The efficacy and function of horsethorn[picture]

Traditional Chinese medicine is very effective in treating some special diseases, but we still need to learn about it before taking it. Today we will talk about some common knowledge about the medicinal material Horsethorn [Picture].

[Other names] Herba Lycopodii, wild mung beans, horse hair, mountain sapodilla, wild basket branches

[Source] It is a plant of the genus Indigofera in the Fabaceae family, Indigofera pseudotinctoria Mats., and its root or the whole plant is used as medicine. In autumn, dig up the roots or pick the whole plant, wash it, slice it and dry it in the sun, or remove the skin and slice it and dry it in the sun. Can also be used fresh.

[Original form] Small shrub or semi-shrub, 60 to 90 cm high. The stem is erect, multi-branched, and covered with white trichomes. Odd-pinnate compound leaves, alternate, up to 5.5 cm long; petiole hairy; leaflets 7 to 11, leaflets rectangular obovate, 1 to 2.5 cm long, 0.5 to 1 cm wide, apex slightly concave, base broadly cuneate, entire, slightly hairy when young, bald when old, petiolules very short, stipules conical. It blooms in summer, with racemes emerging from leaf axils. After flowering, they are longer than leaves and can reach 10 cm. There are about 40 flowers, which are densely attached and almost sessile. The calyx is bell-shaped, 5-lobed, and the butterfly-shaped corolla is reddish purple, about 5 mm long. The standard petal is large, elliptical and round, and covered with white short soft hairs. There are two stamens. The pods are cylindrical, densely covered with T-shaped hairs when young, dark purple when ripe, and contain several kidney-shaped seeds.

[Habitat distribution] Grown at the foot of the mountain, on the roadside, by the stream, in the thickets or in the crevices of rocks at the edge of the forest. Distributed in provinces and regions such as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, astringent, neutral.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat, detoxifies, reduces swelling and resolves stagnation. Used for colds and coughs, tonsillitis, cervical lymph node tuberculosis, infantile malnutrition, hemorrhoids; used externally to treat furuncle.

[Usage and Dosage] 0.5-1 liang; for external use, mash an appropriate amount and apply on the affected area or apply the mashed juice to the affected area.

【Excerpt】 National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines

From the above we can see that the traditional Chinese medicine horse thorn [picture] has very high medicinal value, so we can consider applying horse thorn [picture] in our life.