The efficacy and function of potted trees

In modern life, everyone is very familiar with various Chinese herbal medicines, among which pot rack tree is a very common one. So what are the effects and functions of pot rack tree? Let’s take a look together.

[Other names] Small lamp tree, thick-fruited Schefflera, wild lamp tree, small-leaved lamp tree, Schefflera, buried Dingjie, Dingge tree, pink-leaved Schefflera, ridge handle, lamp stand, mountain bitter Chang, Aston wood, white-leaved sugar gum, wild rubber, lantern basin

[Source] Medicinal material source: leaves or bark of the bonsai tree of the Apocynaceae family.

[Original form] Evergreen tree, up to 30m high and 1.2m in diameter. The branches are arranged in whorls; the bark is gray-yellow with longitudinal cracks. When injured, a large amount of white latex with a strong fishy-sweet smell will flow out. There are 3-4 leaves in whorls, some in pairs; petiole 1-2cm long; leaf blade thin leathery, oblong-elliptic, 7-20cm long, 2.5-4.5cm wide, apex acuminate or acute, base cuneate or obtuse, glabrous on both sides; lateral veins 20-50 on each side. The leaves are nearly parallel to each other, with a net-like margin and convex on both sides. The inflorescence is terminal, with many flowers; the calyx has 5 lobes, which are oval and ciliate; the corolla is white, saucer-shaped, with soft hairs on the outside of the corolla tube and long soft hairs on the inside, which are denser in the throat; the corolla lobes are 5, broadly elliptical; the stamens are 5, inserted in the middle of the corolla tube, the anther tip does not extend out of the corolla throat, and the filaments are short; there is no disc; the ovary consists of 2 fused carpels, the style is cylindrical, and the stigma tip is 2-lobed. The follicles are connate, 18-35cm long and 1-1.2cm in diameter. The exocarp is dark brown with shallow longitudinal grooves. The seeds are oblong.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing in tropical and subtropical mountain evergreen forests or valley tropical rain forests at an altitude of 500-1100m.

【Properties】 Identification by properties: The bark is in the shape of plates, strips or irregular blocks. The outer surface is grayish yellow with irregular longitudinal cracks and is easy to peel off in layers, while the inner surface is relatively smooth and easy to break. The leaves are oblong-elliptical, with a gradually pointed tip and a tail-shaped base. The entire margin is green and slightly shiny, the lower side is light in color, the main vein is obvious, and there are many lateral veins that are horizontal and nearly flat. The smell is slightly fishy, ​​and the taste is slightly sweet and bitter.

[Chemical composition] Four alkaloids were isolated from the root: lo-ganin, echitamine chloride, Nb-demethylechitamine, and Nb-demethylechitamine Noxide.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; neutral; slightly toxic

【Meridian】 Lung meridian

【Functions and indications】Relieve cough and asthma. Chronic cough and asthma

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 9-12g.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the above introduction, I found that the potted tree has so many pharmacological effects, and it also has good effects on some diseases. In fact, there may be many "treasures" around our lives, but most of the time we don’t have a heart that is good at discovering them.