Rat grass, also known as Artemisia annua, Qingming cabbage, is an annual herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family and the genus R. sage. Its leaves resemble the ears of a mouse, and are often found in front of and behind houses in rural areas. Although it is considered a weed by farmers, it has a wealth of value. Its stems are straight with white hairs and gray-green leaves, which look like a sea of white and fluffy from a distance. Rat grass blooms from January to April, the inflorescence is golden or yellow, and the fruiting period is from August to November of the following year. In all provinces of China, rattle grass is widely distributed in farmland and wheat fields, and can also be seen in people's residences. The presence of ratthorn may lead to reduced winter crop yields, but its value cannot be ignored.
1. Rage is a delicious wild vegetable
With the arrival of spring, people start picking wild vegetables. The young leaves of R. sagebrush are available for consumption during the spring growth period. It has a delicate flavor and is especially suitable for scrambled eggs. Although there are not many leaves of rattle grass, people often use its whole herb to make Qingtuan or baba to eat. Gu Jingxing of the Qing Dynasty recorded in "Praise of Wild Vegetables": "Rat koji grass is born in February, the leaves are like mouse ears, and rice is pounded into cakes, and the northerners are still cold and foody." Rat grass is also known as Qingming cuisine in folklore, and it is said that it is most suitable for eating around the Qingming Festival. I was born in Hunan, and I remember when I was a child, people would pick rattle grass to make baba on the first lunar month, but unfortunately this tradition is now fading.
Expansion: As a wild vegetable, Rat Grass has some special effects in addition to being rich in nutrients. It is rich in fiber, chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals, etc., and has the effects of detoxification, digestion, diuresis and so on. Therefore, eating rattle grass can not only increase the body's immunity, but also promote metabolism and maintain the health of the body.
2. Raffles has excellent medicinal value
Raff grass is not only a high-quality wild vegetable in spring, but also has high medicinal value. According to the record of "Rihuazi Materia Medica", Rat Koji has the effects of regulating and invigorating qi, stopping discharge, removing phlegm, pressing qi, and removing heat and cough. Therefore, in rural areas, if you have a severe cold and cough in winter, farmers who know rattle grass will go to the wild to pick rattle grass for emergency. The homology of R. rhamvira has made it a common natural medicine in rural areas.
Expansion: The medicinal properties of rattle have a deep history in traditional Chinese medicine. According to studies, some of the chemical components in Rat Grass have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor and other effects. Rat grass can also be used as a Chinese herbal medicine in combination with other herbs to play a synergistic role. Although the application of Rhammyrtle in modern medicine still needs to be further studied, as a traditional herbal medicine, it is widely used in folk Chinese medicine physiotherapy.
3. Rage grass is a high-quality forage grass and is loved by poultry
Before it bears fruit, the stems and leaves are tender and juicy, and it is not only eaten by humans, but also by animals. In particular, domestic pigs, cows, sheep, chickens and ducks have a soft spot for rattle, and they can't eat enough every day. When I was a child, I loved to pull hogweed, especially in the fields that had been dried, because the rattle grass grew so luxuriantly that it could almost fill a basket.
Extension: In addition to its delicious taste, Rage grass is also rich in nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, which have a positive impact on the growth and healthy development of poultry. In some animal husbandry industries, the use of rattle grass cultivation for breeding can improve the meat quality of animals and the quality of products, bringing better economic benefits.
As a common rural plant, Rat grass is considered a weed, but it has a wealth of value. In addition to being used as a wild vegetable and medicinal herb, it is also an ideal feed for livestock. We should recognize the potential and value of these plants and be good at using them. For farmers, every plant is a treasure and can be used to the best of its ability. Even though some plants may appear to be rural weeds, they may have high nutritional or medicinal value and can be eaten as wild vegetables or used for medical purposes. Rat grass is one such common plant, with leaves that resemble mouse ears, and is often found in rural meadows and fields. Although farmers often see it, they do not value it and consider it to be just a pest. In fact, rattle is not only edible as a wild vegetable, but also has medicinal properties, and is loved as food by poultry. Therefore, we should be good at discovering the potential and value of plants and not easily ignore them as weeds.