"The lotus leaves are infinitely blue, and the lotus flowers are different red." To say which flowers are most worth watching in summer, lotus flowers are essential. As one of the top ten famous flowers in China, the lotus flower has always been one of the subjects of poets' songs and paintings, and has also become one of the favorite summer flowers because of its noble character of "straight out, no branches and no mud, and no innocence".
Lotus flowers are really beautiful, but many friends may not know it. The lotus flower is not only used for ornamentation, but also a medicinal and edible flower. Not only that, but the lotus flower is also a treasure of the whole body. Its flowers, leaves, roots and fruits can be eaten and medicated.
So you're curious, do lotuses really have these uses? In this issue, I will give you a brief understanding of lotus flowers.
(Lotus in a lotus pond)
An ancient crop
Nowadays, whether in urban ponds, rural ponds, lakes, lotus flowers are a very common plant, but it is such a common plant, but it is one of the oldest crops in China.
According to records, from the 11th century BC onwards, lotus flowers entered people's field ponds from the wild state of lakeside swamps and became one of the crops grown. This period was the Western Zhou Dynasty of the mainland, and it is recorded in the Book of Yi zhou: "The lotus has been exhausted and excavated." The meaning of this sentence is "when the lake water dries up, you can start digging lotus roots", which shows that the lotus flowers at that time have been eaten as vegetables by people.
In the early Han Dynasty, people's application of lotus flowers was more comprehensive. The "Erya" records: "The lotus, the volta, its stem, its leaves, its original secret, its painted lotus, is actually a lotus, its root lotus, among them, its lotus seed."
(The treated lotus leaves can be used to make lotus leaf porridge)
It can be said that lotus flowers have a long history of cultivation and consumption in China, with a history of at least 3,000 years. Therefore, there are many ways for folk to eat lotus. But why do many people only know that lotus root (lotus root) can be eaten, but do not know that flowers and leaves fruits, especially flowers and leaves fruits can also be eaten?
This is mainly related to the areas and customs of cultivation. At present, only Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Shandong, Henan, Hebei, Guangdong and other places in the mainland specialize in planting lotus flowers as vegetables, of which the lotus root in Hubei is the most famous, and people are not very clear about the use of lotus flowers. In addition to knowing that the roots of the lotus flower can be eaten, I do not know the use of other parts of the lotus flower. So what is the value of lotus flowers today?
(Lotus House and Lotus Seed)
The value of lotus flowers
The lotus flower is full of treasures. Its lotus seeds, lotus clothes, lotus room, lotus heart, lotus heart, lotus leaf, lotus flower, lotus stem, lotus root knot can be used in medicine and medicine, but the consumption method and medicinal value of different parts are different.
Lotus root node stops bleeding and scatters stasis; Lotus leaf can clear the heat and diuresis, produce hair and yang, stop bleeding; Lotus stem clears heat and relieves heat, ventilation and heat relief; Lotus leaves clear the heat, dispel dampness, nourish blood and fetus; Lotus flowers invigorate blood, stop bleeding, dispel dampness, dispel wind; Lotus flowers can dispel stasis, stop bleeding, remove dampness; Lotus flowers must purify the heart, replenish the kidneys, collect sperm, and stop bleeding; Lotus seeds nourish the heart, replenish the kidneys, strengthen the spleen, and astringent intestines. Hunan's "Hunan Lotus Seed" is the most famous; Lotus flowers can be picked, ginseng has replenished the spleen and yin; Lotus heart can purify the heart, clear heat, stop bleeding, astringent essence. Because there are many varieties of lotus flowers, the effects of different varieties may be slightly different in different parts. (Note: The data comes from many books such as "Dietary Therapeutic Materia Medica" and "Compendium of Materia Medica")
(Lotus seed porridge)
As for how to eat lotus flowers, there are too many folk ways to eat. Traditional methods include lotus seed porridge, lotus room, lotus powder, lotus slices with meat, lotus leaf steamed meat, lotus leaf porridge and so on. Modern ways are lotus tea, lotus leaf tea, lotus leaf drink, etc.
No matter which way of eating, it is fragrant and refreshing, especially the various parts of the lotus flower have good medicinal value. In addition, lotus flowers generally grow in the summer, so it is very suitable to eat lotus flowers in summer. It is delicious, and it can also play a therapeutic role in cooling off, removing dampness and benefiting the kidneys.
It can be said that it is a real pity to miss the lotus flowers in summer.
(Fried lotus flowers, very tasty)
Of course, there are a few points to note here. First of all, the lotus flower is a little cold no matter which part, and friends who are afraid of cold should not eat it.
Secondly, lotus flowers can be eaten all over the body, but those lotus flowers in urban parks and scenic spots should not be picked, because there are many varieties of lotus flowers in the mainland, more than 200 kinds, most of which are ornamental varieties and are not suitable for consumption. If you want to eat lotus flowers, it is best to go to the countryside to find those lotus flowers that are specially planted.
(Does the fried lotus flower look good?) )
Third, because there are many varieties of lotus flowers, the efficacy and taste of different parts of different varieties may be slightly different, if you mind, you can choose the most common varieties, that is, the varieties that are currently widely planted, which will be better in terms of medicinal food.