A kind of high-protein worms has become a nutritional supplement in the eye of manyparents in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.
They believe eating the worms can sharpen children's appetite and improve theirimmunization. They either fry the worms or grind them into powder, today's City Expressreported.
The worms, about eight to nine centimeters long, live on the roots of a shrub calledYunshi in Chinese and Caesalpinia decapetala in Latin.
In the old days, people trade one such worm for more than 10 kilos of rice. Today, oneworm can cost up to 100 yuan (US$16.06). They are raised with rice, the paper said.
Yao Yanhong, an agricultural expert, said traditional Chinese medicine recognizes thecurative properties of this worm, which smells good and tastes good after it is baked,"she added.
