Nutritional value of pumpkin vines

Here is an introduction to the nutritional value of pumpkin vines:

【Synonyms】

Carica papaya vine (New Materia Medica), Herba Intestinalis (Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines in Shanghai).

【source】

It is the stem of the pumpkin, a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family.

【Plant morphology】

Annual creeping herb, stems up to 2-5m long. Roots often grow at nodes, densely covered with white bristles. Single leaves alternate; petiole sturdy, 8-19cm long, covered with bristles; leaf blade broadly ovate or ovate, 5-angled or 5-lobed, 12-25cm long, 20-30cm wide, pointed at the tip, deeply cordate at the base, green above, light green below, covered with bristles and hairs on both sides, with small and dense fine teeth on the margins. Tendrils slightly sturdy, covered with 3-5-branched hairs. Flowers are unisexual and monoecious; male flowers are solitary, calyx tube is swollen and bell-shaped, 5-6mm long, lobes are strip-shaped, 10-15mm long, covered with soft hairs, and the upper part is expanded into leaf-shaped, corolla is yellow, bell-shaped, about 8cm long, 5-lobed, lobe edges are curled, stamens are 3, filaments are glandular, 5-8mm long, and the ventricle is folded; female flowers are solitary, ovary is 1 horse, style is short, stigma is 3, swollen, 2-lobed at the tip, fruit pedicel is thick, with ribs, 5-7cm long, and the pedicel is expanded into a trumpet shape. The gourd has various shapes, often with longitudinal grooves on the outside. There are many seeds, long ovate or oblong, grayish white. Flowering period is June-July, and fruiting period is August-September.

[Collection] Harvested in summer and autumn.

[Nature and flavor] "New Compendium of Materia Medica": "Tastes sweet and bitter, slightly cold, non-toxic."

[Entry into meridians] "Bencao Zaixin": "enters the liver and spleen meridians."

[Functions and indications] Clears the lungs, harmonizes the stomach, and dredges the meridians. Treats low-grade fever due to pulmonary tuberculosis, stomachache, irregular menstruation, and burns.

① "New Materia Medica": "It calms the liver and stomach, dredges the meridians, benefits the blood vessels, and nourishes the kidney water. It treats liver wind, harmonizes and nourishes the blood, regulates the management of qi, and removes various winds."

② "Common Chinese Herbal Medicines in Shanghai": "clears heat. Treats low-grade fever of pulmonary tuberculosis."

[Usage and dosage of pumpkin vine]

For internal use: decoct in water, 0.5-1 liang; or cut into pieces and drip into juice. For external use: mash and apply the juice.

[Selected Prescriptions] ① Treating asthenia and internal heat: Cut pumpkin vines at the roots in autumn, put them in a bottle, and drink the juice. (Sui Xi Ju Diet)

② Treat stomachache: Pumpkin vine juice, mixed with red wine. ("Mindong Materia Medica")

③ Treat various burns: Apply pumpkin vine juice to the injured area several times a day. (Fujian Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine 2(1):8, 1957)

Pumpkin vine leaves are rich in nutrition: fresh vine leaves contain 82.5% water; dry matter contains 7.5% to 8.6% crude protein, 4.6% to 5.2% crude fat, 26% to 32% crude fiber, 38% to 46% nitrogen-free extract, 8% to 10% crude ash, 0.36% calcium, 0.09% phosphorus, and vitamins C, A and B; crude protein contains 10 amino acids such as lysine. You can choose the tenderer head, blanch it in boiling water, and it tastes delicious when served cold.