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Yam Bean
Pachyrrhizus erosus (L.) Urb.,
KUDZU VINE, LIANG SHU
The yam bean, liang shu, is also
called ge shu (kudzu vine yam) and sha shu (sand kudzu vine). The plant is a
vine covered with fine hairs. The tubers may be slightly conical or resemble
a flattened ball, these are the edible parts and differ greatly in size,
weighing from 250 grams up to 2000 grams.
The tubers contain abundant liquid and have a sweet flavor. They are dug up
at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The vines also have fruit,
these are in the shape of pods 70-130 mm long. The beans inside the pods are
poisonous and cannot be eaten.
The yam's flavor is sweet and of a cool nature, without poison. The virtue
of the tubers is that they can relieve thirst, calm the nerves, and ease
hangovers.
The yams contain a lot of starch as well as carbohydrate.
APPLICATIONS
1. FEVER WITH THIRST. Take 250-500 grams of fresh yams, remove the skins and
eat raw. Do this in the morning and again in the evening.
2. INFLAMMATION OF THE THROAT OR TONSILS. Take 500 grams of fresh yams.
Crush and squeeze to obtain the juice, then sip this slowly. Do this three
times a day.
3. CONSTIPATION. Take 250 grams of fresh yams, discard the skin and eat. Do
this every day 3 times.
4. HANGOVER. Take fresh yams, crush and squeeze to obtain the juice. Add an
appropriate amount of sugar to the liquid and drink one or two cups.
WARNING
If the patient has the symptoms of a cold or is suffering from diarrhoea
caused by spleen-asthenia avoid using this yam.
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