The efficacy and function of thorny bamboo leaves

Thorny bamboo leaves are a relatively familiar traditional Chinese medicine. They have many benefits for our body. If we want to consume them correctly in our lives, we need to have some understanding of thorny bamboo leaves. Let’s take a look at them below.

[Source] Medicinal material source: The leaves of the Poaceae plant Bambusa schrenkiana.

【Original form】Tall bamboo. The culm is 15-24m high, 8-15cm in diameter, with a slightly curved tip; the internodes are 20-26cm long, often smooth and hairless, except for the 1st and 2nd nodes at the base, which often have a circle of grayish-white silky hairs below the nodes; the nodes are slightly protruding, and after the sheath is unsheathed, a circle of dense dark brown prickly hairs is temporarily left on the sheath ring; branching often starts from the 1st and 2nd nodes at the base of the culm, and the ones at the bottom of the culm are tall bamboos. The culm is 15-24cm high, 8-15cm in diameter, with a slightly curved tip; the internodes are 20-26cm long, often smooth and hairless, except for the 1st and 2nd nodes at the base, which often have a circle of grayish-white silky hairs below the nodes; the nodes are slightly raised, and after the sheaths are unsheathed, a circle of dense dark brown prickles remains on the sheath ring; branching often starts from the 1st and 2nd nodes at the base of the culm, and the lower part of the culm is single-branched, bending downward, with the twigs on it mostly shortened into hard thorns, and intertwined to form a dense cluster of thorns, and the branches in the middle and upper part of the culm are clustered in 3 to several pieces. The sheath is late falling, leathery, densely covered with dark brown prickles near the bottom edge, and nearly truncated at the apex; the auricles are nearly equal, oblong to obovate, with wavy wrinkles, densely covered with rough stiff hairs on the ventral side, and with fringe hairs on the margins; the tongue is 3-5mm high, with serrated edges and fringed hairs; the sheath segments are erect or spreading, ovate. The leaf sheath is nearly glabrous, with short cilia on one side of the margin; the auricle is not very developed, ovate to narrowly ovate, with several wavy or straight hairs on the margin; the ligule is about 0.5mm high, oblique at the tip, all linear, and covered with very short cilia; the leaf blade is linear-lanceolate, 7-17cm long, 12-16mm wide, acuminate at the tip, and nearly rounded at the base. Pseudospikelets are linear in appearance, up to 4cm long, solitary or clustered at each node of the branch; proto-leaves are obtuse at apex, densely covered with short cilia on the ridge; with 3-5 bud segments, narrowly triangular or nearly ovate, glabrous; spikelets contain 6-12 bisexual florets; internodes of spikelet axis are 2-4mm long, one side away from the palea is arched and covered with white hairs, the other side is flat and glabrous, with short cilia at the apex; glumes are often absent; lemma is ovate-oblong, 5-9.5mm long, with obtuse and acute apex, and many veins; the inner lemma is usually slightly longer than the lemma, with 2 ridges, covered with short cilia on the ridges, and 3-5 veins between the ridges; scales are 3, unequal, obovate, about 1.4mm long, with densely ciliated margins; filaments are separate, and anthers are obtuse at apex; ovary is narrow, thickened at apex and covered with short stiff hairs, style is slender, covered with short stiff hairs, stigma is 3-partite, feathery. The bamboo shoot season is from May to June, and the flowering season is from August to December.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Grown on both sides of rivers or near villages.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet; Cool

【Functions and indications】 Clears heat and promotes diuresis; stops bleeding. It is used for wind-heat cold in children; high fever; urinary tract infection; epistaxis

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 6-15g.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above article introduces the functions of prickly bamboo leaves. I hope it will be helpful to you in your life. But it is important to note that you should not randomly combine it with other foods. You should consult a professional before making a decision.