5 types of wild vegetables used by traditional medicine practitioners

VietNamNet newspaper quoted the book Vietnamese medicinal plants and herbs by Professor Do Tat Loi, which provides a lot of interesting information about the effects of plants around us. Below are 5 types of wild vegetables or very easy to grow that can be used as medicine. Note that you need to consult a doctor of Oriental medicine before using.

Purslane

According to Dr. Phuong Thao, purslane is a wild vegetable, familiar in the lives of Vietnamese people, but not everyone knows that it is also a valuable medicine that can help treat many diseases. The part used is the whole plant.

100g of vegetable contains 92g of water; 1.7g of protein; 0.4g of fat; 3.8g of carbohydrate; 103mg of calcium; 39mg of phosphorus; 3.6mg of iron; 0.03mg of vitamin B1; 25mg of vitamin C; 2,550 international units of vitamin A. The whole plant contains coumarin (betaincyanidin pigments), flavonoids, glucosides... and mucus. Plants grown in areas with different soils have different amounts of calcium oxalate or nitrate.

According to Oriental medicine, purslane has a sour taste, cold properties, and affects the large intestine, liver, and kidneys. It has the effect of clearing heat, detoxifying, cooling the blood, and dispersing blood and reducing swelling. It treats dysentery, urinary tract infections, urinary stones (painful urination, blood in urine, and stone residue), and itchy boils. Use 60-200g fresh per day (or 15-40g dried); by cooking, boiling, or juicing.

Fish mint

Health & Life Newspaper quoted Dr. Huynh Tan Vu - Head of the Day Treatment Unit, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said that fish mint is also called fish mint, fish mint, fish mint, fish mint, fish mint, fish mint. Scientific name is Houttuynia cordata. Family Saururaceae. Fish mint is grown or grows naturally in many places. This plant is easy to find and cheap.

Chemical composition of fish mint: The whole fish mint plant contains essential oils. The main ingredient is aldehyde. In addition, fish mint also contains caprinic acid, laurinaldehyde, benzamide, decanoic acid, lipids and vitamin K... Fish mint leaves contain β-sitosterol, alkaloids.

Uses of fish mint: Fish mint has diuretic, cooling, detoxifying, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic effects. Fish mint is used to treat hemorrhoids, boils, measles in children, pneumonia or purulent lung, pink eye or eye pain caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enteritis, urinary retention, irregular menstruation. It is also used to treat malaria, convulsions in children, toothache.

Mugwort, purslane... are wild vegetables used by traditional medicine practitioners as medicine.

Amaranth

Amaranth contains many nutrients, such as vitamin C, B1, B2, vitamin PP, carotene, ethylcholesterol compounds, dehydrocholesterol... Amaranth leaves and young branches cooked in soup have anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects; treat acne and dysentery. Amaranth seeds have a sweet taste, cold properties, and have the effect of cooling the liver, clearing heat, benefiting qi, and brightening the eyes. Medicines often use amaranth seeds to make a drink.

The bark of the amaranth tree is used to make a decoction to treat irregular menstruation and anemia. The leaves are used to treat aches and pains and rheumatism. The amaranth bark can be ground into powder or soaked in alcohol to be used as a tonic to treat malaria.

Gotu kola

Gotu kola is also known as tich tuyet thao, lien tien thao, belonging to the Apiaceae family. The plant grows wild in tropical countries including Vietnam. When fresh, the plant has a bitter, slightly unpleasant taste, and can be harvested year-round. According to Oriental medicine, gotu kola is neutral, non-toxic, cooling, detoxifying, diuretic, used to treat hemoptysis, diarrhea, vaginal discharge, and lactation. It can be used in combination with Eclipta prostrata to stop bleeding. Medicines often use fresh leaves, crushed, and the juice to drink.

Mugwort

Mugwort is also known as moxibustion, ointment, mugwort, and belongs to the daisy family. The plant grows wild in many places.

Mugwort contains essential oils, tannins, adenine, and choline. According to Oriental medicine, this is a warm, spicy medicine used to warm blood and regulate menstruation, stabilize pregnancy, treat abdominal pain due to cold, irregular menstruation, restless fetus, hemoptysis, and nosebleeds. In addition, mugwort is also used to treat digestive disorders, abdominal pain, vomiting, worms, and malaria. People can boil mugwort with water, steep it in boiling water, or drink it in powder or concentrated form.

Above are 5 types of wild vegetables used by traditional medicine practitioners as medicine. These vegetables are all very good for health. However, if you want to use these vegetables to treat diseases, you should consult your doctor before using them.

Ha An (Synthesis)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/5-loai-rau-moc-dai-duoc-luong-y-dung-lam-thuoc-ar907460.html