As a traditional Chinese medicine, the leaves of the earth ginseng have many benefits. Let's take a look at the efficacy and functions of earth ginseng leaves and how to consume them.
【Efficacy and Functions of Earth Ginseng Leaves】
Efficacy: Tonifies the spleen, moistens the lungs, stops coughing, and regulates menstruation. It treats spleen deficiency fatigue, diarrhea, lung fatigue with bloody phlegm, dizziness, hot flashes, night sweats, irregular menstruation, and abnormal vaginal discharge.
Meridian: Enters the spleen and lung meridians. Functions and indications: It has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. It has certain therapeutic effects on qi deficiency and weakness, spleen deficiency diarrhea, lung dryness cough, and neurasthenia. It tonifies the essence, generates body fluids, calms the mind, and strengthens the heart. It treats deficiency of qi and blood, excessive sweating due to deficiency, weakness and collapse, and low blood pressure. It moistens the lungs and stops coughing, treats pulmonary tuberculosis, dry heat cough. It tonifies the spleen and supplements deficiency, treats spleen deficiency fatigue and diarrhea. It clears heat and stops sweating, treats dizziness, hot flashes, night sweats. It regulates menstruation and stops vaginal discharge, treats irregular menstruation and excessive vaginal discharge in women.
【Morphology of Earth Ginseng Leaves】
The earth ginseng is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, with no hair on the whole plant, 30-100 cm tall. The main root is thick and conical, with a few branches, black-brown skin, and milky white cross-section. The stem is upright, fleshy, somewhat woody at the base, with some branching, cylindrical, and sometimes grooved. The leaves are opposite or nearly opposite, with short stalks or almost stalkless. The leaf blade is slightly fleshy, inverted ovate or inverted ovate-elliptic, 5-10 cm long, 2.5-5 cm wide, acute at the apex, sometimes slightly concave, with a short pointed tip, and tapering at the base, with entire margins. The terminal or axillary inflorescence is relatively large, often dichotomously branched, with a long peduncle; the earth ginseng flower is small, with a diameter of about 6 mm; the bracts are green or nearly red, round, blunt at the apex, 3-4 mm long; the bracts are membranous, lanceolate, acute at the apex, about 1 mm long; the pedicel is 5-10 mm long; the sepals are ovate, purple-red, and fall early; the petals are pink or pale purple-red, oblong, inverted ovate, or elliptic, 6-12 mm long, blunt at the apex, rarely slightly concave; stamens (10-)15-20, shorter than the petals.
【How to Consume Earth Ginseng Leaves】
Earth ginseng is a high-quality, nutritious, and safe-to-eat green vegetable that is free of pollution. It is also a newly emerged leafy vegetable in recent years. The tender stems and leaves of earth ginseng are crisp, tender, and delicious. They can be stir-fried or used in soups. The fleshy root can be eaten cold, stewed with meat, and used in medicinal cuisine.
1. Stir-fried Earth Ginseng with Oyster Sauce and Ginger: Boil 250 grams of earth ginseng in boiling water for 3 minutes, cool with cold water, stir-fry ginger and earth ginseng in a hot pan for half a minute, and then add oyster sauce and seasoning.
2. Stir-fried Earth Ginseng with Ginger and Garlic: Blanch the tender stems and leaves of earth ginseng in boiling water for a moment, cool with cold water, stir-fry garlic and ginger in a hot pan, then add earth ginseng and season.
3. Earth Ginseng and Spare Rib Soup: Cook the spare ribs and then add earth ginseng and season. Cold Salad with Earth Ginseng Root: Remove the outer layer of the fleshy root, tear it into shreds, add a little vinegar, white sugar, sesame, salt, and chili shreds according to personal taste, mix well, and season.
4. Stewed Spare Ribs with Earth Ginseng Root: Cook the fleshy root and spare ribs together, add an appropriate amount of wolfberry, stew with water, and season.
【Precautions for Earth Ginseng】
When taking ginseng, it should be done gradually, gradually increasing the dosage. It takes time to see the effects, so avoid taking large amounts at the beginning. Generally, it is recommended to take 3 grams of ordinary dried ginseng or sun-dried ginseng per day, and the daily dosage of Western ginseng should not exceed 5 grams. How to distinguish the quality of earth ginseng? Good quality earth ginseng should have thick stems, long roots, thin skin, tender yellow color, fine and dense lines, plumpness, sufficient pulp, and no damage.
