The countryside is a treasure of vast land, giving birth to many precious wild plants. Among them, there is a plant whose leaves resemble the skin of a lychee, and it is a lychee grass. Although it doesn't look good on the outside, lychee grass has a lot of value and efficacy. Lychee grass, also known as toad grass and leprosy grass, is a common herbaceous plant that is widely distributed in rural areas. It is evergreen all year round, and even in the harsh winter, lychee grass still stands on the earth and is not invaded by winter. This also makes it have many aliases among the folk, such as snow primrose, snow green, winter grass and so on. Lychee grass belongs to the Lamiaceae family, the genus Sage, and is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant. It has erect stems, hypertrophied underground rhizomes, oval leaves, and serrated edges. The flowering period of lychee grass is around April, the flowers are mostly purple, and the fruits ripen in June. This plant has been known to people since ancient times, and it is recorded in detail in the Compendium of Materia Medica. Lychee grass is very widely distributed in our country, except for a few western regions, basically all over the country, commonly found in fields and roadside vegetable gardens. Lychee grass is not only a common wild vegetable, but also has medicinal properties. It has the following three main functions.
First, delicious wild vegetables - Lychee grass is a delicious wild vegetable, and rural people have long had the Xi of collecting wild vegetables. When winter comes, people will choose to pick lychee grass as a side dish for hot pot. Lychee grass can also be used to make soups, especially with fresh pork, which makes it even more delicious. In Yunnan, people like to eat lychee grass cold. In fact, in ancient times, common people also often ate lychee grass. It is recorded in the herbal medicine book of the Ming Dynasty that the ancients would go to the wild to pick the young leaves of lychee grass in the wild to satisfy their hunger when there was no food in war or famine.
2. Medicinal value - Lychee grass has extremely high medicinal value and can be used as a Chinese herbal medicine. Not only can the young leaves be picked and boiled in water to drink, but they can also be used in medicine. Lychee grass has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, diuresis and swelling, cooling blood and stopping bleeding. Li Shizhen, a medical scientist in the Ming Dynasty, recorded in detail the medicinal history of lychee grass in the "Compendium of Materia Medica". In the folk, if a farmer friend has symptoms such as throat discomfort and cough, people who understand the value of lychee grass will pick lychee grass and come back to soak in water and drink.
3. Tea drinks - In addition to being used as an ingredient and medicinal herb, lychee grass can also be used to make tea drinks. The whole grass of lychee grass is picked in winter, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun and can be used to make tea. In winter, when you encounter colds, fevers, runny noses, etc., soak lychee grass in water and drink, which can play a role in clearing heat and detoxifying.
Although lychee grass is common in rural areas, its value is very high. Not only is it a delicious wild vegetable, but it also has medicinal properties. We can often see it in the fields or roadside vegetable gardens, but many people may not know its value. The next time you see lychee grass, you might as well pick it home and eat it as a wild vegetable, or dry it to make tea. Not only does it taste delicious, but it also has medicinal properties, which can play a role in clearing heat and detoxifying. Lychee grass is not only a plant, but also a delicious and healthy part of rural life.
Lychee grass, also known as toad grass and leprosy grass, is a common herbaceous plant that resembles the skin of leprosy and lychee. It is evergreen in all seasons and does not dry in winter, and has extremely high medicinal value and delicious edible value. Lychee grass can be eaten as a wild vegetable and is commonly found in rural hot pots and soups. It also has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, diuresis and swelling, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, and can be used to make tea or boil water to drink. Lychee grass is widely distributed in rural areas, and is called snow primrose and snow green by farmers. The value of lychee grass is very high, and although it may not be beautiful in appearance, its intrinsic characteristics make people realize its importance. We might as well pay more attention to and make use of lychee grass in our daily life, so as to enjoy the deliciousness and health it brings. Let's explore the richer secrets behind lychee grass.