The efficacy and function of broad-leaved Mahonia

Mahonia latifolia is a very familiar medicinal material with unusual effects and functions. It is the key to cure many diseases. Let's have a deeper understanding of Mahonia latifolia!

【English Name】Leatherleaf Mahonia Leaf

[Other names] Phellodendron chinense, Phellodendron chinense, Phellodendron chinense, Phellodendron chinense

[Source] The leaves of Mahonia bealei (Fort.) Carr., a plant of the Rubus family. It can be harvested throughout the year and sun-dried.

【Original form】 Evergreen shrub, up to 4m tall. The cross section of the roots and stems is yellow and bitter. Pinnate compound leaves are alternate, 30-40 cm long, with flat and wide petioles at the base embracing the stem; leaflets are 7-15, thick leathery, broadly ovate to ovate-elliptical, 3-14 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, with tips gradually pointed into thorns, margins curled back, and 2-7 large thorns on each side. The raceme is thick and clustered at the top of the branches; the bracts are small and densely grown; the sepals are 9, 3 whorls, the petals are 6, light yellow, 2 shallowly lobed at the apex, and there are 2 dense glands on the inner surface near the base; there are 6 stamens; the ovary is superior and 1-chambered. The berries are oval, blue-black with white powder when ripe. The flowering period is from July to October, and the fruiting period is from October to November.

[Habitat distribution] Grown in valleys and shady and moist places under forests. Distributed in Gansu, Henan, Zhejiang, Anhui, etc.

[Properties] Pinnate compound leaves, 7 to 15 leaflets, opposite, without petioles, mostly slightly wrinkled, leathery, broadly ovate, with curled edges, 3 to 5 spines on each side, veins clearly protruding toward the back, upper surface green to gray-green, lower surface yellow-green. The petiole is cylindrical, about 5mm in diameter, and swollen and annular at the attachment of the leaflets. It has a faint smell and a bitter taste.

【Chemical composition】 Contains berberine, etc.

【Functions and indications】Replenishes lung qi, reduces hot flashes, and benefits the liver and kidneys. Used for hot flashes, cough, hemoptysis, weakness in the waist and knees, dizziness, tinnitus, enteritis and diarrhea, icteric hepatitis, and red and swollen eyes due to pulmonary tuberculosis.

【Remarks】The roots, stems and fruits are also used as medicine.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

The above is an introduction to the ten major benefits of broad-leaved Chinese medicinal materials. 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.