The efficacy and function of Sophora japonica[picture]

The medical value of Sophora japonica flowers [picture] is beyond our imagination. It is very effective in treating some diseases. The small Sophora japonica flower [picture] contains many substances that are beneficial to the human body. Let’s take a look.

[Other names] Straw sandals, miso grass, nagami grass, sheep belt grass, sake jar

[Source] It is a plant of the genus Desmodium, Desmodium caudatum (Thunb.) DC., in the family Fabaceae. The root or the whole plant is used as medicine. Collected in summer and autumn, washed and dried, it can be used fresh in all seasons.

[Original form] Shrub, 1 to 4 meters high, hairless all over. The stem is erect and has many branches. The trifoliate leaves are alternate, with flat petioles 1.6-2.8 cm long, and stipules lanceolate and linear, about 7 mm long; the leaflets are oblong or lanceolate, 4-9 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, with pointed apex, cuneate base, entire margin, and sparsely covered with short soft hairs. In summer, spike racemes emerge from the stem top or leaf axils, with linear-lanceolate bracts, pedicels about 3 mm long, and calyx nearly two-lipped; the butterfly-shaped corolla is green-white with a light yellow halo, about 8 mm long, the standard petal is rectangular, obtuse at the end, with claws at the base, narrow wing petals, and a nearly rectangular keel; two stamens. The pod is linear, 4.5 to 7.5 cm long, slightly curved, and covered with short hooked hairs. It can stick to people and animals, hence the common names such as Na Shen Cao and Sheep Dai Gui. It has 4 to 6 pod nodes with compact internodes, and each node has one elliptical seed.

[Habitat distribution] It grows in valleys, grasslands, forest edges and village edges, and a few are cultivated. Distributed in provinces and regions such as Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Tibet.

[Chemical composition] The leaves contain the flavonoid derivative swertisin [C ₂₁ H ₁₉ O ₉ (OCH ₃ )·2.5H ₂ O], which is 6-C-β-D-glucopyranosyl-genkwanin.

【Nature and flavor】 Slightly bitter, spicy, neutral.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat, detoxifies, dispels wind and removes dampness. Used for colds and fever, gastroenteritis, dysentery, infantile malnutrition, rheumatic joint pain; used externally to treat snake bites, carbuncles, furuncles, and mastitis.

[Usage and Dosage] 0.5-1 liang; For external use, appropriate amount, fresh root bark, whole herb decocted in water for washing or mashed for application on the affected area.

[Additional prescription] 1. For poisonous snake bites: 0.5-1 liang of Sophora japonica root and 3-5 qian of red tube medicinal root. Decoction in water or mash and squeeze fresh product into juice, 2 doses per day. After routine surgical treatment, the wound is treated with external medication.

【Excerpt】 National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines

Through the above, we have learned about the efficacy and functions of the traditional Chinese medicine Sophora japonica [picture]. I hope everyone can find the right medicine for their condition and consume Sophora japonica [picture] correctly in their lives.