Why isn't fat choy (Nostoc flagelliforme) considered a plant? The reason is actually quite simple
Fat choy (Nostoc flagelliforme) is a terrestrial alga in the phylum Cyanobacteria, family Nostocaceae, genus Nostoc. Its cells are entirely blackish-blue. The edible fat choy grows attached beneath desert plants. It gets the name "fat choy" because its shape resembles tangled hair and its color is jet black, and it is also called "ground hair." It has the effects of detoxifying and clearing heat, soothing the lungs and resolving phlegm, and regulating the stomach and intestines. Let's take a look below at why fat choy isn't considered a plant!
Why isn't fat choy considered a plant?
Although fat choy can also carry out photosynthesis, it does not do so in chloroplasts (it has no chloroplasts) and has few organelles, so it is a type of bacterium, and therefore not a plant. Fat choy is a nitrogen-fixing photosynthetic prokaryote, and its filaments contain mainly two types of cells. One is vegetative cells, which are green and carry out photosynthesis -- absorbing, releasing, and synthesizing organic substances. The other is heterocysts, which are larger in size, have thicker cell walls, and are lighter in color, and mainly carry out nitrogen fixation -- reducing nitrogen gas in the air into ammonia and synthesizing amino acids.
Where does fat choy come from?
Fat choy is a wild terrestrial algal organism unique to the plateau. It is produced in large quantities in the arid and semi-arid regions of China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Gansu, Qinghai, Shaanxi and other provinces, growing more abundantly in areas with annual rainfall between 80 and 250 mm and parent material of Tertiary red soil. In addition, it is also found in Russia, the People's Republic of Mongolia, Czechoslovakia, France, the United States, Mexico, Morocco, Somalia and Algeria.
The nutritional value of fat choy
1. Fat choy is rich in protein and calcium, iron, etc., all higher than pork, beef, mutton and eggs.
2. Fat choy is relatively rich in protein, higher than chicken and pork, and also contains carbohydrates, calcium, iron, iodine, algal gum, phycoerythrin and other components.
3. The mineral content of fat choy is 6 times that of eggs, and in particular its iodine content is as high as 0.1-0.5%, which is rare among ordinary foods.
4. Fat choy contains more than ten kinds of minerals essential to the human body, including iron, calcium, manganese and copper, as well as the seven amino acids the human body needs.