Can Gynura divaricata be eaten raw? There is more to eating Gynura divaricata raw

Gynura divaricata is a wild vegetable that can be used both as medicine and as food. It can supplement the nutrients the human body needs and can also treat some common illnesses. So can Gynura divaricata be eaten raw?

1. Can Gynura divaricata be eaten raw?

Gynura divaricata can be eaten raw. After washing it clean, add mashed garlic, light soy sauce, vinegar, edible salt and other seasonings, toss it as a cold dish and eat it directly. It can also be stir-fried plainly or made into soup, and after being dried in the sun it can also be steeped in water and drunk.

2. Ways to eat Gynura divaricata

1. Pancakes

Gynura divaricata can be eaten as pancakes. When making them, you need to gather fresh Gynura divaricata, wash it clean, chop it finely with a knife and put it in a bowl, add two eggs, then add an appropriate amount of edible salt, then add clean water and mix well, and finally add an appropriate amount of flour and mix into a fairly thin batter. After heating oil in a flat-bottomed pan, take an appropriate amount of batter, pour it into the pan, spread it into a pancake shape with a spatula, and after frying until both sides are golden brown, take it out, sprinkle an appropriate amount of pepper powder on it and it is ready to eat.

2. Steamed food

Gynura divaricata can also be eaten steamed. When you want to eat it, you can gather 600 grams of fresh Gynura divaricata, wash it clean, drain the surface water, then sprinkle an appropriate amount of flour on it and mix well with your hands, trying to make every piece of Gynura divaricata surface carry a small amount of flour, then put it in a steamer and steam it over water for ten minutes after the water comes to a boil. While steaming the Gynura divaricata, use light soy sauce, fragrant vinegar and mashed garlic together to make a seasoning sauce. After the Gynura divaricata in the pot is steamed, when taking it out to eat, directly dip the Gynura divaricata in the seasoning sauce; the flavor is especially good.

3. The value of Gynura divaricata

Gynura divaricata has relatively high medicinal and edible value. As a vegetable, Gynura divaricata has the amino acids, protein, fat, sugars, vitamins, cellulose, carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements that ordinary vegetables are rich in, and is a nutrient-rich natural green food. At the same time, the tender stems and leaves of Gynura divaricata are also rich in active components such as flavonoids, polysaccharides and alkaloids. Among them, the total flavonoids contained in the tender stems and leaves of Gynura divaricata are 86.78 mg/g, vitamin C 2.52 mg/g, carotenoids 0.09 mg/g, soluble protein 1.42 mg/g, quercetin 43.30 mg/g, and chlorogenic acid 6.04 mg/g. Carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements make it a nutrient-rich natural green food. Therefore, Gynura divaricata has biological activities such as lowering the “three highs”, treating scurvy and anemia, detoxifying, preventing cancer, antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-tumor, protecting the liver and promoting bile flow, and regulating immune function. In Guangxi, people often eat the wild vegetable Gynura divaricata to prevent and treat high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and cancer, and it is called the “immortal grass”; while in Fujian, people often use its tender lotus leaves to make tea to treat diabetes.