Wild vegetable

Wild vegetable

　　Wild vegetable. Also known as shepherd’s purse, it is a wild plant that grows after the Beginning of Spring. With a delicious taste, unique fragrance, and rich nutrition, Su Shi once wrote in a letter to a friend: “If you know its flavor, the eight earthly delicacies will seem contemptible.” In the warm sunshine of March, carrying a bamboo basket and walking through the blooming fields, one feels an indescribable sense of comfort all over the body. Picking wild vegetables while herding cattle can be quite an enjoyable experience. Wild vegetable is not only a tasty wild plant but also has high medicinal value. Its nutritional content is relatively balanced and comprehensive, which is very beneficial for the overall growth and development of the human body—unlike ordinary vegetables that may excel in some nutrients but lack others, meeting only partial needs. This is a standout feature of wild vegetable. There is also a folk custom of boiling eggs with wild vegetable flowers on the third day of the third lunar month to treat dizziness, which is said to be highly effective.