The efficacy and function of centipede

Do you know about the centipede? It is a common medicinal material. It is usually used as a raw material in many places. It can also treat many physical diseases. Let’s take a look at the relevant knowledge about the centipede.

[Alias] Muscle grass, small stretch grass, and mountain dragon (Illustrated Catalogue of Plant Names and Realities), Metasequoia (Dictionary of Botany), Dog grass (Flora of Guangzhou), Lion grass, Dragon beard grass, Relaxing muscle grass (Guizhou Folk Prescriptions and Medicines), Earth glue, Cat vine (Fujian Folk Herbs), Stone vine, Green tendon grass, Loose tendon grass (Guangxi Chinese Veterinary Medicine Plants), Collected chicken grass (Luchuan Materia Medica), Centipede grass, Fagus sylvatica (Nanning City Drug Directory), Phoenix stretch grass (Jiangxi Traditional Chinese Medicine), Deer horn grass (Southern Fujian Folk Herbs), Stretching grass (Xikang Folk Herbs), Standing tendon grass (Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Directory), Cunjin grass, Cun Cun grass (Chongqing Herbs), Alloy alloy grass (Hunan Drug Directory), Dragon horn vine (Fujian Traditional Chinese Medicine).

[Source] It is the whole herb of Lycopodiella sphenanthera, a plant of the Lycopodiaceae family . Harvest from July to September, remove dirt and impurities, and dry in the sun.

[Original form] Perennial herb. The fibrous roots are white. The main stem is erect, with secondary stolons at the base, 30 to 50 cm long or longer. The leaves are sparse, spirally arranged, usually curved downward, and the side branches are often dichotomous, erect or drooping. The leaves on the branches are densely grown, linear-subulate, 2 to 3 mm long, entire, and usually curved upward. Sporangium spikes are solitary at the top of branchlets, oblong or cylindrical, 8-20 mm long, yellowish, and often drooping; sporangium leaves are imbricately arranged, broadly ovate, acuminate at the apex, with long eyelashes on the edges; sporangia are round and grow in leaf axils. The spores are tetrahedral and spherical with reticulate patterns.

[Habitat distribution] It grows beside mountain streams or on shady and wet rocks under forests. Distributed in Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, South China and Southwest China.

【Properties】 Dried stems and leaves are yellow-green in color. The stem is round, about 8 to 9 cm long, with ridges and many branches. There are light brown round roots on the stem, which are thin and firm. It is brittle and easy to break. The cross section is light yellow with obvious white pith. The stems are densely covered with tiny lanceolate, scale-like leaflets. Tastes bitter. The ones with green color and clean texture are the best.

[Chemical composition] The whole plant contains various bioalkaloids such as lycopodium alkaloids, hydroxylycopodium alkaloids, nicotinic acid alkaloids, lycopodium flavonoids, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, as well as acetates of triterpenes, kaempferol, kaempferoltriol, 21-epikaempferoltriol, and formononetin.

【Pharmacological action】 The whole plant can inhibit certain bacteria in test tube. In Africa, decoctions are used to treat diarrhea and dysentery.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet, neutral.

[Meridian] "Sichuan Chinese Medicine Annals": "Enters the liver, spleen, and kidney meridians."

【Functions and indications】Relieve rheumatism, relax tendons and muscles, promote blood circulation and stop bleeding. It is used to treat rheumatism, stiffness, pain, numbness, hepatitis, dysentery, rubella, red eyes, vomiting blood, epistaxis, bloody stool, bruises, and burns from soup or fire.

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

【Note】 Pregnant women should not take this medicine.

[Additional prescription] ① Treat injuries from falls and harmonize tendons and bones: 5 qian of stems and leaves of Stretch Marks Herb. Decoction. (Zhejiang Folk Herbs)

[Remarks] In Sichuan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and other places, this product and the whole herb of the same genus plant Lycopodiella are both called Stretching Tendon Grass and are used equally. See the entry for Lycopodium album.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

The above article analyzes some of the benefits of centipedes. In our daily life, we can eat centipedes in moderation according to our own situation, which will greatly help improve our body functions.