Gerbera[Picture]Effects and Functions

Gerbera [picture] is a traditional Chinese medicine. Do you know what its medicinal value is? How does traditional Chinese medicine use gerbera [picture] to treat diseases? And what should you pay attention to when using gerbera [picture] to treat diseases in daily life? Don't worry, we will answer them one by one for you.

【Other names】 small fireweed, fireweed

[Source] It is a plant of the genus Gerbera in the Asteraceae family, Leibnitzia anandria (L.) Nakai [Gerbera anandria (L.) Sch.Bip.], and the whole plant is used as medicine. Harvest before flowering, wash, and use fresh or dry for later use.

[Original form] Perennial herb. The rhizome is short, with many slender fibrous roots at the bottom, which have a spicy taste. There are two types, spring and autumn: the spring type plants are shorter, with clustered basal leaves in a rosette shape and long petioles; the leaves are elliptical and broadly ovate, 2 to 5.5 cm long and 1.5 to 4.5 cm wide, with obtuse apex, cordate base, shallowly serrated edges or pinnate at base. The flower stalks emerge in spring and summer, are 8 to 19 cm high, and are initially densely covered with white spider-silk hairs, which gradually fall off. It has strip-shaped bracts. The inflorescence head is solitary, about 2 cm in diameter; the marginal flowers are ligulate, lavender, and the central flower is tubular, yellow. The autumn-type plants are tall, with basal leaves that are oblanceolate-oblong or elliptical-broad-ovate, 5 to 16 cm long and 3 to 5.5 cm wide. The base gradually narrows into a petiole, with violin-shaped pinnate lobes on the edges, and the apical lobes are ovate with irregular round teeth on the edges. They are green on the upper side and densely covered with white spider silk hairs on the lower side. It blooms in autumn and has only tubular flowers. Achenes are fusiform, contracted at both ends.

[Habitat distribution] Grown on hillsides, valleys, roadsides and in grass under forests. It is distributed in all provinces and regions in the north and south of my country.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, cold.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and dampness, detoxifies and reduces swelling, relieves cough and stops bleeding. Used for lung heat cough, enteritis, dysentery, urinary tract infection, rheumatic joint pain; used externally to treat mastitis, carbuncle, boil, ecthyma; burns, scalds, and traumatic bleeding.

[Usage and Dosage] 0.3-1 liang; For external use, grind into powder and apply externally or mash and apply to the affected area.

[Additional prescription] Bleeding from external injuries: Grind gerbera into powder and sprinkle it on the wound. It has certain hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects.

【Excerpt】 National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines

【Source】 "Compendium of Materia Medica"

It can be seen that the medicinal value of gerbera [picture] is still very obvious. However, not everyone can use gerbera [picture]. We can judge based on our own physical condition.