sorghum. This wild sorghum is extremely resilient and widely cultivated in China, especially in the northern regions. Based on its uses, we can classify it into three categories. Let's take a look at the application methods and classification of wild sorghum!
Wild Sorghum Image
【The Value of Wild Sorghum】
1. Edible Value
Wild sorghum often grows in patches and serves as food for birds such as sparrows. It can also be used as feed for livestock.
The tender leaves of wild sorghum can be dried or sun-dried to make feed. The grains of sorghum can be consumed as food or used for brewing. They can be directly eaten as grains.
2. Medicinal Value
Wild sorghum has a spicy and slightly bitter taste, and a warm nature. It belongs to the kidney and stomach meridians. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation, dispelling stasis, dispelling wind, removing dampness, and relieving pain. It is used for rheumatism, injuries from falls, stomach pain, and yellow sores.
"Yunnan Herbal Selection": The whole plant of wild sorghum can dispel wind and remove dampness. It is used to treat rheumatic pain.
"Yunnan Herbal Medicine": It promotes qi circulation and blood circulation, dispels stasis. It is used to treat chronic gastritis, injuries from falls, and yellow sores.
Wild Sorghum Image
【Classification and Uses of Wild Sorghum】
1. Wild Sorghum
Wild sorghum belongs to the Poaceae family and the sorghum genus. It is an annual herbaceous plant. The stem is solid with a medulla in the center. It can tiller or branch. The leaves are similar to corn leaves, thick and narrow, with a wax coating, smooth, and with white veins.
The inflorescence is in a cone shape, and there are two types of panicles: strip-shaped and hammer-shaped. The fruits are brown, orange, white, or light yellow.
2. Sweet Sorghum
Sweet sorghum, as the name suggests, is mainly used for sugar consumption. The stems of sweet sorghum can be used to make syrup or eaten raw.
This type of sorghum is mainly chewed for its sugar content, making it the "sugar cane" of the northern regions. It is often sold by street vendors during the summer. Its taste is as sweet as sugar cane.
3. Broom Sorghum
The panicles of broom sorghum can be used to make brooms or cooking utensils.
Wild Sorghum Image
【Modern Applications of Wild Sorghum】
Wild sorghum is used in modern clinical settings to treat measles, indigestion, gastrointestinal bleeding, hemorrhoids, and irregular menstruation.
1. "Yunnan Herbal Medicine": "To treat yellow sores: grind the roots of wild sorghum into powder, mix with sesame oil, and apply it to the affected area."
2. "Yunnan Medicinal Plants Catalog": "To treat chronic nephritis, injuries from falls, and yellow sores: take an appropriate amount of wild sorghum roots, decoct them in water, and take orally or use externally."
3. "National Compilation of Chinese Medicinal Herbs": "To treat injuries from falls, rheumatic pain, and chronic nephritis, take 6-12g of the roots, decoct and take orally.
Alternatively, take 30g of the roots, soak them in 500ml of alcohol for 7 days, and take 10ml twice a day. For yellow sores with pus, take 9-15g of the roots, crush them, mix with raw sesame oil, and apply to the affected area."
