The efficacy and function of red schizonepeta

There are so many medicinal herbs in the world, and it is inevitable that there are some that we are not familiar with. But as long as we have the spirit of learning throughout our lives, I believe we can slowly learn more medical herbs. So do you know about the medicinal herb Astragalus?

【English name】RADIX HEDYSARI

[Other names] Astragalus membranaceus, Astragalus membranaceus

[Source] This product is the dried root of Hedysarum polybotrys Hand.-Mazz., a plant of the Leguminosae family . In autumn, dig up the roots, pile them up and heat them to make them saccharified. Then remove the fibrous roots at the base of the stems, dry them in the sun until they are soft, rub them with hands and dry them in the sun again until they are completely dry.

[Properties] This product is cylindrical, with few branches, slightly thicker at the top, 10 to 50 cm long and 0.6 to 2 cm in diameter. The surface is gray-reddish-brown with longitudinal wrinkles, long horizontal lenticels and a few root marks. The outer skin is easy to fall off, and the peeling area is light yellow. It is hard and tough, not easy to break, with a fibrous and powdery cross section. The cortex is yellowish-white, the wood is light yellow-brown, the rays are radial, and the cambium rings are light brown. It has a slight odor, slightly sweet taste, and has a bean flavor when chewed.

【Identification】 (1) Cross section of this product: The cork layer consists of 6 to 8 rows of cork cells. The cortex is narrow, with 2 to 4 rows of thick-horned cells on the outside. The phloem is relatively wide, with cracks on the outside. The fibers are scattered in bundles, with thick fiber walls and slight lignification; the outside of the phloem rays is often curved. The cambium is ring-shaped. The xylem vessels are scattered singly or gathered in groups of 2 to 3, and are surrounded by wood fibers. The thin-walled cells surrounding the fiber bundles contain prisms of calcium oxalate. Yellow-brown powder. The fibers are bundled, with a diameter of 5 to 22 μm, thick walls, and are slightly lignified. The surrounding cells contain prismatic calcium oxalate crystals, forming crystalline fibers, and the walls of the crystalline cells are unevenly thickened. The diameter of calcium oxalate prismatic crystals is 7 to 14 μm and the length is about 22 μm. The diameter of the bordered pit vessels is up to 145μm. Single starch granules are round or oval, with a diameter of 2 to 19 μm; compound granules are composed of 2 to 8 sub-granules.

[Processing] Remove impurities, separate by size, wash, soak, cut into thick slices, and dry.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet, warm.

[return through meridians] Return to the lung and spleen meridians.

[Functions and indications] Tonify Qi and consolidate the exterior, promote diuresis and expel toxins, discharge pus, heal sores and promote tissue regeneration. It is used for fatigue due to qi deficiency, loose stools due to poor appetite, sinking of qi in the middle, prolapse of the anus due to long-term diarrhea, bloody stool and metrorrhagia, spontaneous sweating due to superficial deficiency, edema due to qi deficiency, carbuncle that is difficult to rupture, sallow complexion due to blood deficiency, internal heat and thirst, proteinuria due to chronic nephritis, and diabetes.

【Usage and Dosage】 9～30g.

[Storage] Place in a ventilated and dry place to prevent moisture and moth.

[Remarks] (1) The roots of the following four species of plants in the same genus have been used as medicine instead of Hedysarum rubra in different regions: Hedysarum austrosibiricum B. Fedtsch; Hedysarum limprichtii Ulbr.; Hedysarum viciodes Turcz . var taipeicum （Hand.-Mazz.） Liu; Hedysarum sikkimense Benth.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Pharmacopoeia

Through the detailed introduction of Red Astragalus in this article, we can learn about the related effects and consumption methods of Red Astragalus. The value of Red Astragalus can be seen from its efficacy, which fully reflects the importance of Red Astragalus.