What is the difference between burdock and yam? Here's how to tell them apart quickly
Burdock is also called "Dali seed," "Eshi," and other names. After being introduced from Japan, it is widely grown in China, and its root can also be made into tea. Its appearance is somewhat similar to that of yam. So, what is the difference between burdock and yam? Let's find out together!
1. Different family and genus
Burdock is a plant of the burdock type in the Asteraceae family. It has a long history of cultivation in China, but it is not very well known in China. It is extremely popular in Japan, and it is also a variety introduced from Japan more than 1,000 years ago. It has another name, "Dongyang ginseng," because its nutritional value can be compared with that of ginseng, and both its root and seeds can be used as medicine. Yam, however, is very familiar to us. It is a type of plant in the genus Dioscorea in the Dioscoreaceae family, native to China, and has an even longer history of cultivation than burdock.
2. Differences in appearance
Burdock is a biennial herb. It can generally reach 1-2 m in height and looks somewhat like a tree root: straight and rather long, with very few branches, and a relatively rough surface. The yam rhizome is thick and large, grows straight, and is generally about 1 m long, with a relatively smooth surface. It is extremely crisp and will snap with a light bend, and its cut surface is sticky. If you put the two together, you will find that burdock is thinner and longer than yam.
3. Differences in the edible parts
The edible part of yam is the underground rhizome. Many people think that the edible part of burdock is also the underground rhizome, but that is not the case. Burdock does not have a straight underground rhizome. What we mostly eat is the burdock's thick fleshy root. Burdock is an edible vegetable, and the burdock root can also be made into burdock tea, while the edible part of yam is the underground stem. So in this respect, they are still different.
4. Differences in nutrition and effects
Burdock and yam are both fairly nutritious ingredients with medicinal value, but their nutrition and effects differ. Burdock contains inulin, protein, various trace elements and vitamins, and is also rich in amino acids. Its carotene is 150 times that of carrots. The nutritional composition of yam is relatively simple. It contains a large amount of starch and protein, so the nutrition is not on the same level. Burdock has the effects of detoxifying and reducing swelling, dispelling wind and dissipating heat, and can treat wind-heat cold, dizziness, sore and swollen throat, cough, and other symptoms. But yam only has the effects of tonifying the spleen and nourishing the stomach, promoting body fluid and benefiting the lungs, and has a certain effect on people with weak spleen and stomach and diarrhea. Of course, yam also contains a large amount of amino acids and has anti-tumor, anti-viral, and anti-aging effects.
The above is the difference between burdock and yam compiled for you by the Tuliu.com editor. Through the points above, you can distinguish burdock and yam very well. Do you understand them all now?