The efficacy and function of caltrop

Do you know about sheep's foot grass? It is a common Chinese medicinal material and is very helpful for some diseases. Let me show you today.

[Other names] Purple-backed grass (Illustrated Catalogue of Plant Names and Realities), false kale, firecracker grass (Record of Medicinal Herbs in Lingnan), red-backed leaves (Flora of Guangzhou), red leaves under the ground, red trumpet grass (Fujian Folk Herbs), small dandelion, seventy-two flowers, oxtail knee (Guangxi Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicinal Plants), purple-backed plowshare grass (Nanning City Pharmacopoeia), goat grass, Tianmaoca (Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Resources List), Rhizoma Coptis chinensis, wild kale (Guangxi Traditional Chinese Herbs).

[Source] The whole herb or the whole herb with roots of the Asteraceae plant. It can be harvested throughout the year and used fresh or dried.

[Original form] Annual herb, 10 to 40 cm high. The stem is erect, or inclined near the root, purple-red or green, bare or sparsely hairy. The basal leaves are ovate and lyre-shaped, 5 to 10 cm long; the upper leaves are smaller, often entire or coarsely serrated, and more or less amplexicaul at the base; the leaf surface is green and the back is often purple-red. Inflorescence capitulate, terminal; pedicels 5-8 cm long, each branched into 2; involucral bracts oblong, in 2 rows, green, swollen at base; receptacle flat; flowers bisexual, all tubular, corolla almost equal in length to bracts, purple, with short hairs on the surface, 5-lobed, 5 stamens, anther truncated, with a glandular tip on top, obtuse at base; 1 pistil, ovary inferior, stigma bifurcated, slightly extending above anthers. Achenes are about 3 mm long, narrowly oblong, ribbed, and have white, soft pappus. Flowering period is from July to November. The fruiting period is from September to December.

[Habitat distribution] Grown in fields, roadsides or grass. Distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan and other places. Produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places.

【Properties】 Dried whole herb. It is about 30 cm long, with a slender, cylindrical rhizome and light brown color. The stem is much branched, thin cylindrical, with longitudinal stripes, gray-green or yellow-brown. The leaves are papery, mostly wrinkled, gray-green in color, with ovate or lyre-shaped leaves at the base; the upper leaves are smaller and slightly clasped at the base. The inflorescence is dry and most of the flowers have fallen off, leaving only the receptacle and involucre. The bracts are dark brown and dry and membranous. Achenes are light yellow-brown with abundant white pappus. It has a hay smell and a light, slightly salty taste. The best ones are those with full stems and many leaves.

【Chemical composition】 The whole plant contains alkaloids and phenols.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, cool.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat, promotes diuresis, cools blood and detoxifies. Treat dysentery, diarrhea, blood in the stool, edema, intestinal carbuncle, ear, eye, throat moth, furuncle, and swelling.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 5-8 qian (1-2 liang for fresh ones). External application: decoct in water for washing or mash for application.

【Note】 "Guangdong Traditional Chinese Medicine" II: "Pregnant women should use with caution."

[Additional prescription] ① Treat dysentery and long-term bloody stool: boil sheep's foot grass and pork lean meat into a soup and drink it. (Records of Collecting Medicinal Herbs in Lingnan)

【Clinical Application】 Treatment of upper respiratory tract infection and bronchopneumonia in children

[Remarks] A slightly smaller red plant of the same genus is very similar in shape to this species, the main difference being that the involucre is shorter than the corolla, and the lower leaves are ovate with only coarse teeth, not lyre-shaped divisions. The whole plant is also used as medicine, and its efficacy is basically the same as this product.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 1. From "Records of Collecting Medicinal Herbs in Lingnan".

We know the effects and functions of Bauhinia oxyphylla, how to eat Bauhinia oxyphylla, etc. I believe the above content can help you!