The ground melon is a wild fruit that can be eaten directly. Because of its plump shape, it is also known as the milk melon. The tender fruit of the ground melon can be eaten raw and has high nutritional value. Let's take a look at the image and medicinal value of the ground melon below.
Image of Ground Melon
【Morphological Characteristics of Ground Melon】
The ground melon is a perennial herbaceous drought-tolerant plant that grows well on sandy and gravelly soils. It looks plump and resembles a loofah. It is often called ground flower or milk melon by people in rural areas.
The presence of ground melons can be found in sandy beaches, forest edges, grasslands, wastelands, hillsides, and field edges in the northeast, north, northwest, and Jiangnan regions of China.
Ground melons are common in the north and rare in the south, and in some cases, they are not found at all. They belong to drought-tolerant plants and generally grow in the vegetation of typical grasslands. They usually grow on sandy and gravelly soils and can be found on wastelands or field edges in rural areas.
The shape of the ground melon is interesting, with a peculiar appearance. It looks like a water droplet, with both ends gradually tapering and the middle being more swollen, resembling a spindle.
The stems of the ground melon are relatively slender, but they have a soft texture and a low degree of lignification. Some animals, such as goats, camels, and sheep, also like to eat ground melons.
Image of Ground Melon
【Nutritional Value of Ground Melon】
The tender fruit of the ground melon can be eaten raw. It not only has a fragrant aroma and a crispy and sweet taste but also is rich in nutrients. It is a very green and healthy wild fruit.
The protein content of ground melons is relatively rich, almost comparable to purple alfalfa and equivalent to wheat bran. They are also rich in crude fat and ash, especially high in calcium content.
Due to the presence of white mucilage inside the fruit of the ground melon, which is sticky, many people do not like eating it.
The young pods of ground melons are very delicious when they first grow, but they are not as tasty after the leaves fall off.
Ground melons are rich in nutrients, especially the protein they contain, which is not only abundant but also of good quality. They have a slightly sweet taste but are cooling in nature and have significant effects.
It is recommended to eat fresh tender fruits because fresh ground melons have a slightly bitter taste, but they have a faint natural milky aroma and are tender and delicious. They are full of abundant milk juice and nutrients.
Image of Ground Melon
【Medicinal Value of Ground Melon】
As ground melons age, their palatability decreases, making them difficult to swallow. However, they are a traditional Chinese medicine with rich medicinal value.
In traditional Chinese medicine, ground melons have a sweet taste and a neutral nature. They belong to the lung meridian and can tonify lung qi, moisten the mouth, clear heat, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and tonify deficiency to promote lactation. They are commonly used to treat symptoms such as deficiency fire inflammation, sore throat, insufficient qi and yin, dizziness and insomnia, postpartum deficiency, and insufficient milk production.
In addition, the whole plant of ground melons can also be used as medicine and can be externally applied to treat warts. The specific method is to take a suitable amount of fresh ground melon grass, break it and extract about 0.5-1 liang of juice, and apply it to the warts on the skin three times a day for half a month.
The fruit of ground melons has the functions of promoting lactation, tonifying lung qi, clearing heat, moistening the mouth, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain. It has high edible and medicinal value. At the same time, because it is suitable for growth in wastelands and sandy areas, it also has a good windproof and sand-fixing function.
Ground melons are often used to clear deficiency fire. For friends with sore throat, eating more ground melons can help relieve pain. In this hot summer, many people are prone to getting inflamed and thirsty. Ground melons can also be used to improve the situation.
