5 kg wild custard apple in Son La

One kilo of wild custard apples costs 120,000-150,000 VND, while each fruit weighs up to 2.5-5 kg. Many people in villages in Thuan Chau, Son La, flock to pick custard apples to sell to earn extra income.

Recently, many people have been hunting for wild custard apples to use as medicine. The price offered is relatively high, ranging from 120,000-150,000 VND/kg.

Because of the high price and many orders, Mr. Vu A Ly (Hmong ethnic group) in Vua Luong village (Thuan Chau, Son La) often goes to the forest to pick custard apples to sell. Each fruit weighs about 2.5 kg on average, while the large ones can weigh more than 5 kg. Therefore, each time he goes to the forest to pick custard apples, Mr. Ly earns several million VND.

According to Mr. Ly, the buyer’s requirements are quite strict, such as the fruit must be ripe enough (usually red), weigh over 2.5 kg, and have large cracked skin. Therefore, the picker must find products that meet the requirements.

Not only A Ly but many people in the village also go to the forest to find custard apples to sell. Mr. Vu A Giang, from the same village as A Ly, said that before, the forests in Son La were full of this tree. However, around 2011-2013, many Chinese people came to buy small custard apple roots to make medicine at the price of 200,000-500,000 VND/kg.

Seeing the big profits, many people go into the forest to cut down large trunks and mix them in to sell for extra income. That is why this fruit is now quite rare. To pick it, people have to go deep into the forest. In fact, it takes two days for each person to pick just a few fruits.

Each wild custard apple weighs 2.5-5 kg. The purchase price at the place of sale is 120,000-150,000 VND/kg

Normally, each small-rooted custard apple tree has about 5-6 fruits, while the large-rooted ones can have up to 30-40 fruits. "People who go deep into the forest and find large roots can earn tens of millions of dong per trip," said A Giang, another resident.

However, according to him, picking custard apples is quite dangerous. People have to go deep into the forest to find them. He said that wild custard apples are climbing plants, often growing on large tree trunks to reach up. The higher the tree climbs on the canopy, the more fruit it produces, and the fruit is usually large.

In particular, this fruit attracts a large wild bee that often clings to the stem, making it difficult to pick. "Currently, only professional foresters and good climbers can pick this fruit," he added.

According to A Giang, people who buy this fruit are usually tourists or traditional medicine stores in places like Hanoi, Bac Giang, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, etc. According to those who buy this fruit, the custard apple pulp (on average, only 1/3 of a custard apple is pulp) can cure insomnia.

People in Son La on a trip to pick wild custard apples.

Mr. Quang Minh, owner of a wild custard apple purchasing point in Sapa (Lao Cai) said that he often buys fresh fruit and dried segments to make medicine.

According to Mr. Minh, dried custard apples have many substances that can be used as valuable medicinal herbs. However, the fruit that meets the requirements must weigh over 2 kg, be ripe, have cracked eyes, and not be rotten. He requires the seller to dry it according to the requirements such as leaving the core intact, separating the segments, and drying it completely. The price for dried fruit ranges from 230,000 to 250,000 VND/kg.

According to traditional medicine practitioner Tran Ngoc Bich, Chairman of the Oriental Medicine Association of Yen The District (Bac Giang), the wild custard apple tree (rice ball tree) has the scientific name Kadsura coccinea. This tree is common in the provinces of Bac Giang, Lang Son, Son La, Bac Kan... The climbing tree grows with perennial trees in the forest. Normally, the tree trunk can climb up to 15-20 m.

The above expert said that the small roots of the tree are often used by many people as a folk remedy to treat rheumatism, postpartum depression, recovery, etc. However, in Vietnam, no unit has yet researched the medicinal value of wild custard apple.

According to Zing