The efficacy and function of seven leaves

Seven leaves are a famous traditional commonly used Chinese medicinal material in my country with a long history of application. Today we will learn about seven leaves.

[Source] Medicinal material source: The branches and leaves of Rehmannia glutinosa, a plant of the Meliaceae family.

[Original form] Hainan Rehmannia glutinosa is an upright shrub, 30-50cm tall. Stems unbranched, glabrous or pubescent above. The odd-pinnate compound leaves are alternate or more or less aggregated at the upper part of the stem, usually with 5 (3-7) leaflets, 8-12cm long including the petiole; the petiole is 2-2.5cm long and pubescent with the axis; the leaflets are membranous, with one larger one at the top, petiolate, elliptic or lanceolate, 5-7.5cm long, 2-3cm wide, acute or acuminate at the apex, equal at the base, entire or sparsely serrulate or crenate at the upper part; the lateral leaves are smaller, sessile, elliptic or oblong, 1.5-4cm long, 8-16mm wide, obtuse or acute at the apex, oblique at the base, glabrous above, and pubescent along the veins below. The racemes are axillary with few flowers; the peduncle is 5-10mm long, covered with short soft hairs and finally bent downward; the sepals are linear-lanceolate, 2-3mm long; the petals are white, the part fused into a tubular shape is 2.3cm long, covered with sparse, flat long soft hairs on the outside, the petals are oblanceolate, about 10mm long and 3mm wide, covered with sparse long soft hairs along the midrib; the stamen tube is about 3cm long, glabrous, with 10 lobes at the apex, and the back of the anther is sparsely hairy. The capsule is oblate, 5-lobed, covered with sparse stellate hairs and mixed with short stiff hairs. Flowering and fruiting period is May.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: grows in roadside bushes.

【Nature and flavor】 Light; neutral

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and detoxifies; promotes blood circulation and relaxes muscles. Mainly used for poisonous snake bites; rheumatic bone pain; traumatic injuries

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 9-15g; or 30g fresh leaves, mashed into juice. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash it for application.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

In the above article, we analyzed seven leaves and know that the functions and effects of seven leaves are very wide. As long as we know more about the medicinal properties of traditional Chinese medicine, we will not panic when encountering diseases.