Du Jiao Gan is the dried whole herb of the wild plant Du Jiao Jin. It can be used as medicine or directly cooked as food. Because it is relatively rare on the market, many people are not familiar with it. Below, we will introduce Du Jiao Gan in detail!
【Identification of Du Jiao Gan】
The dried whole herb is yellowish-brown or greenish-brown in color, with thin stems and covered with gray-white rough hairs. The leaves are linear or lanceolate, and most of them fall off.
The upper part is a sparse spike-like inflorescence. Except for a few plants that have not produced flowers and have dried corollas, the rest have mostly fallen off.
The calyx is tubular, the capsule is blackish-brown and hidden in the calyx tube, the stigma is persistent, and the seeds are small and yellowish-brown. It is best to choose intact plants with green color and no sand impurities.
【Usage of Du Jiao Gan】
For treating infantile malnutrition and night blindness: Take 3-5 grams of Du Jiao Gan. Cook it with pig liver and take it once a day.
For treating infantile indigestion: Take 3-5 grams of dried whole herb of Du Jiao Jin and 3-5 grams of cut leaves of iron broom. Decoct them in water and take it orally.
For treating night blindness: Take 5 grams to 12 grams of dried whole herb of Du Jiao Jin. Cook it with poultry and livestock liver and take it orally.
【Methods of Cooking Du Jiao Gan】
Thoroughly wash 15 grams of Du Jiao Gan and soak it for 20 minutes. Thoroughly wash 100 grams of lean pork without cutting it. Put the Du Jiao Gan and 1-2 slices of ginger into a clay pot together, add 750 milliliters of water (about 3 bowls of water), bring it to a boil, then simmer it over low heat until it reduces to 250 milliliters (about 1 bowl of water). Add a little salt to season.
This amount is for one child. Adjust the amount according to the child's age, and it can also be divided into two servings. If used as an adjuvant treatment, it can be taken every other day.
In traditional Chinese medicine, Du Jiao Gan and lean pork soup is believed to have the effects of clearing heat, detoxification, and strengthening the stomach and digestion. It can be used to relieve symptoms such as excessive liver fire and poor appetite in children.
