The efficacy and function of orchid leaves

Orchid leaves are a common Chinese medicine in clinical practice. For people with poor physical constitution, eating orchid leaves can help us maintain better health. Today I will introduce orchid leaves to you.

【Other name】 Orchid leaf

[Source] Medicinal material source: The leaves of Jianlan, Hanlan or Tailan, etc., which belong to the Orchidaceae family.

【Original form】 1. Jianlan, a terrestrial plant. The leaves are clustered in 2-6 pieces, thinly leathery, ribbon-shaped, relatively soft, curved and drooping, 30-50cm long, 1-1.7cm wide, slightly shiny, gradually pointed at the tip, with not very obvious blunt teeth on the edges. The scape is erect, 20-35cm high, and shorter than the leaves. There are usually 4-7 flowers, up to 13 flowers; the bracts in the upper and middle part of the inflorescence axis are less than 1 cm long, and the lowest one is 1.5 cm long; the flowers are light yellow-green with a fresh fragrance; the sepals are narrow and oblong-lanceolate, about 3 cm long, 5-7 mm wide, light green, greener at the tip, lighter at the base, with 5 darker veins; the petals are short, close to each other, light in color with purple markings; the lip is not obviously 3-lobed, the side lobes are light yellow-brown, and there are 2 half-moon-shaped pleats in the center of the lip disc, which are white, and the middle lobe is curled, light yellow with purple-red spots. Flowering period is from July to October.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: 1. Jianlan grows under forests on hillsides.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy; slightly cold

【Meridian】 Heart; spleen; lung meridian

【Functions and indications】 Clears the lungs and relieves cough; cools blood and stops bleeding; promotes dampness and detoxifies. Mainly used for lung abscess, bronchitis, cough, hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematuria, leucorrhea, leucorrhea, urinary tract infection, sore, furuncle

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 9-15g; fresh ones, 15-30g; or ground into powder, 4g each time. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash the juice for application.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above only introduces some of the functions and effects of orchid leaves. In fact, it also has other effects, which I will not introduce here one by one. If you are interested, you can take a look at the effects and matters recorded in medical books.