The countryside is a treasure trove of rich heritage, which not only gives birth to countless delicious agricultural products, but also gives birth to many precious wild plants, each with its own characteristics and functions. Among these wild plants, there is a plant whose leaves resemble leprosy *** and looks a bit like lychee. Its name is lychee grass, also known as toad grass, leprosy grass. Lychee grass is very common in the countryside and can be seen even when picking turnips. The leaves of lychee grass are similar to the bark of lychee, **uneven, giving people an unsightly feeling. The leaves of lychee grass are oval-oval in shape, with serrated edges and uneven touch. It usually blooms around April, the flowers are mostly purple, and the fruiting period is around June. The underground rhizomes of lychee grass are thick and the stems are erect. Although it is completely different from the lychees we have seen in appearance, it has the same name as lychees. Of course, it also has some other common names, such as leprosy grass, toad grass, snow primrose, snow green, winter grass, winter grass and so on. Lychee grass belongs to the Lamiaceae family, the genus Sage, and is a year- or biennial-growing herbaceous plant. Lychee grass has a wide range of distribution, almost all over China, except for a few western provinces, and is especially common in fields or roadside vegetable gardens. Although lychee grass is a common weed in rural areas, its value is very high, and it has three main functions.
Lychee grass has a long history of feeding in rural areas, especially in winter, when people pick the plant to cook hot pots. Not only that, but it can also be used to cook soups, especially with fresh pork, which makes the taste even more wonderful. In the Yunnan region, people like to use lychee grass for cold dressing. Ancient people were also Xi of picking the young leaves of lychee grass to satisfy their hunger, and there are relevant records in the Ming Dynasty's "Saving Famine Materia Medica". Therefore, when farmers see lychee grass in the vegetable garden, don't treat it as a weed, you might as well try to take it home and taste it as a delicious wild vegetable.
Not only as an ingredient, lychee grass also has a very high medicinal value and can be used in medicine. It 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, mentioned the medicinal history of lychee grass in the "Compendium of Materia Medica". In the folk, some farmers who understand the value of lychee grass will pick lychee grass and soak it in water when they have problems such as throat discomfort and cough. Therefore, farmers should recognize the medicinal value of lychee grass and regard it as a natural medicinal material for their families.
In addition to being used for cooking and medicine, lychee grass can also be used to make tea. In winter, you can pick the whole herb of lychee grass, brew it with boiling water and dry it to make tea. In the cold winter, if you have a cold and fever or a runny nose, you can brew a pot of lychee herbal tea to clear away heat and detoxify, and effectively relieve symptoms. Therefore, in addition to being used as an ingredient and medicinal herb, lychee grass also has the function of making tea.
Lychee grass is a very common rural plant, but its value is often overlooked. By understanding the edible, medicinal, and tea-making effects of lychee grass, we are able to make better use of its benefits. As a valuable resource on rural land, lychee grass adds color to our lives. Therefore, whether in the field or in the vegetable garden, we must pay attention to this herb and use its value with our hearts.
In order to make better use of lychee grass, we farmers should strengthen our understanding and awareness of it, regard it as a valuable agricultural product, and make full use of its nutritional and medicinal value. At the same time, we should also strengthen the research and protection of other wild plants, tap their potential value, and contribute to the development of rural economy.
In conclusion, lychee grass is a common herbaceous plant in rural areas, and it has a variety of effects. Not only can it be eaten as a delicious wild vegetable, it also has medicinal properties, and it can also be used to make tea. By understanding and using lychee grass, we are able to improve our quality of life and enrich our food tastes. I hope that everyone will be able to discover the beauty of lychee grass in the fields and vegetable gardens, and treat and protect it to fully realize its potential value.