Poisonous flowers from 2,000 years ago, Vietnamese people still eat hibiscus like crazy

Published Dec 6, 2024

Tridge summary

The article explores the unique cultural aspects of hibiscus and daylily flowers in Vietnam and China, where these flowers are consumed only once a year due to their brief bloom period and toxic nature. Despite their danger, these flowers are incorporated into various dishes and have therapeutic values. In China, daylilies are valued for their taste, texture, and medicinal properties, including heat clearance, diuretic effects, and swelling reduction. They are also used to treat jaundice, edema, and difficulty urinating. The article highlights the high cost and popularity of daylilies in China and Vietnam, with prices reaching up to 1 million VND/kg for the dried variety.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

In Vietnam, this flower only blooms once a year, and those who are slow can only buy dried products. A highly poisonous flower that has existed for 2,000 years It looks very similar to lilies but is smaller, and is a "once a year" specialty in our country - fresh hibiscus. This flower is also called the needle flower, as small as a finger and can be eaten after processing. It is known that hibiscus only blooms once a year for a very short period of time (around mid-June to the end of July). They are grown in some areas such as Lam Dong, Tam Dao or Sa Pa. Hibiscus can be processed into many different dishes such as hibiscus shrimp and meat soup, stir-fried hibiscus, hibiscus cooked with chicken, etc. Few people know that hibiscus is so delicious, but if eaten raw, it can cause poisoning, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, and can even lead to kidney failure. Because fresh hibiscus contains toxic alkaloids. Not only popular in Vietnam, daylily has also appeared in China for a long ...

Source: 24h newspaper