Is bitter sowthistle the same vegetable as curved sowthistle? An introduction to the differences between the two

The scientific name of bitter sowthistle is Sonchus oleraceus (common sowthistle), an annual or biennial herb. The whole plant is used as medicine, with the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling blood and stopping bleeding, removing dampness and lowering blood pressure. So, is bitter sowthistle curved sowthistle?

1. Is bitter sowthistle curved sowthistle

Bitter sowthistle is not curved sowthistle. The differences are as follows:

1. Differences in leaves

The leaves of bitter sowthistle are round-lanceolate; its surface looks green, the underside of the leaves is grayish green, and the stem is yellowish white. The leaf edges of curved sowthistle are spiny and sharply toothed, the stem is relatively upright and tends to be reddish white, and milky sap seeps out when the leaves are broken.

2. Differences in effects

Bitter sowthistle can clear heat and detoxify, cool blood, and remove blood stasis and relieve pain. It has good effects on abdominal pain caused after childbirth, menstrual pain, and chest and abdominal discomfort; curved sowthistle can treat carbuncles and sores, and is mainly used for bacillary dysentery, enteritis, pulmonary abscess, and acute appendicitis. It has a particularly obvious effect on acne, to which teenagers are prone.

3. Differences in growing environment

Bitter sowthistle has strong adaptability and is widely distributed on mountain slopes and grasslands at an altitude of 500—4000m, and even along roadsides in plains, in farmland, or on wasteland, making it a common weed.

This species is drought-tolerant and relatively cold-tolerant, and is also seen growing on fixed and semi-fixed dunes and other sandy land in the arid regions of the north. It can also adapt to the cold Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of 3300—4000m. In Northeast China and Inner Mongolia and other regions, it turns green relatively early, and can also survive for a short time after frost in late autumn. Mountain sowthistle is a root-sprouting herb.

For curved sowthistle, the seeds can sprout at 3-5°C. The suitable temperature for germination is 20-27°C. The suitable temperature for growth and development is 10-25°C. It is drought-resistant, waterlogging-tolerant, and salt-alkali-tolerant, but grows well and has a crisp and tender quality under moist soil and sufficient water conditions. When dry, the leaves have more fiber and poor quality. However, too much water can easily rot the roots and kill the plant. It has no strict requirements for soil and can also grow in coastal saline-alkali land, and can be planted in front of and behind houses and at the corners of fields. However, it is best planted in fertile, loose loam with strong water and fertilizer retention.