The whole plant and fruit of the Ground Gourd can be used as medicine. The whole plant is harvested in summer and autumn and has the effects of nourishing qi, promoting lactation, clearing heat, and reducing fire. It can be used to treat lung diseases. The fruit of the Ground Gourd can be eaten or used as medicine, and it is very nutritious. Now let's learn about the efficacy, function, and methods of eating the Ground Gourd.
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[Methods of Eating Ground Gourd]
The fruit of the Ground Gourd can be eaten when it is fresh. Its texture is like a bundle of thatch, and it contains a certain amount of moisture, with a slightly sweet taste.
When the Ground Gourd is old, the entire shell loses moisture and cracks open, and the hairy seeds inside will fall off. If it is too old, it cannot be eaten anymore because the hairy substance has turned into a cotton-like texture with no moisture at all.
You can refer to the seeds of kapok, which are also elongated and have a bunch of hairy substances inside, with the seeds hidden in the hairy substance.
The Ground Gourd grows more on the grassland, and camels and sheep like to eat its tender fruit. As feed, it is a relatively good plant.
The tender fruit of the Ground Gourd can be eaten raw. It not only has a refreshing aroma and a crispy and sweet taste, but also is rich in nutrients. It is a very green and healthy wild fruit.
Ground Gourd Image
[Efficacy and Function of Ground Gourd]
The fruit of the Ground Gourd has the functions of promoting lactation, nourishing lung qi, clearing heat, quenching thirst, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain. It has high edible and medicinal value. At the same time, because it is suitable for growing in barren and sandy areas, it also has a good role in windbreak and sand fixation.
The Ground Gourd has a high nutritional value. Its protein content is close to that of purple medic, and it is equivalent to wheat bran. It is also rich in crude fat and ash, especially the calcium content is relatively high.
The Ground Gourd is also known as Sha Nai Cao in Chinese medicine and Dou Ge Nu in Mongolian medicine. It has a sweet and warm taste and functions to promote lactation, regulate blood circulation, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and stop diarrhea. In addition, the whole plant of the Ground Gourd can also be used as medicine, and it can be used externally to treat warts.
The Ground Gourd has slender and low woody stems, which are soft and beneficial for livestock to feed on. It is commonly used to clear deficient fire. For friends with sore throat, eating more Ground Gourd can help relieve pain.
It is worth noting that this Chinese medicinal material is not suitable for everyone to use. In addition to paying attention to the dosage, the tender fruit of the Ground Gourd should not be eaten too much.
Ground Gourd Image
[Morphological Characteristics of Ground Gourd]
This wild plant is distributed in Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, and Jiangsu; Korea, Mongolia, and Russia. Most people in northern China should recognize it, as it is very common in the wild.
The Ground Gourd is a drought-tolerant plant and can grow in grassland vegetation from typical grassland to grassland desertification in northern China.
It mainly grows in sandy soil and gravelly soil, and can also grow in sandy loam soil. It grows on slopes, sand dunes, or dry valleys, wastelands, field edges, and other places at an altitude of 200-2000 meters.
The Ground Gourd is a perennial erect or semi-erect herb of the Malvaceae family. What we usually see when we weed is its early growth stage.
In spring, on the well-tilled and leveled loess soil, they grow together with cat's eye grass, wild peas, thistles, and bitter herbs. From the shape of the plants, the Ground Gourd looks somewhat similar to the Field Bindweed. They both grow upright with narrow leaves.
In fact, the leaves of the Ground Gourd are even narrower and longer than those of the Field Bindweed, and they are also thicker and harder. When the stems and leaves are broken, latex will ooze out, which is the most different feature from the Field Bindweed.
