Lanzhou Seed Melon

Lanzhou Seed Melon

　　Seed melon is a low-sugar variety of melon and a distinctive agricultural product with strong regional characteristics. Its shape is similar to that of a watermelon but smaller, and its seeds are the popular large flat melon seeds.

　　Seed melon is a health food that moistens the lungs and warms the stomach. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: “The nature and flavor of seed melon are sweet”; the *Authentic Materia Medica* notes: “The flesh juice of seed melon can moisten the lungs, relieve heat in the heart, spleen, and stomach, quench thirst, and eliminate sores.” Modern medicine has proven that seed melon is rich in fruit acids, riboflavin, niacin, and 18 types of amino acids, vitamins, and various trace elements. It contains beneficial elements for diuresis, lung moistening, and spleen strengthening, and features low fat, low sugar, and low calorie properties, offering auxiliary medical benefits for diabetes and obesity. Currently, the use of seed melon is mainly focused on harvesting its seeds, with a utilization rate of only about 5%, while the flesh and peel remain unused. If comprehensively developed and utilized, its value could be increased more than eightfold.

　　 Lanzhou seed melon is a distinctive local variety and one of the city’s specialties. It is a mutated form of the watermelon species, resembling a watermelon in shape but smaller, with an average single weight of 2–3 kilograms. The surface is smooth, light green in color, and marked with dark green stripes. The flesh is yellowish-white, relatively sweet, and rich in seeds, which are also large. Seed melon has high medicinal value—its flesh can relieve coughs and expel phlegm, promote urination, reduce fever, and treat stomach ailments. Every part of the seed melon is valuable: the seeds can be processed into seed melon nectar canned goods and low-sugar seed melon canned products. The peel can be made into strips or candied snacks. Lanzhou seed melon is produced in suburban areas of Lanzhou such as Gaolan, Yongdeng, and the surrounding regions of Jingyuan, Huining, Jingtai, Honggu, Linxia, Minqin, Gulang, Wuwei, and Yongdeng. Currently, the annual planting area in Gaolan County exceeds 20,000 mu.