When it comes to the "Immortal Binding Rope", many people first think of the magic weapon of Tai Shang Lao Jun in Journey to the West - the waist belt. But in fact, besides the mythical "Immortal Binding Rope", there is a real "Immortal Binding Rope" in real life, which is the commonly seen wild vegetable in rural areas - sticky rice vine.
Picture of sticky rice vine
Sticky rice vine is a common wild vegetable in rural areas, also known as "Immortal Binding Rope", "Sticky Rice Grass", "Rice Juice Vine", "Red Rice Vine", etc. It is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Urticaceae family.
The root of sticky rice vine is very similar to ginseng, so it has abundant moisture. As long as its roots are not damaged, this grass has strong vitality.
Sticky rice vine is widely distributed in the southern part of China, often growing on embankments, field ridges, roadsides, hillsides, and wet ditches. Its growth environment is not picky, as long as it grows in damp places.
The stems and leaves of sticky rice vine are tender and all green. However, if it grows in relatively dry areas, the leaves of sticky rice vine are darker green and its stems are purple-red. This may be because it absorbs more ultraviolet rays. However, their medicinal effects are the same.
Picture of sticky rice vine
However, this wild grass can also be made into delicious food. Rural people occasionally use it to stew meat. Although it has a slight bitterness when eaten, it leaves a sweet aftertaste.
Sticky rice vine is a plant that likes moisture, so you can often see it by the streams or in water-filled fields in the countryside.
In the past, sticky rice vine was only used as a supplement to food. Because the taste of sticky rice vine is not particularly good, fewer and fewer people ate it. However, in recent years, people have discovered the economic value of sticky rice vine and started large-scale cultivation.
The whole body of sticky rice vine is valuable. After picking its tender leaves and cleaning them, they can be finely cut and used to cook porridge, cold salads, or stir-fries. As long as you know how to cook, you can create many delicious dishes with it.
Picture of sticky rice vine
Knowing that sticky rice vine can be eaten, we will also know that it has great medicinal value. Sticky rice vine can clear heat and detoxify, relieve stomach pain caused by food stagnation, and treat gynecological diseases.
For example, when women have excessive vaginal discharge, picking the whole plant of sticky rice vine and boiling it in water can help. After a few days, the condition will improve. When children have stomach pain caused by food stagnation, boiling water with a little bit of sticky rice vine can also be effective.
Chinese medicine believes that sticky rice vine is a cooling and swelling-reducing medicinal herb. Therefore, whether it is fresh sticky rice vine applied externally or sticky rice vine brewed as medicine, its cooling and swelling-reducing effects can be significant.
Because sticky rice vine mostly grows in damp places, the planting area of sticky rice vine is still important. Generally, it is only necessary to collect mature sticky rice vine seeds.
