The Medicinal Marvel: Wild Sweet Potato

January 1, 2024

Wild sweet potato is a common wild plant, also known as sweet potato bubble. The entire plant of wild sweet potato can be used as medicine, and its vine is called sweet potato vine in medicine, which has the functions of dispelling wind, clearing heat, promoting blood circulation, and regulating menstruation.

 

Wild sweet potato is a multi-stemmed evergreen vine plant that remains green throughout the year. It grows horizontally on the ground, and its leaves are leathery, making it suitable for greening in parks or places that are easily trampled on by visitors.

The sweet potato vine grows in a crisscross pattern, naturally forming a "giant fishing net" that firmly holds loose soil and sand. In addition, the dense leaves act as a permanent green carpet. This special ability to prevent sand and stabilize soil is unparalleled by other ground cover plants, making it a potential landscaping plant that can be planted with economic trees.

The young fruits of wild sweet potato are green and the ripe ones are pale red. They have a fragrant and sweet taste, like honey. As a nutritious and healthy fruit, it can be consumed fresh or processed into dried fruits.

According to data, the protein content of wild sweet potato is higher than that of figs, and the types of amino acids in the protein are more reasonable. About 29% of the total amino acids are fatigue-resistant branched-chain amino acids, which have good health benefits for the human body.

The content of dietary fiber, carbohydrates, and carotene in wild sweet potato is higher than that in apples, cherries, and citrus fruits, making it a fruit with rich nutritional content.

Wild sweet potato is usually harvested from June to October when the fruits are ripe. Even if you are more than 20 meters away from the plant, you can still smell its strong and pleasant fragrance, hence its nickname "fragrance everywhere".

In traditional Chinese medicine, wild sweet potato is often used to treat respiratory diseases, such as bronchitis, as well as rheumatism, bone pain, and edema. It can be taken orally after decoction or used externally.

Wild sweet potato has excellent hemostatic effects. When people experience uncontrollable bleeding due to accidents, crushing the wild sweet potato and applying it directly to the affected area can effectively stop the bleeding.

In addition, wild sweet potato can also be used to treat snake bites. The method is the same as above, and it should be changed once a day to quickly eliminate toxins in the body.

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