The efficacy and function of Polygonum multiflorum

The world is full of wonders, and Chinese medicinal materials are also varied and varied. Here I would like to introduce to you a Chinese medicinal material, Polygonum multiflorum.

[Other names] Tianliao (Materia Medica Treatise), Tengtianliao (Supplement to Compendium of Materia Medica), Tianliao wood (Shenghuifang), Hanshuiteng (Chinese Tree Taxonomy), Kudzu vine, Kudzu vine kiwifruit (Atlas of Northeast Woody Plants), Mazaozhao (Northeast Medicinal Plants).

[Source] It is the branches and leaves of the Actinidia serrata plant of the Actinidia family.

[Original form] Deciduous twining vine, up to 5 meters tall. Old branches are glabrous, with small grayish-white lenticels; the pith is large, white, and solid. Leaves are alternate; membranous, white or yellow in the upper half or all; broadly ovate to ovate-oblong, 6-13 cm long, 4-9 cm wide, gradually pointed at the apex, rounded or cuneate at the base, with fine serrations on the margins, glabrous above, and hairy along the veins below; petioles are thin and weak, sometimes slightly prickly. Dioecious; flowers are usually solitary, rarely 3-flowered, axillary, relatively large, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, white and fragrant; 5 sepals, ovate-elliptic; 5 petals, obovate; ovary of male flowers without style, with many stamens; female flowers with stalks, solitary, 1 pistil, multi-lobed stigma, smooth, bottle-shaped ovary. The berries are yellow, turning orange-red when ripe, oval, about 3 cm long, 1.3 cm wide, with a beak-shaped tip; there are many seeds, which are light brown. Flowering period is June. The fruiting period is from September to October.

[Habitat distribution] It likes to grow in thickets at the edge of deep mountain forests, foothills, river banks, etc. Distributed in Northeast China, Shandong, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Anhui and other places.

【Properties and flavors】 ① "Tang Materia Medica": "It tastes spicy, warm, and slightly toxic."

[Functions and indications] Treat severe wind leprosy, accumulation of symptoms, dysentery and wind fatigue.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocting into water, grinding into powder or brewing into wine.

[Additional prescription] ① For treating severe wind disease: 4 liang of Radix Polygoni Multiflori (scrape off the rough skin and grind into small pieces). Use one dou of water, boil it down to one liter, remove the dregs, use the juice to cook glutinous rice into porridge, and eat it on an empty stomach. If the disease is above the diaphragm, vomiting will occur; if it is in the middle of the diaphragm, sweating will occur; if it is below the diaphragm, the disease will turn around. It is advisable to avoid external wind. (Polygonum multiflorum porridge)

[Remarks] The root (Polygonum multiflorum root) and galled fruit (Polygonum multiflorum seed) of this plant are also used for medicinal purposes, please refer to the separate articles for details.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Tang Materia Medica": Polygonum multiflorum grows in valleys and mountains. It is a vine with leaves like those of a mulberry tree, white flowers, and seeds that are the size of dates, of irregular shape, and the flesh inside is like that of an eggplant. It tastes spicy and can be eaten as ginger or Polygonum multiflorum. The seedlings and vines can be cut and soaked in wine and taken or brewed to cure colds and winds. They are found everywhere, and are now produced in Anzhou and Shenzhou.

In the above article, we introduced what Polygonum multiflorum is, its effects and functions. We know that Polygonum multiflorum can not only improve immunity, but also plays an indispensable role in certain diseases.