grass jelly

In Vietnamese, grass jelly is thạch (thạch is also the general word for jelly). Grass jelly is chopped in small cubes and served as a additional ingredient in sweet desserts made from various kinds of beans (chè). There are two common kinds of grass jelly in Vietnam which are Mesona sinensis Benth.- called sương sáo in Vietnamese and Tiliacora triandra called sương sâm in Vietnamese (as well as sương sa or rau câu is the name for jelly made from various kinds of algae). Grass jelly drinks are also very popular amongst Vietnamese women; they are believed to enhance fertility, this is caused by the high levels of estrogen contained in the grass's root.