The efficacy and function of fireweed root

We can often see the roots of big fireweed in our daily life. So how should we eat big fireweed roots? What good effects does it have on our body? Let's take a look.

[Other names] Wild cotton root, wild white-headed herb (Chongqing Herbs), big-headed herb (Shaanxi Herbal Medicine Survey).

[Source] It is the root of the Ranunculaceae plant , Pyrola . Dig up the roots in spring or autumn, remove the stems and leaves, and dry them.

[Original morphology] Perennial herb, 40 to 150 cm tall, the whole plant is covered with white hairs. 3-foliate compound leaves; basal leaves with long petioles, central leaflet ovate or irregularly ovate, 10-16 cm long, 7.5-14 cm wide, 2-lobed, each lobe shallowly lobed, obtuse at apex, cuneate at base, serrated at margin, sparsely covered with hard white hairs above, densely covered with white pubescent hairs below, petiolule 2-6 cm long; leaflets on both sides smaller, oblique at base, petiolule 1-3 cm long; cauline leaves 2-3 per node, opposite or whorled, similar to basal leaves. The pedicels are slender and covered with white hairs; the tepals are 5, obovate, with rounded, concave or convex tips, white or pink, glabrous on the surface and covered with white hairs on the back; the stamens are numerous and glabrous; the pistils are numerous, capitate, with inclined stigmas and hairs. Achenes are about 3 mm long, densely covered with cottony hairs, and bloom from July to October.

[Habitat distribution] Growing on slopes, ravines and roadsides. Distributed in Shanxi, Hebei, Shaanxi, Henan, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places. It is produced in Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi and other places.

[Properties] The dry roots are cylindrical, curved, and mostly broken. The appearance is gray-brown to reddish-brown, rough, grooved, and the outer skin is peeling; the root head is relatively large, often connected to several stem bases and yellow-brown petioles, and densely covered with white wool. The texture is relatively light and tough, with an uneven, flaky fracture surface; the flat cross-section of the bark is reddish brown, the xylem is well developed, and the rays are reddish brown, usually separating the vascular part of the xylem into two fan-shaped bundles. It has a tobacco smell and tastes astringent and bitter.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, warm, slightly toxic.

【Functions and indications】Expectorant, dissipating blood stasis, stopping malaria, killing parasites. It is used to treat sores, furuncles, carbuncles, stubborn ringworm, baldness, malaria, dysentery, cough and asthma due to overwork, malnutrition in children, and injuries from falls.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 3 grams; or grind into powder. For external use: mash and apply.

【Note】 Shaanxi Chinese Herbal Medicine: "Pregnant women are prohibited from using it."

[Additional prescription] ① Treat cough due to overwork: one liang each of fire grass root and red pig hair seven. Stew half a pound of pork belly. (Chongqing Herbs)

[Remarks] This product is used as Pulsatilla in Sichuan, Gansu and other places.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 From "Chongqing Herbs"

The above is a brief introduction to the medicinal value of fireweed root. For most people in real life, there is no need to worry about side effects when using fireweed root to treat diseases. Therefore, using fireweed root to treat diseases is an effective and practical treatment method, and it has been widely used in clinical practice.