Specialty in the past was full that no one dared to eat, now popular with city people but not available to buy, both delicious and nutritious

Purple coriander (also known as poppy, coriander, lantern plant) belongs to the eggplant family, scientifically known as Physalis angulata L. In nature, coriander plants grow very strongly and grow wild. Their average height is usually around 75 cm. The tree grows with many branches and is often drooping and very luxuriant.

The plant has many characteristic features: the leaves are usually oval, young green, the foliage alternates, connected to the stem by petioles. When flowering, coriander has white color, yellow pistil and 5-petal shape.

In the wild, coriander plants grow very vigorously and grow wild.

The most prominent part of the coriander plant is the fruit. Many people are still used to calling this plant a lantern tree because when the result, the bunch of juicy berries will be wrapped in a protective bag. The fruit of coriander is succulent, round in shape, smooth surface. In particular, when separating the coating, squeezing the fruit will see a lot of tiny, kidney-shaped seeds.

Purple cabbage is very popular in our country thanks to the suitable tropical monsoon climate. They grow wild on roadsides, fields, in gardens, on lawns or in wastelands. In addition, this tree is also found in the forest at an altitude of less than 1,500m.

Chu Dung (31 years old, Ha Nam) said: “In the past, there were many wild spinach in my hometown, but few people knew they could be eaten. It was not until later that it was known that they can use all parts including roots, stems, leaves, and fruits. It can be harvested at any time of the year and used immediately or dried.

I still remember when I was a child, my mother used to pick purple spinach and boil it for our sisters to eat. It is very sweet and cool. When I grow up, I miss that taste very much, but now it’s not easy to find a bunch of coriander. Maybe they’re just in my childhood memories.”

According to Ms. Chu Dung, coriander grows wild, luxuriantly, and is very strong, so it does not need pesticides or chemicals. Therefore, housewives can process them into boiled, soup or stir-fried with lard. All of them have a sweet, cool taste, suitable for the hot summer like now.

Shrimp cooked purple coriander soup.

“In recent years, people in the city have a hobby of “hunting” for wild vegetables in the countryside to enjoy, including coriander. But this vegetable is quite rare in the countryside, so it is not easy to buy them. They have to ask relatives or acquaintances in the northern villages to find them so they can collect a few pounds to eat,” said the Ha Nam woman.

Recent scientific studies have shown that, in purple spinach, there are many valuable and essential nutrients that can be mentioned as follows: Physalin AD, F, alkaloids, fats, proteins, sugars, Carbohydrates, Vitamin C, fiber, sulfur, iron, zinc, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, chlorine, sodium,…

In addition, the book of Oriental Medicine has very clear records of the uses of purple hibiscus in healing. Accordingly, this plant can clear heat, detoxify, eliminate phlegm, only schizophrenia, low benefit. Therefore, in many remedies, this plant can be used to make a diuretic and treat common and common diseases such as fever, diabetes, sore throat, dry cough, cough with phlegm.

Studies from the American Institute of Medicine have shown that the active ingredients Physalin AD, F, LO and Physagulin AG in purple spinach have great effects to fight and inhibit the growth of cancer cells in certain areas. Common types of cancer such as: liver, lung, cervix or nasopharynx. This is also an important active ingredient to help improve the body’s immune system to the maximum.