The scientific name of the cool summer potato is jicama (English name: Pachyrhizus erosus), which is a herbaceous vine of the genus Pachyrhizus in the family Leguminosae. Stout, twining, slightly hairy, sometimes slightly woody at the base. Racemes 15-30 cm long, with 3-5 flowers per node; bracteoles setaceous, caducous; calyx 9-11 mm long, tightly adherent hirsute; corolla light purple or reddish, flag petals suborbicular; seeds 8-10 per pod, subrectangular; root tuberous, fusiform or depressed globose, generally about 20-30 cm in diameter, fleshy. Take its underground tuberous roots for raw food or vegetable food, seeds are highly toxic, avoid eating, but can be used as an insecticide against aphids. Native to tropical America, now widely distributed in the eastern hemisphere tropical areas, southwestern provinces of China are commonly cultivated.

Nutritional value

Sweet potato is rich in nutrients, containing essential calcium, iron, zinc, copper, phosphorus and other elements. It also has the effect of lowering blood pressure and blood fat.

Like sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes are also a high-yield crop, with an acre yield of thousands of pounds or even more than ten thousand pounds. Therefore, in the south of China, some places will be cool potato as a major cash crop to plant.

Sweet potato fleshy tuber rich in starch, sugar and protein, crisp and juicy, thin and tough skin, easy to peel off, can be eaten raw, fried food, do feed. Processed into sago powder, it has the effect of cooling and removing heat. Cool potato tuber is resistant to storage, and can regulate the balanced annual supply of vegetables. Seeds and stems and leaves contain rotenone, toxic to humans and animals, can not be eaten, but can be extracted from insecticides.

The starch content in the old mature tuber is high, and can be extracted from the starch. Seeds and stems and leaves contain rotenone (C23H22O6), toxic to humans and animals, can be used to make insecticides. The edible part of sweet potato is fat tuber, rich in sugar, protein, it is determined that each kg of tuber contains 810 ~ 880 g of water, carbohydrate 76 ~ 119 g, and some minerals, vitamins and so on. Its flesh is white, tender and crispy, sweet and juicy, can be eaten raw, cooked, and can be processed into shagreen powder, with cooling and de-heating effect.

Cool potato root tubers are resistant to storage, can regulate the supply of vegetables. India and southeast Asian countries also eat its young pods. Its seeds and stems and leaves contain fisetinone, toxic to humans and animals, can be extracted insecticide.

Edible value

Can be eaten raw, cooked, processed into kudzu powder, has the effect of cooling and removing heat.

Anti-tumor protein of sweet potato

A new anti-tumor protein of sweet potato was isolated from the seeds of sweet potato through a specific method of purification. The cool potato anti-tumor protein has the activity of inhibiting liver cancer, stomach cancer and melanoma.

Sweet potato can be eaten raw or fried. It tastes a bit like water chestnuts when eaten raw, and can be fried with meat when eaten cooked.