Qumalai Potentilla Anserina

Qumalai Potentilla Anserina

　　Potentilla anserina, also known as ginseng fruit, is often associated with the story in the novel *Journey to the West* where Sun Wukong steals and eats the ginseng fruit. In reality, there is indeed such a fruit on Earth, but it’s not the magical kind that grants immortality. It is a plant belonging to the genus *Potentilla* in the Rosaceae family. A perennial herb, the entire plant spreads flat across the ground in a coarse, net-like pattern. It sprouts in spring, and in summer grows numerous purplish-red, creeping stems that spread in all directions, taking root at the nodes like a spiderweb. Its leaves are dark green on the upper side and feathery with fine white downy hairs on the underside, resembling goose down—hence its scientific name, *Potentilla anserina*. The roots are slender, swelling at the middle or tip into a spindle or spherical shape. The tuberous roots are harvested in spring and autumn. The stems creep along the ground, producing adventitious roots at the nodes and forming new plants. The plant has pinnate compound leaves with dense grayish-white hairs on the underside. Flowers are solitary, yellow, and bear dry, single-seeded fruits. The flowering and fruiting period is from May to September. It is widely distributed across Qinghai, with particularly large, abundant, and high-quality tuberous roots found in the high-altitude regions of southern and northern Qinghai. It thrives in moist, cold areas, often forming large colonies. The plant covers an area of 340.57 square kilometers, with an estimated resource volume of about 4.15 tons. Dried tuberous roots contain 77% moisture, 3.09% ash, 2.97% reducing sugars, 1.20% sucrose, 3.30% starch, 8.34% pentosans, 6.19% protein, 10.76% tannins, 15.42% crude fiber, 0.12% potentilla glycosides, and about 2% fat.

　　Potentilla anserina grows abundantly across Qinghai. When spring arrives and the earth stirs with life, the damp river valleys and vast grasslands, like newborn babies, open their bright eyes—the land “comes alive,” and so does the potentilla. That’s when people begin to harvest it. In the moist, fertile soil, strings of potentilla roots resemble countless tiny sweet potatoes—bright red, juicy, and utterly adorable. The roots are fleshy and block-shaped, with a sweet and delicious taste. Mixing well-cooked potentilla roots with buttered tsampa results in a dish that is both fragrant and sweet, with no greasy aftertaste. Cooking dried potentilla roots into porridge not only increases its thickness but also enhances its flavor with a sweet taste. Using fresh potentilla roots in sweet dishes brings out excellent color, aroma, and taste.

　　Potentilla anserina is a wild plant of the Rosaceae family native to high-altitude regions. It contains vitamins as well as minerals such as magnesium, zinc, potassium, and calcium. It has high medicinal and nutritional value, offering benefits such as strengthening the stomach and spleen, stimulating saliva production, quenching thirst, boosting qi, and enriching blood. Therefore, Tibetan medicine refers to it as "Zhuo Lao Sha Seng" and often uses it in herbal remedies. The entire plant, when in bloom during June and July, can also be used to constrict bleeding, relieve coughs, and expel phlegm, serving as a tonic as well. Rich in starch, protein, fat, inorganic salts, and vitamins, regular consumption of potentilla anserina is believed to have an anti-aging effect similar to ginseng, hence its reputation as “ginseng fruit.”

　　Qinghai’s potentilla anserina from the Golog and Yushu regions is considered premium quality, characterized by round, plump grains, bright reddish color, full particles, and high yield. It is deeply loved by people of all ethnic groups as well as international visitors, and also makes an excellent gift for family and friends.