The benefits and harms of Chinese garlic

Many summer residents know such an unusual plant as Chinese garlic. It has many related names and combines the properties of onions and garlic. Among other things, it is grown for decorative purposes. The plant blooms very beautifully.

The benefits and harms of Chinese garlic

There is still debate over The benefits of this plant.For many centuries, it has been used in Asian medicine and has been An effective cure for many diseases.

Description of garlic

The Chinese garlic plant is widely distributed throughout China. Over the past 10 years, it has also been grown in Europe and America. in fact, Chinese garlic is a member of the onion family, but as such it does not have onions. Its scales are underdeveloped and tightly spliced ​​with each other. They are called false bulbs.

Chinese young garlic has white heads, they are covered with thin skin of white and lilac hue. Depending on the variety, there can be one or several cloves. Chinese garlic is rapidly growing green mass.

Its shoots are also used in cooking and consumed fresh.During the season, one bulb grows 100-120 g of commercial shoots.

In addition to the common name that was attached to this plant, there are many others:

• Jusai;
• fragrant onions;
• field onions;
• branched onions.

Its shoots have a piquant taste that combines notes onions and garlic. The head has a pleasant pungent taste. Also, flower-bearing arrows are used for food, which appear on the planting field in his second year.

Benefit and harm

Perennial Chinese garlic is used not only in cooking, but also in traditional medicine. Due to the fact that the false bulb and its shoots contain a large amount of mineral salts and vitamins, the use of this fresh vegetable can provide up to 60% of the daily requirement of the body for these substances.

Studies of this plant nevertheless prove its benefits , but the possible harm should also be considered before eating this vegetable.

Benefits

Allspice onions are not only a source of vitamins and minerals, but also fiber. It is necessary for normal peristalsis of the stomach and intestines, and also speeds up metabolism and helps to eliminate toxins.

If you regularly eat Chinese garlic in food, you can:

1. Increase immunity during seasonal colds.The high content of vitamin C in the heads and shoots of allspice onions helps to strengthen the body and increase its resistance. The first arrows appear in early spring, and garlic turns green until the first frosts. You can also plant bulbs in a house or a greenhouse, and eat greens all winter.
2. To prevent exacerbation of gastritis and even cure peptic ulcer. In addition, false bulbs have a mild choleretic effect.
3. Strengthen the heart muscle and the walls of blood vessels. This is due to the high content of beta carotene and potassium.

In folk medicine, such garlic is used to make alcohol tinctures. It is drunk in the morning on an empty stomach with a small amount of water to remove helminths from the body. This remedy can be used to treat adults and children over 3 years old.

Fresh salads with scented onions are recommended for people during heavy physical or mental stress. The juice of this plant is also useful. It relieves irritation resulting from an insect bite. Nettle burns are also rubbed with green shoots.

Often this plant is used as an appetite activator. The essential oils contained in the pseudobulb and green shoots irritate the taste buds and stimulate the production of saliva and gastric juice.

Harm

The plants are piquant in taste and pleasant aroma. essential oils that are abundant in the stems and head.During breastfeeding, women are not recommended to eat dishes with it, since milk can acquire a specific taste and the child refuses to drink it.

It is also worth being careful for people with individual intolerance. The plant can cause a severe allergic reaction. Do not include dishes with Jusai in the diet for those who suffer from pancreatitis, urolithiasis, and cholecystitis.

Chinese garlic in cooking

Use in wedges and arrows

Young shoots of this plant are traditional components of many sauces and meat dishes . Even after heat treatment, they retain some of their beneficial properties and vitamins.

Most often, Jusai’s arrows are eaten fresh. From it are prepared:

• salads;
• sauces;
• sandwiches, etc.

Since in the process of freezing, the plant does not lose its beneficial properties, it is harvested in spring and summer, and then added to soups, fries, cutlets and goulash. Many traditional Asian dishes include this ingredient.

Growing Chinese garlic

In order to get vitamins and minerals throughout the year, you can grow Jusai in your own garden. or in a pot on the windowsill. Cultivation of Chinese garlic is not difficult. He is not picky about the composition of the soil, watering and humidity.Its only feature is heat loving. It is recommended to plant it in the southern regions and the middle zone of the Russian Federation.

To simplify the cultivation of this crop, you need to know several rules for preparing the soil and caring for garlic.

Preparing for planting

In order to get a good harvest of both green shoots and heads, it is recommended to choose high-quality seed. It is worth giving preference to seeds of a domestic producer, because they are more adapted to local climatic conditions.

In the spring, the beds are dug up and organic fertilizers are introduced into it in the form of rotted manure. So the harvest will be more plentiful, and the heads will be larger.

Planting

There are two ways to grow Jusai. Each of them is good in its own way. Most prefer to plant it from seeds. They can be bought at any seed store. Small black seeds are sown in early spring, as soon as the snow has fallen, and the ground has thawed. Planting in the winter is not recommended, since the seeds can be damaged by frost, which greatly affects their germination.

Another way to grow Jusai in your garden is to divide the bush. Every year, the plant grows new young bulbs underground. For separation, the whole bush is dug up and carefully divided into 2-3 heads. They are planted in new places. Especially well suited to such planting plants of domestic production. They are not difficult to distinguish, on a larger scale.

Harvest

Young shoots are cut 3-4 times per season. This must be done so often because of the rapid growth of the arrows, otherwise they become stiff and their ends turn yellow and dry. The cut greens are stored in a cool place, the canvas, wrapping it in a plastic bag. So it stays fresh longer.

Bulbs are dug out only if necessary or for transplant in the spring. Store them in a dark cool place with good ventilation. They perfectly retain their taste until the new season.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that allspice is dangerous for some categories of the population, in all other cases it is very useful. But not only the beneficial properties make this fragrant onion so popular. Its pungent tangy flavor is the perfect seasoning for many first and second courses.

This vegetable should not be eaten if there are contraindications to its use.This can cause an exacerbation of urolithiasis, movement of stones located in the gall bladder and attacks of pancreatitis. b and the fact that allspice is dangerous allergic reaction to it.