Impatiens balsamina

Effects of Impatiens balsamina

Impatiens balsamina is the name of a medicinal material made from the stems of Impatiens balsamina after processing. It is a commonly used herb in the herb class of medicines. It also has many benefits on our human body and is widely used in medicine, gaining people's trust. But some people don't know much about it and are not clear about its main function. Today I will introduce to you the effects and functions of Impatiens balsamina.

Functions and indications: dispel wind and dampness, promote blood circulation and relieve pain. It is used to treat rheumatic pain, swelling and pain caused by falls, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, carbuncle, erysipelas, tinea palmata, snake and insect bites, etc.

Impatiens is an annual herb, 40 to 100 cm tall. The stem is fleshy, erect and strong. Leaves are alternate; petiole is about 1-3cm long, with several glands on both sides; leaf blade is lanceolate, 4-12cm long, 1-3cm wide, with acuminate tip, gradually narrowing base, sharp serrations on the edge, and 5-9 pairs of lateral veins.

The original plant morphology of this product was first described in "Jiuhuang Bencao", and its name was "Xiao Taohong". The Bencao Zheng says: "(Impatiens) is good at penetrating bones and opening the orifices, so it is also called Tougucao." The Gangmu Shiyi says: "Impatiens, also known as Tougucao, is named so because of its sharp nature and ability to soften hard objects." It also records under the Tougucao entry: "Wang Lianshi's Book of Collecting Medicinal Herbs: Tougucao is shaped like a horse whip and is very good at softening hard objects. Taking its juice and soaking it in tortoise shell can turn it into water...According to the records, the white flower of Impatiens is also called Tougucao Bai, which can chase away wind and disperse qi; the red flower is called Tougucao Hong, which can break blood and induce abortion, and is also called Tougucao. They are not the same thing."

Impatiens balsamina

1. Cross section of stem: The epidermis is covered with a thin cuticle and has non-glandular hairs. There are 4 to 5 rows of thick cornified cells. A few cells in the cortex contain bundles of calcium oxalate raphides. Endothelial cells sometimes have starch granules. The pericycle is composed of 1 to 3 rows of thin-walled cells. The phloem is narrow, the xylem vessels are scattered singly, the pith is broad, accounting for about 2/3 of the stem radius, and a few cells contain calcium oxalate raphides.

2. Surface observation of stem: The outer peripheral wall of epidermal cells has slightly keratinous texture; there are no stomata. Non-glandular hairs are composed of 1-8 to 20 cells, with a diameter of 24 to 42 μm. Some have short branches and have keratin lines on the surface.

Pedicels short, solitary or several clustered in leaf axils, densely pubescent; wing petals broad, short-stalked, 2-lobed, base lobes nearly rounded, upper lobes broadly axe-shaped, apex 2 shallowly lobed; lip boat-shaped, sparsely pubescent, base suddenly extended into a thin and incurved spur; anthers obtuse. The capsule is spindle-shaped, cracks at the touch when ripe, and is densely covered with fuzz. Seeds numerous, spherical, black; flowers large, usually pink or variegated, single or double; sepals 2, broadly ovate, with sparse short soft hairs; standard petal round, concave at apex, with a small pointed tip, with a keel on the midrib on the back.