What are the effects and functions of small flying grass?

Small flying grass is the name of a Chinese medicinal material. It can be seen in the southern region of my country, and it can also be found in Taiwan. As a Chinese medicinal material, although the fame of small flying grass is not as greater as common Chinese medicinal materials, or its value is not as higher as precious Chinese medicinal materials, it also plays its own role. So, what are the effects and functions of small flying grass?

Medicinal Part

Whole herb.

Flavor

It tastes sour, astringent, bitter and is cool in nature.

Meridians

It enters the spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians.

effect

Clears away heat, detoxifies, promotes dampness and relieves itching.

Indications

Used for dysentery, enteritis, allergic dermatitis, eczema, skin itching, and mastitis.

Related Combinations

1. To treat bloody dysentery: 30g of Herba Lycopodii. Decoction in water.

2. To treat infantile malnutrition: 10g each of Herba Hedyotis diffusae, Herba Lycopodii, and Herba Hedyotis diffusae, and 30g of pork liver. Decoction in water.

3. To treat diarrhea in children: 10g each of small flying grass, iron broom, leaf beads, and corn eye grass. Decoction in water.

Dosage

For internal use: decoction, 15-30g (30-60g for fresh ones), or decocted into juice. For external use: mash and apply or decoct in water for washing.

Collection and processing

Harvested in summer and autumn, used fresh or sun-dried.

Morphological characteristics

Annual herb. The roots are slender, about 10 cm long, with numerous adventitious roots. The stem is slender, often creeping, with many branches from the base, up to 10-20 cm long, only 1-2 (3) mm in diameter, and covered with sparse soft hairs. The leaves are opposite, elliptical, oblong or obovate, 4-8 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, rounded at the apex, oblique at the base, asymmetrical, rounded or nearly cordate, with fine serrations on the margin, rarely entire, often sparsely pubescent on both sides, rarely glabrous; the petioles are extremely short, about 1 mm long, the stipules are lanceolate or linear, 1-1.5 mm long, and easy to fall off. Inflorescence solitary or several clusters in leaf axils, with short petioles, 1-2 mm long, sparsely pubescent; involucre narrowly campanulate to turbinate, about 1 mm high, about 1 mm in diameter, sparsely pubescent on the outside, 5-lobed on the margin, ovate lobes; 4 glands, covered with white appendages. There are few male flowers, slightly extending from the edge of the involucre; there is one female flower, with a very short ovary stalk; the ovary is covered with appressed short soft hairs; there are 3 styles, separate; and the stigma is 2-lobed. Capsule ovate-triangular, about 1.5 mm long, 1.3-1.5 mm in diameter, covered with appressed pubescent hairs, splitting into 3 mericarps when mature. The seeds are ovate-quadrangular, about 0.7 mm long and 0.5 mm in diameter, dark red, with 4-5 transverse grooves on each prism; there is no caruncle. The flowering and fruiting period is from June to November.

Growth environment

It grows on moist sandy soil in gardens, roadsides or hillside meadows. Distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Fujian, Taiwan and other places.