Effects and functions of silver poplar leaves

Poplar leaf is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. It is very helpful to the human body in treating certain diseases. Moreover, this kind of medicine is also widely used. When choosing poplar leaf, you need to understand its efficacy, effects and contraindications. Let's take a look at it below.

[Source] Medicinal material source: The leaves of Populus alba, a plant of the Salicaceae family.

【Original form】 Tree. Up to 25cm. The bark is smooth; gray-brown or gray-white, with black and rough base on old trees; the crown is round. The twigs are cylindrical, smooth, reddish brown, and the sprouts are covered with soft hairs. Buds ovate or oval, glabrous, slightly mucilaginous. Petiole flattened, 2-6cm long; leaves triangular-ovate or nearly round, nearly equal in length and width, 3-6cm long, obtuse at apex, acute or shortly acuminate, base rounded truncate or shallowly cordate, with wavy shallow teeth on the margin; budding leaves large, triangular-ovate, pubescent beneath, sparsely or densely hairy on the inflorescence axis; bracts brown, palmately striped, with long hairs on the margin; male inflorescence 5-9cm long, stamens 5-12, anthers purple-red; female inflorescence 4-7cm long; ovary conical, stigma 2-lobed, reddish. The infructescence is up to 12 cm long; the capsule is ovate-conical, about 5 mm long, with a short stalk and 2-valved. The flowering period is March-April, and the fruiting period is April-May.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: It likes to grow on moist and fertile sandy soil.

[Properties] Identification by properties: The leaves are mostly wrinkled and broken. The intact ones are nearly round when flattened, with 3-5 shallow palmate lobes, 4-10cm long, 3-8cm wide, gradually pointed at the apex, broadly cuneate or rounded at the base, and small teeth on the leaf margin. Gray-green above, white hairs visible below; petiole slightly flattened, covered with white hairs. The texture is brittle and easily broken. It has a light fragrance and a slightly bitter taste.

[Chemical composition] The leaves contain O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-9-β-D-ribofuranosyl-dihydrozeatin, O-β-D-glucopyranosylzeatin, O-β-D-glucopyranosyldihydrozeatin, and isolariciresinol mono-β-D-glucopyranoside. The roots contain 7-O-methylaromadendrin and polysaccharides.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; cold

【Meridian】 Lung meridian

【Functions and indications】Relieves cough and asthma; resolves phlegm and clears heat. Mainly cough and asthma

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 3-9g. For external use: take appropriate amount and gargle with decoction.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the description above, we know what silver poplar leaves are and what effects they have. The medicinal value of poplar leaves is very high, which is beneficial to improving the immune system and is a worthy choice for us.