Diving beetles, commonly known as "underwater ginseng," are edible and prized for their price, benefits, effects, and distribution

The diving beetle, also known as Zelao, black shell bug, water turtle, water soft-shell bug, urine-squirting turtle, etc., is a specialty delicacy of Guangdong. Its appearance is similar to a cockroach, but it is not actually one. Because of its high protein content and various trace elements, it is deeply loved by the people of Guangdong. So can diving beetles be eaten? How much do they generally cost per jin? What benefits and effects do they have? Where are they mainly distributed?

What Cantonese people call "gaat zaat" is the cockroach, and "seoi gaat zaat" is the water cockroach (diving beetle), but the water cockroach is not a cockroach, and the water cockroach is not a cockroach. In appearance, the two are similar, except that the water cockroach is glossy black, while the cockroach is somewhat brownish, but biologically they are classified as two different insects.

Can they be eaten?

Yes, they can be eaten. Before eating, first remove the legs and wings, then remove the head. When removing the head, be careful to gently pull out the internal organs connected to the head of the water cockroach along with it, so as to remove the bitter and fishy taste of the internal organs. The water cockroach itself has a slight salty taste, so no extra seasoning is needed. Put it in your mouth and chew it slightly, and it makes a crunching sound. In fact, there is not much meat to eat; it just has a slightly salty, fresh taste, and it is entirely a feeling of satisfying the craving for a snack.

Latest price:

The price is about 30 to 50 per jin. And dried, it really is not cheap. Because it has medicinal value.

Why is it so expensive?

Although diving beetles are expensive, they are loved by people. The reason, besides the fresh and delicious “harmonious flavor” when eaten fresh, is that they also have relatively high medicinal value. According to records, diving beetles have effects such as nourishing yin and tonifying the kidneys, and have fairly good results in treating children's bedwetting, frequent nocturia in the elderly, kidney qi deficiency, and malnutrition with indigestion. Regularly eating diving beetles also has good effects on lowering cholesterol and preventing and treating high blood pressure, obesity, nephritis, and so on. Besides being eaten fresh, diving beetles can also be processed into powder, infusions (such as diving beetle wine), pills, and other dietary therapeutic products, so market sales are very good, and they have considerable prospects for aquaculture development.

Benefits and effects:

1. Diving beetles enter the kidney meridian and can tonify the kidneys, reduce urination, and invigorate blood circulation.

2. Tonifying the kidneys and strengthening yang: diving beetles have a nourishing and strengthening effect, can treat nephritis, tonify the kidneys and replenish essence, and can also be used to treat premature ejaculation in men.

3. Treating frequent nocturia in the elderly and malnutrition with indigestion in children: diving beetles have fairly good effects on treating frequent nocturia in the elderly and kidney qi deficiency and other conditions; they have relatively good therapeutic effects on bedwetting and malnutrition with indigestion in children.

4. Beauty and whitening: diving beetles have the effect of beautifying and improving the skin, can make people full of energy and rosy-complexioned, and can also remove dark dullness from the face.

5. Anti-aging and anti-senescence: because diving beetles contain superoxide dismutase, they can promote microcirculation, destroy oxidative free radicals, and have anti-aging and anti-senescence effects.

6. Diving beetles can also prevent and fight cancer, treat prostatic hyperplasia, treat women's weakness and clear, abundant leukorrhea; soaking them in wine and drinking it can treat soreness and weakness of the waist and legs, and can also lower cholesterol and prevent and treat high blood pressure and obesity.

Distribution area:

In China, they are mainly produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei, and other provinces and regions; the Songnen Plain in Heilongjiang Province also produces them (Qiqihar, Daqing, and other places all have them), where they are locally called "water laobie," and Jilin Province has 6 to 7 species. Market sources of diving beetles mostly rely on catching wild resources. Due to water pollution and excessive human catching, the numbers are gradually decreasing, resulting in market supply falling short of demand, which leads to a relatively high price.