Potatoes Growing on Trees That Farmers Dare Not Eat - It's Actually the Rare Chuanlong Shuyu

The masters of this mountain have always been the creatures that live on it; humans are just one of them. The farmers at the foot of the mountain are all nurtured by the mountain, obtaining food from it, and farming creates even more beautiful scenery. The mountain is home to numerous plants and animals, and these plants take root freely, roaming beneath the soil.

There is a plant like this, gentle and ordinary on the surface, hiding its true appearance underground. Its root looks like ginger. Ancient people were good at discovering it and using it as a Chinese medicinal herb to treat diseases. Nowadays, farmers rarely recognize it, also because several years ago, due to its high value, it was almost all dug up by the roots, and its numbers grew fewer and fewer. Today, wild ones are very rare.

Locals mostly call it "dog yam," "Chuanlong," "earth mountain potato," or "wild yam." In fact, its true scientific name is "Chuanlong Shuyu" (Dioscorea nipponica), a perennial twining herb.

It has many branches, alternate single leaves, and palm-shaped leaves, some resembling a heart shape. Its rhizome reaches up to five meters long. It likes to find positions on both sides of a mountain's midsection, where there is half shade and half sun, and the soil must be moist and fertile. It prefers shady, damp places where the humus layer is relatively thick. If it is too dark or too sunny, it cannot survive. It also especially likes to twine around other trees, stealing their nutrients.

And aside from its root looking like ginger, Chuanlong Shuyu's fruit is also quite distinctive. If you saw it for the first time, you would think "potatoes" were growing on the tree.

The reason it is called "dog yam" is that since ancient times it has been used as a Chinese medicine. It is also one of the more well-known ingredients in folk remedies. Everyone may have heard that Chuanlong Shuyu can dispel wind and remove dampness, invigorate blood and unblock collaterals, and relieve cough. For things like limb numbness, traumatic injuries, eliminating phlegm and calming wheezing, when used as medicine, just add water, decoct it, and take the broth.

In addition, it is said that "poison and medicine are inseparable." Chuanlong Shuyu's toxicity should not be underestimated either. This is also why it acts faster and more strongly than ordinary herbs. But when used as medicine, the dosage must be small, otherwise it is not treating illness but taking poison. Because of this, although it looks like a potato, many farmer friends dare not eat it!

The "dragon," a creature that appears only in mythology, has always enjoyed unparalleled worship from humans. The Son of Heaven is also a son of the dragon, so in ancient times the dragon held extremely important significance for people. Thus it is not hard to see that Chuanlong Shuyu is so popular, also thanks to the blessing of its root looking like a dragon.

Now, finding truly wild Chuanlong Shuyu is almost impossible, so its economic value is enormous. Because it is not picky about its environment and can survive anywhere, many places use Chuanlong Shuyu as a main crop, and the returns are much higher than ordinary crops.

I wonder if everyone knows this wild plant called "Chuanlong Shuyu"? Welcome to chat about it together.