Hsian-tsao

The everyday name for Mesona procumbens, a perennial whose leaves give a gum used in desserts — grass jelly above all. Its leaf extracts show antioxidative activity and antimutagenicity, and the leaves also serve to prepare beverages. It is valued both as a traditional dessert ingredient and as a botanical studied for its functional properties. The gum-forming polysaccharides in the leaves give grass jelly its characteristic wobble, and researchers continue to investigate the plant’s bioactive compounds for potential food and nutraceutical applications.