Rau trai-co trai, a wild vegetable, a forest vegetable that was once cooked for pigs, picked for rabbits, and now boiled and dipped in braised fish sauce.

Rau trai is a wild vegetable, a field vegetable, a forest vegetable that grows abundantly in moist soil, fields and gardens in the plains, and in the mountains. In the South, rau trai is used as a boiled vegetable to dip with meat sauce, braised fish in simple meals in the countryside.

Commelina communis, also known as commelina, is an annual herbaceous plant in the commelina family. This plant is also known as commelina, common commelina, white jasmine, and belongs to the jasmine family.

Wild watercress grows abundantly in moist soil and fields in the plains and mountainous regions.

The plant is 25-50cm tall, with soft hairs, fibrous roots growing at the nodes, the branched stem often bends downward, the leaves are oblong or lanceolate, with a base sheath 2-10cm long, 1-2cm wide, and petioleless.

Inflorescence cyme sessile, blue flowers surrounded by bracts like oysters, each spathe has 2 flowers. Flowers have 3 green sepals and 3 blue petals. Capsule usually surrounded by perianth, oblong or nearly globose, with 4 seeds.

Flowers bloom from May to September, fruit ripens from June to November.

Chemical composition

The dry matter composition of the watercress plant contains 21.15% cellulose, 12.8% ash, 7.8% protein, 0.90% lipid, and 59.75% non-protein derivatives.

In the grass there are delphin, commelinin, flavocommelin, awobanin. The seeds contain fatty oil.

Uses of watercress

In the South, the rau trai plant is a terrestrial weed that grows everywhere on moist soil and even under sparse foliage.

Rau trai - a type of wild vegetable (field vegetable, forest vegetable), in addition to being used as animal feed for rabbits, pigs, goats..., it is also a natural vegetable that is good for health. In many localities in the South, people like to pick and boil rau trai and dip it in braised meat sauce, braised fish sauce...

The watercress plant is used as follows:

A: Watercress is used as a vegetable.

The stems and young leaves of the water spinach plant are used as boiled vegetables, stir-fried vegetables, and in soup.

B: Watercress for animal feed

Green purslane stems and leaves are used as food for rabbits, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, and fish. Chopped purslane stems and leaves are cooked as food for pigs.

C: Watercress is used as green manure.

After cleaning the garden grass, avocado... the stems and leaves of the watercress are used to make green manure.

D: Watercress is grown in the orchard to retain moisture.

Many gardeners grow watercress on the surface of fruit trees such as oranges, mangoes... to retain moisture and prevent erosion due to rain.

e: Gotu kola is used as medicine.

The stem and leaves of the rau trai plant are used in a number of medicinal recipes.

Medicines from the plant rau trai

According to oriental medicine, rau trai has a sweet and bland taste, is slightly cold, has cooling, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and anti-swelling effects; the whole plant is often used as medicine.

Can be used fresh or dried, used to treat diseases: flu, respiratory infections, sore throat, acute tonsillitis, urinary tract infections, genitals, edema.

Here are some remedies from the rau trai plant:

1: Treatment of acute pharyngitis and tonsillitis :

Boil 30g of fresh watercress to drink, 1-2 times a day, drink for 3-4 days; can use 90-120g crushed, squeezed juice to drink daily (add a little salt) (according to Dr. Huy Tu).

2: Cure enteritis, dysentery: Boil 30-40g of fresh watercress and drink for 3-5 days (according to Dr. Huy Tu).

Wild water spinach grows wild on the banks of fields, canals, streams, hillsides, foothills... and grows very quickly in good, moist soil.

3: Treatment of acute glomerulonephritis, edema, oliguria :

30g of rau trai, 30g of co thoracic plant, 30g of cotton plant. Boil and drink regularly every day. (according to Dr. Huy Tu).

4: Treatment of rheumatism, arthritis, heart edema :

40g of chopped water spinach, 40g of red beans, cooked and eaten daily (eat both the beans and the liquid) (according to Dr. Huy Tu).

5: Snake bite treatment:

Wash 16g of Rau Trai, chew and swallow the juice, apply the pulp to the snake bite, do this 1-2 times a day.

6: Prescription and combination: Commonly used to treat:

6.1: Flu, upper respiratory tract infections.

6.2: Acute tonsillitis, pharyngitis.

6.3. Edema, urinary tract and genital infections.

6.4: Acute appendicitis, dysentery.

Dosage: 30-40g, decoction. Used externally to treat skin abscesses, detoxify venom caused by snake and scorpion bites and stings, and swollen and painful knees and joints; crush fresh plant and apply.

Source: https://danviet.vn/rau-trai-co-trai-loai-rau-dai-rau-rung-xua-nau-cho-lon-but-cho-tho-nay-luoc-len-cham-nuoc-ca-kho-20241212085237476.htm