The efficacy and function of sea cucumber

Do you know about Round-calyx Sea Cucumber? It is a common medicinal material. Generally, Round-calyx Sea Cucumber is used as raw material in many places. It can also treat many physical diseases. Let’s take a look at the relevant knowledge about Round-calyx Sea Cucumber.

【English name】 all-grass of Chinese Morina

[Other names] Molingcao, Chinese sea cucumber

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb or seeds of Sea Cucumber japonicus of the family Dipsacus asper.

[Original morphology] Round-calyx sea cucumber is a perennial herb, short when flowering and up to 60cm tall when fruiting. The basal leaves are 6-8 in clusters, linear-lanceolate, 10-20cm long, 1-1.5cm wide, with acuminate apex, base extending downward to embrace the stem, with irregular shallow lobes on the margin, lobes nearly triangular, split to half of the midrib, with 3-9 hard spines on the margin, dark green above, light green below, smooth, and obvious midrib; the stem leaves are similar to the basal leaves, 4-6 leaves in whorls, sessile: 5-15cm long; 2-3 whorls, gradually decreasing upwards, with hard spines on the margins of the lobes. The cyme is terminal, with 6-9 nodes, densely spike-shaped, and each whorl becomes sparse after flowering; the bracts are leaf-like. Bracts are 4 in 1 whorl, ovate, 2.5-3.5cm long, acuminate at apex, with dense spines on the margins and more at base; involucre is sunken in bracts, bell-shaped, with more than 10 stiff spines on the margins; calyx is bell-shaped, 10-12mm long, 2-lipped, each lip 2-lobed at apex, lobes obtuse, with beards at base; corolla is small, purple-brown, 6-7mm long, 2-lipped, upper lip 2-lobed, lower lip 3-lobed, 4 stamens, upper 2 fertile, attached to upper part of corolla tube, lower 2 degenerate, attached to base of corolla tube, anthers not exposed; style slightly longer than stamens, stigma capitate. When in fruit, the involucre grows into a cylindrical shape, with a flat tip and hard thorns of varying lengths. Achenes are enclosed in the base of the involucre, 2-3 mm long, brown, with wrinkles on the surface. The flowering period is July-August, and the fruiting period is September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing in high mountain grass slope shrubs at an altitude of 2800-4000m.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy; sweet; warm

【Functions and indications】Relieve rheumatism; nourish the liver and kidneys; eliminate carbuncles and swellings. It is mainly used for rheumatic pain, back and knee pain, dizziness, frequent urination, soreness and swelling of carbuncle

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 3-6g. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash it for application.

[Discussions by various scholars] "Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica" Seeds: spicy in taste, warm in nature. Used for joint pain, urinary incontinence, low back pain, dizziness, and facial paralysis.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above is an introduction to the Chinese medicinal material Sea Cucumber. For medicinal herbs that we don't understand, we should learn more about them so that we can make full use of them in our lives and not be at a loss.