The efficacy and function of crape myrtle bark

In daily life, people are not only very familiar with various foods, but also come into contact with a lot of medicines in daily life. Among them, crape myrtle bark is a relatively common Chinese medicinal material. Given that there are still many people who don’t know much about crape myrtle bark, let’s take a detailed look at it below.

[Other names] Bauhinia bark, itchy tree bark, itchy tree root bark

[Source] Medicinal material source: the stem bark and root bark of the Crape Myrtle plant of the Melaleuca family.

[Original form] Deciduous shrub small tree, up to 7m tall. The bark is smooth, gray or gray-brown. The branches are mostly twisted, the twigs are slender, with 4 edges, slightly winged, the leaves are alternate or sometimes nearly opposite; there are almost no petioles; the leaves are papery, elliptic, obovate or oblong, 2.5-7cm long, 1.5-4cm wide, with short pointed or obtuse apex, sometimes slightly concave, base broadly cuneate or nearly rounded, glabrous or with fine pubescence along the lower edge; 3-7 pairs of lateral veins. The flowers are light pink or purple, often in terminal panicles; the pedicels are 3-15mm long; the calyx is 7-10mm long, the outside of the calyx tube has no ribs, the tip is usually 6 shallowly lobed, and the lobes are ovate; the petals are 6, wrinkled, 12-20mm long, and have long claws; the stamens are 36-42, the outer 6 are attached to the calyx, longer than the rest, the anthers are large and green; the female color; the pistil is 1, the style is slender, and the stigma is capitate. The capsule is ellipsoidal-spherical, 1-1.3 cm long, and purple-black when ripe. The seeds are winged and about 8 mm long. The flowering period is from June to September, and the fruiting period is from September to December.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: It likes to grow in shade, moist and fertile soil.

[Properties] 1. Property identification: The bark is irregularly rolled or semi-rolled, 4-20cm long, 0.5-2cm wide, and about 1mm thick. The outer surface is gray-brown with fine longitudinal wrinkles, and visible indentations left by the shedding of the outer skin. The inner surface is gray-brown, relatively flat, brittle and easy to break. Odorless, light taste with a slight bitterness.

[Chemical composition] The stem bark contains lagerine, lagerstroemine, dihydroverticillatine, decamine, decinine and decodine.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; cold

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and detoxifies; promotes the flow of dampness and dispels wind; disperses blood stasis and stops bleeding. It is used to treat swelling and infection without cause; erysipelas; mastitis; sore throat; hepatitis; scabies; rheumatoid arthritis; traumatic injury; internal and external bleeding; metrorrhagia and leukorrhea

[Usage and Dosage] For oral administration: decoct in water, 10-15g; or soak in wine; or grind into powder. For external use: take appropriate amount, grind into powder and apply on the affected area; or decoct in water for washing.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the introduction in the above article, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of crape myrtle bark. Crape myrtle bark is very beneficial to human health, so you can give it a try.