The efficacy and function of cow dung tree

The traditional Chinese medicine cow dung tree is often used by people in real life because of its functions and effects. So, what kind of functions and effects does the cow dung tree have? Let us study it together.

[Other names] Alder bark (Tianbao Materia Medica), Luoguai wood, and garlic shell (Guizhou Folk Medicine).

[Source] The young leaves and bark of the birch wood plant Alnus . Available all year round.

[Original form] Deciduous tree, up to 40 meters high. Bark smooth, gray; branchlets pubescent when young, eventually glabrous, with lenticels. The leaves are obovate-oblong or elliptical, 6-15 cm long, 2.8-8 cm wide, short-pointed at the apex, narrowly pointed at the base, with irregular serrations on the edges, green above, light green below, 8-10 pairs of lateral veins, and sparse fine hairs in the vein axils; the petiole is about 2 cm long and densely covered with pubescent hairs. The flowers are unisexual and monoecious; the male and female catkins are solitary in the leaf axils, the male inflorescence is elongated, with 3 flowers per bract, and the female inflorescence is spherical, with 2 flowers per bract. The infructescence is ovate, and the infructescence peduncle is slender, up to 8 cm long; the winged nuts are ovate-oblong, with membranous wings.

[Habitat distribution] Grown on mountain sides, ridges and forests. Distributed in Sichuan, Guizhou and other places.

[Nature and flavor] It is neutral in nature, astringent in taste, and slightly toxic.

【Function】 "Tianbao Materia Medica": "Calms the liver, clears heat, and promotes qi. Treats epistaxis, metrorrhagia, and red eyes caused by wind and fire."

[Additional prescription] ① For the treatment of leprosy: half a pound each of cow dung tree, millet firewood, and three-edged grass (Euphrasia officinalis). Mash the wool together, boil it in water and wash the affected area. (Guizhou Folk Medicine)

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

Through the introduction in this article, we can learn some relevant knowledge about the cow dung tree. Whether from the perspective of food health or traditional Chinese medicine, the role of cow dung tree cannot be underestimated.