What are the functions and uses of the ginkgo tree? A detailed explanation in one article
The ginkgo tree, also known as the white fruit tree, grows relatively slowly and has an extremely long lifespan. Under natural conditions, it takes more than twenty years from planting to bearing ginkgo fruit, and only after forty years can it produce a large amount of fruit. Therefore, it is also called the "grandfather-grandson tree," with the meaning of "the grandfather plants and the grandson eats," and it is the old longevity star among trees, called "white fruit" in ancient times. The ginkgo tree has ornamental, economic, and medicinal value. The ginkgo tree is the oldest gymnosperm left over after the Quaternary glaciation, and is one of the most precious tree species in the world, so it is regarded as a "living fossil" in the plant kingdom.
Edible value
Ginkgo fruit, famously known as white fruit, is rich in nutrients, containing 2.16% crude fat, 62.4% starch, 5.2% sucrose, 1.1% reducing sugar, 0.26% nucleoprotein, 3% minerals, and 1.2% crude fiber. It also contains vitamin C 66.8~129.2mg/100g, vitamin E 6.17~8.05mg/100g, riboflavin, carotene, carotenoids, anthocyanins, and additionally contains 17 kinds of amino acids, ginkgol (10-nonacosanol), ginkgone, octacosanol, B-sitosterol, stigmasterol, alkaloids, and more. Trace elements include Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn and major elements Ca, Mg, and others. It has very high edible value. Eating ginkgo fruit can inhibit bacteria and sterilize, relieve disease and cough, resist waterlogging and suppress insects, stop leukorrhea and turbidity, and lower serum cholesterol. But it also contains slightly toxic substances: hydrocyanic acid, ginkgolic acid, hydrogenated ginkgolic acid, hydrogenated ginkgolic acid, ginkgol, ginkgol. Therefore, when eating, attention should be paid to the way white fruit is consumed. If cooked before eating, ginkgolic acid and ginkgolic acid can be decomposed, and hydrocyanic acid has a low boiling point and is easy to volatilize and be removed, so cooked white fruit is less toxic. To prevent ginkgo poisoning, eating it cooked and eating little is the fundamental method. The medical field believes that raw white fruit should be controlled at about 10 pieces per day, and excessive consumption can cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever, vomiting, and convulsions. Some people like to soak ginkgo leaves in water and drink it, which carries a certain danger. Ginkgo leaves contain toxic components, and taking too large a dose or for too long can harm heart health.
Economic value
The ginkgo trunk is straight, and its wood is a high-grade material for making musical instruments and furniture. Ginkgo wood is of high quality and expensive, and has long been known as "silver fragrant wood" or "silver wood." Ginkgo wood is glossy, with straight grain, fine structure, easy to process, does not warp or crack, has strong decay resistance, is easy to paint, has low nail-holding power, and has a special medicinal fragrance and strong insect resistance. Ginkgo wood can not only be used to make carved plaques and wooden fish and other handicrafts, but can also be made into high-grade furniture such as standing cabinets and desks. Ginkgo wood has resonance, sound conductivity, and rich elasticity, making it an ideal material for making musical instruments. It can be used to make surveying and mapping instruments, pen holders and other cultural supplies, and is also a superior wood for making chessboards, chess pieces, sports equipment, seals, and small handicrafts. In industrial production, silver wood is most suitable for making X-ray machine filter grids, textile printing and dyeing rollers, machine molds and wooden molds for bodiless lacquerware, plywood, cutting boards, wooden telephones, and more. The outer seed coat of ginkgo can be used to extract tannin extract. The seed contains hydrocyanic acid, histidine, protein, and others. The seed kernel is for eating, and eating too much causes poisoning. In traditional Chinese medicine, the seed and leaves can be used as medicine.