How to cook Rat Ear Root so it tastes good? Benefits, folk remedies, and how it differs from purslane

Rat Ear Root is a wild vegetable found everywhere along field paths and roadsides. It is drought-tolerant and very hardy; even if pulled up and left in the sun for a long time, it will not wither and die. So how do you cook Rat Ear Root so it tastes good? What benefits and folk remedies does it have? How does it differ from purslane?

Rat Ear Root grows in mountain wilds, low woods or dense weeds, by roadsides, on slopes and small hills. The leaves are alternate, with short petioles, ovate or nearly round, 5-10 mm long, blunt at the tip with a small protruding point, rounded or slightly heart-shaped at the base, with entire margins, papery, dark green above and pale white beneath, with 5 pairs of lateral veins that are straight and parallel. The flowers are bisexual or polygamous, 2 to many clustered in the leaf axils or at the tips of branches, with short stalks 3-6 mm long; 5 sepals, 2-3 mm long, narrowly lanceolate or linear; 5 petals, linear-lanceolate; 5 stamens, sometimes 6; the ovary is superior, 2-locular. The fruit is fleshy, long-ovoid, 4-6 mm long, purple when ripe.

What benefits does Rat Ear Root have

Rat Ear Root is the tender stems and leaves of the Rhamnaceae plant Rat Ear Root. Harvested in summer and autumn. Its functions and indications are: treating boils, testicular abscess, hemorrhoids, and burns.

Related formulas

① To treat boils: 1 liang of Rat Ear Root. Pound it into a paste, add a little salt flower and apply to the affected area. Also take 2 liang of white chrysanthemum and 5 qian of licorice, decoct and take. (Lingnan Herbal Medicine Records)

② To treat testicular abscess: 5 qian to 1 liang of Rat Ear Root rhizome, 1 duck egg, equal parts water and wine, decoct and take. (Minnan Folk Herbal Medicine)

③ To treat external hemorrhoids: 1 liang of fresh Rat Ear Root rhizome, wash and slice, 1 first joint of pig tail, appropriate amount of water, stew and take. (Minnan Folk Herbal Medicine)

④ To treat eye nebula: 1 liang of fresh Rat Ear Root rhizome, 1 chicken egg, appropriate amount of water, stew and take. (Minnan Folk Herbal Medicine)

⑤ To treat scalds and burns: appropriate amount of Rat Ear Root, pound into a paste, mix with tea oil and apply externally. (Lingnan Herbal Medicine Records)

Note: The above formulas are for reference only

The difference between Rat Ear Root and purslane

Rat Ear Root and purslane are not the same plant. They belong to different families and genera; one is a shrub, the other a herbaceous plant, and their stems, leaves, flowers and fruits are all different.

Rat Ear Root: a plant of the genus Berchemia in the Rhamnaceae family. It is a vine-like shrub, 1-4 m tall. The branchlets are hairy. The leaves are alternate, with short petioles, ovate or nearly round, 5-10 mm long, blunt at the tip with a small protruding point, rounded or slightly heart-shaped at the base, with entire margins, papery, dark green above and pale white beneath, with 5 pairs of lateral veins that are straight and parallel.

Purslane: a plant of the genus Portulaca in the Portulacaceae family, an annual herb, with the whole plant hairless. The stems lie flat, sprawling over the ground, and the branches are pale green or tinged with dark red. The leaves are alternate, with flat, thick and fleshy blades.

How to cook Rat Ear Root so it tastes good

There are many ways to eat Rat Ear Root. After removing the roots and washing it clean, you can stir-fry it directly; you can also put it into boiling water, blanch it for a few minutes, chop it up and mix it as a salad, or use it in soup, dumpling filling, or mixed into dough to make pancakes.

Rat Ear Root can also be eaten this way: after drying it in the sun, steam it with braised pork, or stir-fry it with other vegetables. In the past, in rural areas, whenever the season for Rat Ear Root came, the villagers would dig it up and take it home, wash it clean, dry it in the sun, and seal it up, then take it out to cook when vegetables were scarce in winter. They could eat vegetables of different seasons all year round. As living conditions improved, few people ate Rat Ear Root anymore. In towns and cities, however, Rat Ear Root is still a relatively rare vegetable, so Rat Ear Root, which can be seen everywhere in rural areas and is ignored by everyone, sells for a higher price in towns and cities than ordinary green vegetables, and is quite popular.