The efficacy and function of single flower mustard

In daily life, people are not only very familiar with various foods, but also come into contact with a lot of medicines in daily life. Among them, mustard seed is a relatively common Chinese medicinal material. Given that there are still many people who don’t know much about mustard seed, let’s take a detailed look at it below.

[Other names] Stemless mustard, alpine horseradish, alpine stemless mustard

[Source] Medicinal material source: the root or whole herb of the cruciferous plant Mustard.

[Original form] Single-flowered mustard, a perennial short clumping herb. The plant is smooth and hairless. The roots are thick, with wrinkled surfaces, often with ring marks, and few lateral roots that are fibrous. The stem is extremely shortened, 5-15cm high. There are many leaves, which are spirally arranged at the base. The leaf blades are lanceolate or long spoon-shaped, 3-10 cm long, 5-8 mm wide, entire or with sparse shallow teeth, smooth and glabrous on both sides; the petioles are flat and expanded into sheath-like at the base. The flowers are large, solitary on the scape, which is flat, clustered from the stem base, 2-10cm long; there are 4 sepals, oblong, 3-5mm long, 2-3mm wide, the base of the inner 2 is sac-shaped, with white membranous edges; there are 4 petals, white to light blue, broadly obovate, slightly clawed at the base; there are 6 stamens, nearly equal in length, 4.5-5.5mm long; there is 1 stamen, composed of 2 carpels, the ovary is elliptical, 3-3.5mm long, about 2.5mm wide, the style is slender columnar, and the stigma is not obvious. The siliques are broadly ovate, 4-5mm long, 3-3.5mm wide, flat, fleshy, ice-cracked, with narrow wings on the edges. Seeds 5 in 2 rows, oblate, brown, 1.8-2mm long, about 1.5mm wide. Flowering and fruiting period is from June to September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing in wet areas on hillsides at an altitude of 3500-5400m, alpine grasslands, ditches in forests and stream beds.

[Properties] Identification of properties: the root is slightly cylindrical, with wrinkled and ring-shaped surfaces. The stem is 5-15cm long and has few branches. The leaves are borne at the base of the stem, mostly wrinkled, and when unfolded, the leaves are linear-lanceolate, 3-10cm long, 4-8mm wide, and entire; the petioles are relatively wide, and the base is sheath-like and clasps the stem. The peduncles are clustered, with white flowers or short siliques visible. The short siliques are nearly ovate, 4-5mm long, with narrow wings on the edges. The seeds are oblate, brown, 1.8-2mm long, with 2 cotyledons, which are thick and oily. The taste is spicy.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy; pungent; cold

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and detoxifies; stops bleeding; reduces swelling. Mainly used for fever caused by febrile diseases; cough; hemoptysis; edema of the limbs; food poisoning; and bleeding caused by trauma

[Usage and Dosage] For oral administration: grind into powder, 3-6g; can also be decocted in water and taken orally. For external use: take appropriate amount and grind into powder for application.

【Preparation】 Powder.

[Additional prescription] 100g of Aconitum carmichaelii, 20g of Pterocephalus chinensis, 200g of Aucklandia lappa, 60g of Ligadu, 200g of Curcuma ternata, 60g of Shepherd's purse, 200g of Terminalia chebula, 40g of Ligusticum chuanxiong, and 100g of benzoin. The above ingredients are ground into fine powder, which has a unique odor and tastes bitter, astringent and slightly numb. Clears away pathogens and relieves fever; used for lung pain caused by epidemic colds and fever caused by plague.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

From the above description, we can know that the nutritional value and medicinal value of single flower mustard are very high. It can treat some diseases and can also be used as a raw material for diet therapy. It is indeed a good choice for health and wellness.