The efficacy and function of hairy bitter melon

In fact, the occurrence of many human diseases is closely related to diet. If you want to have a healthy body, diet therapy is a very good method. Various Chinese medicinal materials play a very critical role. Today we will introduce to you the Chinese medicine bitter melon.

[Source] Medicinal material source: The fruit of the Trichosanthes kirilowii of the Cucurbitaceae family.

[Original morphology] Trichosanthes longifolia is a climbing vine; the stem is thick, with longitudinal ridges and grooves, densely covered with long brown hairs, which gradually fall off when old. The petiole is 5-9cm long, with longitudinal stripes, densely covered with yellow-brown long soft hairs; the leaf blade is papery, ovate-cordate, 10-20cm long, 10-17cm wide, acuminate at the apex, or caudate-acuminate, with sparse short-pointed fine teeth or even wavy on the margin, cordate at the base, curved and open, green on the upper side, light green on the back, densely covered with long soft hairs on both sides, with 5 palmate veins at the base, 4-5 pairs of lateral veins, and transverse veinlets. Flowers are dioecious; male peduncle 2.5cm long, pedicel about 8mm long, both densely covered with reddish-brown soft hairs; bracteoles linear, 1.5cm long; calyx tube nearly cylindrical, 2-3.5cm long, about 8mm in diameter, lobes oblanceolate, with 3 veins, densely covered with brown soft hairs; corolla white or light yellow, lobes nearly obovate, covered with reddish-brown hairs on the outside, tassel about 3mm long; female flowers solitary, pedicel stout, 2.5-3.5cm long, densely covered with reddish-brown soft hairs; calyx tube cylindrical, about 1cm long, densely covered with reddish-brown long soft hairs; lobes narrowly triangular, about 1cm long, with long acuminate tips; corolla similar to male flowers; ovary oblong, 1.5-2cm long, about 1cm in diameter, densely covered with long soft hairs. The fruit is oblong or oblong-oval, 8-10cm long and 4.5-6.5cm in diameter. When young, it is green with white stripes and densely covered with brown long soft hairs. Each seed is nearly ovate, flattened, 10-13mm long, 7-8mm wide, 1-1.5mm thick, dark brown, with obtuse hilum end and the other end rounded or nearly truncated, with wavy coarse round teeth on the edge and a raised narrow band in the middle.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Grown in dense forests in narrow valleys at an altitude of 700-1900m or in moist sparse forests beside streams.

【Functions and indications】Moistens the lungs and relieves cough; kills insects and relieves itching. Mainly used for cough and scabies

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 5-10g. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash the juice for application.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

From the above introduction to hairy bitter melon, we can see that hairy bitter melon is of great help to the human body. It can improve some bad symptoms of the human body and is a very useful medicinal material for the human body.