The efficacy and function of donkey hoof grass

Everyone is familiar with donkey hoof grass, of course some people are relatively unfamiliar with it. In fact, donkey hoof grass is a relatively common Chinese medicinal material. So what exactly does donkey hoof grass do?

【English Name】 Herb of Membranaceous Marshmarigold

【Other name】 Horseshoe leaf, Horseshoe grass

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb of Ranunculaceae plants donkey hoof, triangular-leaved donkey hoof, thin-leaved donkey hoof and scape donkey hoof.

[Original form] 1. Donkey hoof grass, perennial herb, 20-48cm tall, hairless, with fleshy fibrous roots. The stem is erect, solid, with fine longitudinal grooves, branched in the middle or above the middle, rarely unbranched. There are 3-7 basal leaves, herbaceous, with long petioles; petioles are 7-24cm long; leaf blades are round, reniform or cymose, 2.5-5cm long, 3-9cm wide, with rounded apex, deeply cordate base, and densely toothed edges; stem leaves are smaller, with short petioles or sessile. Single hyperbranched cyme grows at the top of stem or branch, usually with 2 flowers; pedicel 2-10cm long; flowers bisexual, 1.6-3.2cm in diameter; sepals 5, petal-shaped, yellow, obovate or narrowly obovate, 1-1.8cm long, 0.6-1.2cm wide, with rounded apex; petals absent; stamens numerous, 4.5-7mm long, filaments narrowly linear, anthers oblong, 1-1.6mm long; carpels 7-12, nearly as long as stamens, sessile, style short, follicles, about 1cm long, 3mm wide, with transverse veins, beak about 1mm long. Seeds numerous, narrowly ovoid, 1.5-2mm long, shiny black, with a few longitudinal wrinkles. The flowering period is from May to September, and the fruiting period is from June to October.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: 1. Growing in mountain stream valleys, wet meadows or grass slopes, and relatively shady and moist places under forests at an altitude of 600-4000m.

[Chemical ingredients] The whole plant contains corytuberine, magnoflorine, nicotine, caltholide, epiacltholide, palustrolide, heteragenin, hederagenic acid, 16,17-dihydroxykauran-19-oic acid, β-sitosterol, daucosterol, scopoletin, umbelliferone, etc. The flowers contain terpene saponins: hederagenin-3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside, oleanolic acid-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-α-Larabinopyranoside, hederagenin-3-O-α-Lrhamnopyranosyl-α-L-arabinopyranoside, 3-O-didehydrolutein, 3-epilutein, and α-cryptoxanthin. The leaves contain protoanemonin and protopine. The roots contain veratrin and helleborin.

[Pharmacological action] The triterpenoid saponins contained in donkey hoof grass can significantly reduce the cholesterol level in the blood of party rats, reduce total protein, leave albumin unchanged, decrease globulin, and increase blood sugar. In addition, it has obvious anti-inflammatory effects and can significantly inhibit formaldehyde-induced plantar swelling in rats, while the anti-inflammatory effect of one of its aglycones, isobutyric acid, is weaker.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy; slightly bitter; cool

【return through】spleen, lung meridians.

【Functions and indications】Dispel wind; relieve heat; promote blood circulation and reduce swelling. Mainly used for colds, heat stroke, trauma, burns and scalds

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 9-15g; or soaked in wine. For external use: take appropriate amount, mash and apply externally; or mix with wine dregs, heat and apply externally; or boil in water and wash with.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the above introduction, I found that donkey hoof grass has so many pharmacological effects, and it also has good effects on some diseases. In fact, there may be many "treasures" around our lives, but most of the time we don’t have a heart that is good at discovering them.