The efficacy and function of Gesneria

As people's living standards improve, they pay more attention to health preservation. Many people know that the traditional Chinese medicine Gesneriaceae is good for the body and can treat many diseases. Let’s learn about it today.

【English name】 Common Conandron

[Other names] Sawtooth Panax notoginseng, One piece of white, rock vegetable, water turtle grass

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb of Gesneriaceae.

[Original form] Gesneriaceae is a perennial herb. The rhizome is short and procumbent, 1.4-3cm long, and the buds are densely covered with yellow-brown long soft hairs. Leaves are usually 1-2, rarely 3; petiole 4-19cm long, winged; leaf blade herbaceous or thin papery, elliptic or elliptic-ovate, 18-24cm long, 4.5-14.5cm wide, acuminate at apex, broadly cuneate or nearly rounded at base, with irregular teeth on margin, hairy on both sides, sometimes with sparse hairs along veins below. There are 1-2 peduncles, up to 17cm long, sparsely covered with white short soft hairs; the cymes are corymbose, with 5-10 flowers, and the peduncle is 9-12cm long, sparsely arranged or nearly glabrous; the bracts are small, spread out, 4-8mm long; the calyx is deeply lobed into 5 parts, the lobes are narrowly lanceolate or lanceolate-linear, slightly obtuse at the apex, and sparsely covered with soft hairs on the outside; the corolla is purple, 1-1.8cm in diameter, the tube is 3.5mm long, the lobes are 5, triangular-narrowly ovate, and obtuse at the apex; there are 5 stamens, attached to the base of the corolla, the filaments are extremely short, the anthers are connected to form a tube around the style, and the connective has a long appendage, about 2mm long; the pistil is glabrous, the flower is 5-6.6mm long, and the stigma is spherical. Capsule narrowly spherical or oblong-ovate, about 8mm long, with persistent style. Seeds light brown, hammer-shaped. The flowering period is June-July, and the fruiting period is August-September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Grown on rocks beside streams in valleys at an altitude of 600-1000m, and in the shade and wet places on stone walls in hillside forests.

【Properties】 The whole plant contains conandroside and acteoside. [1]

[Pharmacological action] The whole herb extract of Gesneriaceae has no anti-tumor effect in the anti-tumor screening experiment using the total cell volume method of sarcoma S180 ascites type. [1]

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; cold

【Meridian】 Heart meridian

【Functions and indications】Detoxifies snake venom. Primary snake bites

[Usage and Dosage] Usage and Dosage, External use: appropriate amount, mash and apply.

[Discussions by various scholars] "Xinhua Compendium of Materia Medica" says that the whole herb tastes bitter and is cold in nature. It has the function of clearing away heat and detoxifying. Used externally to treat snake bites.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the introduction of the above content, we can understand that the traditional Chinese medicine Gesneriaceae plays a very important role in many aspects. Proper consumption of gesnerium has many benefits for our body.