Wild plants growing in salt fields are sought after by Nghe An farmers.
(Baonghean.vn) - Under the salt fields, a wild plant with medicinal properties is being hunted by many people in Dien Chau (Nghe An) to sell to establishments that make traditional Chinese medicine.
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| People in Dien Chau (Nghe An) go to the salt fields to hunt for Safflower plants to use as medicine. Photo: Viet Hung |
Present at the salt fields of Quynh Luu district since 5am, a group of women in Dien Chau district are busily loading bundles of wild plants onto motorbikes to leave. Everyone thinks they are bringing them back to use as fuel, however, this is a type of plant with medicinal properties. People call it Sai Ho tree or also called Bac Sai Ho, Sa Diep Sai Ho, Truc Diep Sai Ho.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Dien Hai commune (Dien Chau) said, at first glance, everyone thought we were pulling this type of tree to use as firewood for cooking, but this is a tree that is processed into a traditional medicine to cure diseases. Every day, people go to the salt fields of Dien Chau and Quynh Luu to hunt for this Safflower tree, then clean it, process it to import to the collector. Some days, they find a lot to sell to traders, earning from 150,000 - 170,000 VND/person.
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| People load Safflower onto the truck to leave. This plant will be processed to get branches to be sent to the collection center. Photo: Viet Hung |
Ms. Ho Thi Hoa - a person who collects Safflower plants said that it is not difficult to find Safflower plants, they grow a lot in salt fields. The shrub is 0.5 - 3m high. Young stems are green, with a few fine hairs; old stems are brownish green or slightly purple, smooth. Leaves grow alternately, spoon-shaped, serrated edges; leaf blades are thick, smooth on the upper surface, pale on the lower surface, and have a pungent aroma.
After pulling the tree home, people cut off the roots, flowers and leaves, taking only the branches. Previously, traders bought it for 13,000 VND/kg, but now due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the purchase price is now 9,000 VND/kg.
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| Safflower grows in bushes, about 0.5 - 3m high, flowers grow in clusters at the ends of branches. Photo: Viet Hung |
According to the locals, it is currently the season, so every day dozens of people in Dien Hai and Dien Hoang communes (Dien Chau) go to the coastal areas to hunt for this medicinal plant. If lucky, some people can find about dozens of kilograms of Safflower plants per session. In particular, if they find a perennial Safflower plant with a large trunk, the purchase price will be even higher. After bringing the plant home to process the branches, people bring it to Sy market in Dien Chau district to sell to collectors to make traditional medicine.
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