Tribulus terrestris

Tribulus terrestris is a relatively common wild herb. In fact, many people hate this plant because it easily sticks to people's clothes and is difficult to remove. And it will sting people's hands if they grab it with their hands. However, many people do not know that it is also a medicinal herb that can be used as medicine. As long as it is combined with appropriate medicines, it can treat many diseases. Let’s take a look at it together below.

[Medicinal part] The ripe fruit of Tribulus terrestris, a plant of the Tribulus family.

[Plant morphology] Annual creeping herb, much branched, the whole plant is covered with soft hairs. Pinnate compound leaves are alternate or opposite, with 5 to 7 pairs of leaflets, oblong, 6 to 15 mm long, 2 to 5 mm wide, base often oblique, with stipules. Flowers are solitary in leaf axils; sepals 5; petals 5, yellow, caducous early; stamens 10, 5 long and 5 short; ovary superior, 5-chambered, stigma 5-lobed. The fruit consists of 4 to 5 lobes, each with a pair of long and short spines. Seeds ovate-triangular. The flowering period is from May to July, and the fruiting period is from July to September.

[Distribution] Grown in fields and roadsides. Distributed throughout the country, mostly in the north of the Yangtze River. It is cultivated in Henan, Hebei and other places.

[Harvesting and processing] The whole herb is harvested in autumn, dried, and the fruits are picked.

[Properties of the medicinal material] Multiple fruits are mostly composed of 5 lobes, which are radially arranged in a pentagonal sphere with a diameter of 0.7 to 1.2 cm. The commercial product is often split into a single sectional carp, which is axe-shaped triangle, 3 to 8 mm long, light yellow-green, with a raised back, longitudinal ridges and numerous small thorns, and a pair of symmetrical long and short thorns, separated in an "eight" shape. The two sides are rough, reticular, and grayish white; the pericarp is hard and woody, containing 3 to 4 seeds. The seeds are oval, slightly flat, light yellow-green and oily. It has a faint smell and a bitter taste.

[Nature and flavor and meridians] Slightly warm in nature, pungent and bitter in taste, slightly toxic. It enters the liver meridian.

[Effects and functions] Soothes the liver and relieves depression, promotes blood circulation and dispels wind, improves eyesight and relieves itching. It is a liver-calming and wind-relief medicine that belongs to the subcategory of liver-calming and wind-relief medicine.

[Clinical application] The dosage is 6 to 9 grams, decocted in water. It is used to treat headache and dizziness, chest and flank pain, breast obstruction and abscess, red eyes and cataracts, and itching caused by rashes. In clinical practice, it is often used with Cassia tora, Atractylodes macrocephala, etc. to treat headaches, dizziness and other symptoms. In addition, it can also be used for liver qi stagnation, chest and flank discomfort, etc. It can be combined with chrysanthemum, Kochia scoparia, Sophora flavescens, etc. to treat skin itching and rashes. It can be ground into powder after removing the thorns to make pills to treat vitiligo and other diseases.