Glossy Privet (Phyllanthus glaucus, commonly known as "Suanpanzi" or Abacus Plant) was once a good medicine for the poor, and now it sells for 60 yuan per jin and has become a money-making fruit.
As the saying goes, "Those who live by the mountains eat from the mountains; those who live by the water eat from the water." This applies very well to farmer friends living in rural mountainous areas, and in the mountains of the countryside there are also all kinds of wild plant resources. Among these various wild plant resources, there are quite a few wild vegetables, wild grasses and wild trees of great use, such as wild mushrooms, wild fruit trees, and wild herbs that can treat illnesses. Below, the author will introduce one such peculiar wild tree, which older farmer friends living in rural mountainous areas greatly love.
In the morning, the author followed several older farmer friends from the village into the mountains to seek treasure. Though it was called seeking treasure, it was actually going to find a kind of wild tree and the wild fruit it bears. The author was very curious about this wild fruit, because according to the older farmer friends, the wild fruit of this tree looks very much like a vegetable we commonly eat, the "pumpkin," though its size is much smaller than a pumpkin. After seeing the real thing, it turned out that the fruit of this tree really does look very much like a pumpkin, so the farmer friends also call it "wild pumpkin."
In fact, both this tree and its fruit are called "Suanpanzi" (Abacus Plant). It is said that in ancient times this wild fruit looked very much like the beads of an abacus used at that time, hence the name Suanpanzi.
Suanpanzi is a common wild tree in our country, but because it grows in mountainous areas, apart from older farmer friends, most people do not know it. Suanpanzi also has many alternative names, with as many as a dozen or more local names, including Lijizi, wild pumpkin, sweet pepper, abacus bead, eight-petal orange, steamed bun fruit, water golden melon, red orange seed, ground golden melon, blood papaya, wild northern melon seed, eight-ridge orange, eight-ridge hawthorn, hundred-stem orange, wild fanpu, and more. Quite a few farmer friends may recognize it.
Although this Suanpanzi looks strange, its abilities are by no means small. Since ancient times, it has been a good folk medicine, and in the past it was often a good medicine for treating illnesses among the poor people of many mountainous areas, deeply loved by farmer friends in the mountains.
So what effects does Suanpanzi have? According to the "National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicines," Suanpanzi is a treasure from head to toe. Its roots, stems, fruits and leaves can all be used as medicine. Among them, the roots and leaves used as medicine have the effects of clearing heat and promoting diuresis, and dispelling wind and activating collaterals. They can be used to treat colds and fever, sore throat, malaria, acute gastroenteritis, indigestion, dysentery, rheumatoid arthritis, bruises and injuries, leukorrhea, dysmenorrhea and many other symptoms.
The fruit of Suanpanzi used as medicine has the effects of clearing heat and removing dampness, detoxifying and soothing the throat, and promoting the flow of qi and activating blood circulation. It can be used to treat symptoms such as dysentery, diarrhea, jaundice, malaria, strangury and turbid urine, leukorrhea, sore and swollen throat, toothache, and hernia pain. It is precisely because Suanpanzi has so many good effects that it is deeply loved by farmer friends in the mountains.
The several older farmers the author followed also told the author that although there is quite a lot of Suanpanzi in the mountains, it is a rare thing in the city. Especially its pumpkin-like fruit can sell for about 60 yuan per jin in the city, which also makes it a "money-making fruit" for us farmers in the mountains, allowing us to earn a little money to supplement household expenses. However, the older farmer friends also said that it is fine to pick the wild fruit, but one must never cut down the tree, otherwise there will be none left to use in the future.
Dear friends, have you ever seen "Suanpanzi"? You are welcome to leave a message and share your thoughts!