Does anyone use Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum)?
I have it for more than 5 years. When my herbal friend brought it to me, she said, “it is a herb of immortality. You chew a leave per day and you live forever”. Then I read about it. Chinese who drink Jiaogulan tea every day are among the longest living on Earth. Actively living. I have checked its name on Wikipedia. It says: “Among many common names are five-leaf ginseng, poor man's ginseng, miracle grass, fairy herb, sweet tea vine, gospel herb, and southern ginseng”. There is a lot of literature in German language as it seems to be very popular among German and Austrian herbalists. The literature says it is very good for circulatory system - against cholesterol, high blood pressure, prevents arteries and veins from clogging; prevention of cancer; it is boosting immune system; prevents diabetes and, and , and...
Of course one has to be careful if one takes medication. It has some ingredients similar to Ginseng. But, in comparison to Ginseng it is so easy to grow and costs nothing, especially if one has it on a window sill or in the garden.
I always have it fresh. In winter the plant is in my dining room and I just take a leave when I remember 😊. In summer it is in a herb bed and on my balcony. It grows like a wine. It is Cucurbitaceae family and looks nice. And it is very easy to multiply. I just dig out part of the root and plant in a separate pot.
I do not use any medications, only herbs, so I do take a leave per day, when I do not forget.
I would be interested to know if anyone uses it regularly or would not use it for whatever reason.
Comments
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The full Latin name is Gynostemma pentaphyllum. I just noticed that it is not full in the titel of the discussion.
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@jolanta.wittib I corrected it and put a few more tags in the tags area too.
I think K.P. Khalsa mentioned this briefly in one of his talks that I listened to. Thanks for the information. It is always great to hear of first hand growers experineces with any unusual (to us anyway) medicinal herb.
I especially like that it can be grown as a houseplants & is an easy keeper!
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I don't have access to fresh leaves but I use gynostemma tea both alone and as a base in elixers and superfood type smoothies.
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I never have, but I'm well aware of the Taoist stories... there is supposed to be documented proof of the guy living to like 270 years old, a dozen wives and 100 kids... so yeah, likely a very beneficial herb, even if it was not the sole reason for his longevity.
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@LaurieLovesLearning thank you very much for the corrections. I forgot to put tags and then it was too late. Is there any way to return to the posted text and correct it?
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@jolanta.wittib What I see on my screen as far as permissions is different from what you see. If you can give me a screenshot of what you see of one of your posts, I can let you know.
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@LaurieLovesLearning thank you. Oh no, it is not worth the bother. I am happy with the system as it is. Thanks again for corrections 🥰
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@jolanta.wittib You're welcome!
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Here he is - lived to be 256 years old!
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@judsoncarroll4 well... we all herbalists can try to to beat this record 🙃. Thank you! A very interesting story. 256 might be too long to live, but reaching 100 with a clear mind and a fit body might not be that difficult in the end.
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Can't you just imagine his friends and family saying, "He always had to take things too far... such a show off!"
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