The flesh of the wood lotus fruit is delicious and can be used as a tasty food, but it is actually a type of Chinese medicinal herb. The wood lotus fruit contains compounds such as colchicine and bergapten, which have anti-rheumatic properties and can be used to treat rheumatism. So what is the original plant form of the wood lotus fruit?
[Treating Inadequate Breast Milk with Wood Lotus Fruit]
Stewed pig trotters with wood lotus fruit is a highly effective traditional Chinese remedy for treating inadequate breast milk in postpartum women.
Ingredients: 4 wood lotus fruits, 1 pig trotter.
Instructions: Clean the pig trotters and blanch them in boiling water for a while, then remove and wash them. Wash the wood lotus fruits as well. Add an appropriate amount of water to a pot, bring the pig trotters to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until cooked. Add cooking wine, salt, spring onions, and ginger to the pot and continue simmering until the flavors are absorbed. Finally, add the wood lotus fruits and simmer until the pig trotters are tender. Season with monosodium glutamate and serve.
[Treating Cough with Wood Lotus Fruit Soaked in Water]
Wood lotus fruits can be soaked directly in water, but the water temperature must be high. If you have a cough, you can take four or five qian (a unit of weight) of wood lotus fruits and soak them in tea. However, if you have a severe cough, you can boil the wood lotus fruits and drink the water directly.
For patients with severe cough, it is recommended to boil the wood lotus fruits, using about five qian each time. You can also use wood lotus fruits as an ingredient in soup for stronger health benefits.
The wood lotus fruit is round or bluntly conical, resembling a pine cone. It is hard and not easy to peel, measuring about 4cm in length and 3-4cm in diameter.
The surface is brown, and the unripe fruit has a longitudinal ridge on the back, while the sides are yellow-brown with 4-6 ridges. When peeled, it contains 1-4 seeds. It has a fragrant aroma and a spicy taste.
Its main value lies in its medicinal use and cannot be consumed fresh. It is a type of Chinese herbal medicine with significant therapeutic effects.
[The Original Plant Form of the Wood Lotus Fruit]
The wood lotus fruit is a tall tree that can grow up to 20m. The young branches and buds are covered in reddish-brown short hairs. The leaves are alternate; the leaf stalks are 1-3cm long; the leaf scars are elliptical and about 3-4cm long;
The leaves of the wood lotus fruit are leathery, narrow obovate or inverted lanceolate in shape, measuring 8-17cm in length and 2.5-5.5cm in width. They have an acute or usually blunt apex, a wedge-shaped base, slightly rolled edges, and sparse reddish-brown hairs on the undersides. There are 8-12 pairs of lateral veins.
The flower stalks are 6-18mm long and covered in reddish-brown short hairs. The bracts fall off, leaving behind a scar.
There are 9 tepals, white in color. The outer whorl has 3 long elliptical-shaped tepals, measuring 6-7cm long, while the inner whorl has 2 ovate tepals, measuring 5-6cm long. There are numerous stamens, about 1cm long, with short obtuse triangular protrusions on the connective. There are also numerous carpels, forming a pistil group about 1.5cm long.
The aggregate fruit is inverted ovate and dark red. When ripe, it becomes woody and purplish-red. The seeds are ovoid, measuring 6-7cm long, and red in color. It flowers from April to May and fruits from August to October.
