Introduction to the Latest Distribution of Plantain Growing Areas
Plantain is an annual or biennial herbaceous plant of the genus Plantago in the family Plantaginaceae, also known as chechacao, Plantago depressa, etc. It grows in grasslands, riverbanks, ditch sides, meadows, fields and roadsides. Its taste is sweet and its nature is cold. It has the effects of promoting diuresis, clearing heat, improving eyesight and resolving phlegm. The young plants are edible. Let us take a look below at the distribution of plantain growing areas!
Distribution of Plantain Growing Areas
The main growing areas of plantain in China are Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shandong, Jiangsu, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Xizang and other places. It is also distributed in Korea, Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Kashmir and India.
Growing Environment of Plantain
Plantain has strong adaptability and can be seen everywhere in China from south to north in mountain fields, roadsides and riverbanks. It is cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and has no strict requirements for soil. It can grow well in warm, moist, sunny, sandy fertile soil. Its stems and leaves can grow normally within the range of 20-24 degrees C. When the temperature exceeds 32 degrees C, growth slows, and it gradually withers until the whole plant dies. Slightly acidic sandy alluvial loam is better for the soil. Seed propagation is generally used.
Plant Culture of Plantain
It is said that Ma Wu, a famous general of the Han Dynasty, once led an army to conquer the Qiang people of Wuling. Because he was unfamiliar with the terrain, he was defeated and besieged in a desolate place. It was midsummer, and there was drought with no rain. The soldiers and warhorses all suffered from “hematuria” due to lack of water, and there were no local medicines to clear heat and promote diuresis, so the soldiers were all extremely anxious.
A groom named Zhang Yong accidentally discovered that three horses suffering from hematuria had recovered without treatment. Feeling strange, he traced the source and saw that a patch of wild grass shaped like cow ears had been eaten bare by the horses. To confirm its effect, he personally tried taking it, and it was also effective. So he reported it to Ma Wu.
General Ma was overjoyed and asked where this grass grew. Zhang Yong pointed into the distance with his hand and said: “Right in front of the cart.” Ma Wu laughed and said: “This is heaven helping me. What a good plantain.” He immediately ordered the whole army to eat this grass, and after taking it, the hematuria was indeed cured. The name cheqiancao was passed down in this way.