The efficacy and function of Vallisneria

As people's research on traditional Chinese medicine deepens, they gradually understand the detailed ingredients in various traditional Chinese medicines and the impact of these ingredients on everyone's health. Below I would like to recommend a Chinese medicinal herb, Vallisneria paniculata, to you all and describe its effects in detail. I hope it will be of some help to your study and research.

[Source] It is the whole herb of Vallisneria serrata, a plant of the Hydrocharitaceae family.

[Original form] Submerged, stemless herb with creeping branches. The leaves are linear, green, thin and transparent; the length depends on the depth of the water, the longest can reach 2 meters, and the shortest can be less than 15 centimeters. They are about 8 millimeters wide, with obtuse or short tips and small teeth. The flowers are unisexual and dioecious; male flowers are extremely numerous, with ovate spathes about 6 mm long, growing on short stalks, and 3-fissured; the flowers are extremely small, about the same length as the spathes, with 3 sepals, no petals, and 1-3 stamens; when the flowers bloom, they are sent out of the water by the slender pedicel to join the female flowers; the female flowers are solitary, with tubular spathes, usually about 12 mm long, extremely narrow, and 3-fissured, growing on a spiral, linear long pedicel, floating on the water surface, and beginning to spiral after fertilization, dragging the ovary into the water until maturity; the perianth is similar to that of male flowers, with a linear ovary and 3 stigmas. The fruit is linear, enclosed in a spathe, and contains numerous seeds. Flowering period is autumn.

【Habitat distribution】Grows in ponds. Distributed all over the country.

【Chemical composition】 Contains spinachsterol, β-sitosterol and eicosanol.

[Nature and flavor] "Ben Jing Feng Yuan": "bitter, warm, non-toxic."

【Functions and indications】 ① "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Decoction of this herb is taken for women with leucorrhea. It is also used for those who are addicted to dry tea, have a yellow face and are weak. Grind it into powder and chew it dry from time to time with fried sesame seeds."

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 3 qian.

【Explanations by various scholars】 "Ben Jing Feng Yuan": "Bitter grass, fragrant and bitter. It can damage the stomach and the brain. If you eat rich and soft food, it will reduce your appetite and cause diarrhea. If you take it too much, you will suffer from headaches in your later years. In the past, people were afraid of having too many children, so they took three grams of seedlings and drank them with wine after menstruation, which prevented them from getting pregnant. It is clear that it damages the blood."

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] "Selected Wuzhou Herbal Medicines and Prescriptions for Common and Frequently-occurring Diseases"

The effects and functions of bitter grass are varied, and we should choose the appropriate method of consumption according to different physical symptoms. In life, we can learn more about this when we have free time.