The efficacy and function of white azalea

Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years. It has appeared at a very early time, and it has very satisfactory effects on the treatment of diseases. There are many types of traditional Chinese medicine. Do you know the medicinal material white azalea?

[Other names] White azalea (Chinese Tree Taxonomy), Rhododendron amurense (Economic Flora of North China), and Rhododendron dasyphylla (Guizhou Folk Prescriptions and Medicines Collection).

[Source] The flowers , roots or stems and leaves of Rhododendron dahliae of the Ericaceae family. The flowers are picked in April, and the roots are dug up in September and October, and used fresh or dried.

[Original form] Evergreen or semi-evergreen multi-branched shrub, 2 to 3 meters high. Young branches with gray coarse hairs. The simple leaves are nearly whorled; leathery; elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 3-5 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, obtuse at the apex with a short tip, cuneate at the base, entire, green above, sparsely covered with gray-brown procumbent hairs, bluish-green below, covered with brown-brown procumbent hairs, especially on the veins; petiole with gray-brown procumbent hairs. 1-3 flowers are terminal and fragrant; sepals are 5, lanceolate, green, about 1.5 cm long, with glandular hairs and tomentose; corolla is white, broadly funnel-shaped, 4-5 cm in diameter, and lobes are ovate-elliptic; stamens are 5-10, filaments are slender, with glandular hairs near the base, anthers are purple; ovary is superior, with many ovules in each locule, style is slender, about 4 cm long, stigma capitate, with tomentose hairs. Capsule hairy. Flowering period is from April to May. Fruiting period is September.

【Habitat distribution】 Cultivated or wild. Distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, Guizhou, Hebei, Shanxi, Hunan, Shaanxi and other places.

[Chemical composition] The flowers contain rhododendron glycoside and a small amount of rhododendron yellow pigment. The leaves contain a variety of flavonoids: quercetin, gossypol, kaempferol, myricetin, ericin and dihydroquercetin. It also contains rhododendronol, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, vanillic acid and syringic acid.

[Toxicity] If white azalea is eaten as a wild vegetable, poisoning may often occur. It was reported that a family of four was poisoned by eating white azalea flowers, with each person taking 2 to 8 taels. 1 to 2 hours after eating, 4 people fell ill one after another. The main symptoms were nausea, vomiting, palpitations, dizziness, blurred vision, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs, etc. Physical examination: cyanosis of lips and fingertips, increased respiratory rate, decreased blood pressure, weak heart sounds, slow and irregular heart rhythm, and electrocardiogram showed sinus bradycardia and premature ventricular contractions (5 to 7 times/min). After being treated as for common food poisoning, all patients recovered after 2 to 3 days.

【Nature and flavor】 ①《Classification of Herbal Properties》: "Sweet taste, warm nature."

【Functions and indications】Regulates blood and disperses blood stasis. Treat vomiting blood, intestinal bleeding, dysentery, metrorrhagia, and bruises.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 0.5 to 1 liang. For external use: decoct in water and wash.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 From "Sichuan Chinese Medicine Records"

Regarding the white azalea introduced in the article, I hope everyone can learn more about it in daily life, so that they can receive correct treatment when facing the trouble of the disease.