Pseudoginseng is named after its main root, which is thick and resembles ginseng. Therefore, it is also known as "soil ginseng". It is believed to have the function of nourishing the body and can be used as medicine, food, and ornamental plants.
[Can Pseudoginseng be eaten?]
Pseudoginseng can be eaten. It not only has medicinal value but also tastes good when eaten. It can also be used for ornamental purposes.
1. Edible
After washing the stems and leaves, they can be stir-fried or boiled for soup. The tender stems and leaves can be washed and pickled with salt to make pickles, which can be taken at any time.
2. Medicinal
The fresh stems and leaves can be mashed and applied externally for swelling and poison. Taste: whole plant: sweet, neutral.
Efficacy: whole plant: diuretic and anti-inflammatory, invigorating the spleen and moistening the lungs, stopping cough, regulating menstruation.
It is used to treat dysentery, diarrhea, damp-heat jaundice, internal bleeding of hemorrhoids, insufficient lactation, infantile malnutrition, yellow water sores, spleen deficiency fatigue, pulmonary tuberculosis with cough and blood, irregular menstruation; externally used to treat red and swollen eyes; leaves: promoting lactation, reducing swelling and poison. It is used to treat urinary retention, hemorrhoids, and abscesses.
3. Ornamental
It can be used for flower beds, rockeries, and potted plants.
[Pseudoginseng's Plant Morphology]
Pseudoginseng is an annual herbaceous plant that can grow up to about 60 cm in height. It is fleshy and hairless. The main root is thick and branched, and its outer appearance is brownish-brown. The stem is cylindrical, with branches at the lower part and slightly woody at the base.
The leaves of Pseudoginseng are alternate: inverted ovate or inverted ovate-oblong, 6-7 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm wide, with a pointed or blunt round apex, entire margin, and gradually narrowed into a short petiole at the base. Both sides are green and smooth.
The top of the stem branches into a conical inflorescence, with purple-green or dark green peduncles; the flowers are small and numerous, pale purple-red, with a diameter of about 6 mm, and long pedicels; there are 2 sepals, ovate, pointed, and early deciduous;
There are 5 petals, inverted ovate or elliptic; more than 10 stamens, filaments slender; pistil ovary spherical, style linear, stigma 3 deep clefts, the apex spreading outward and slightly curved.
The capsule is ash-brown when ripe, with a diameter of about 3 mm. The seeds are small, black, and flattened. The flowering period is from June to July, and the fruiting period is from September to October. The leaves of this plant (Pseudoginseng leaves) are also used as medicine, which is detailed in a separate article.
