What are the effects and functions of milk flower

If we often go to the wild, we can see a kind of plant in the grass. Its leaves look a bit like dandelions, but they are wider and taller than dandelion leaves. This is the so-called milk cauliflower. It is not a simple plant, but a Chinese medicinal material. So, what are the effects and functions of milk flower? Let’s take a closer look below.

Milkweed is a perennial herb with white latex. The whole plant is covered with soft hairs, and the roots are carrot-shaped; the stem is 40-80 cm tall and unbranched. Basal leaves are cordate with long petioles; stem leaves are alternate, elliptic, narrowly ovate, 3-11 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, acute or shortly acuminate at the apex, cuneate at the base, with irregular serrations on the edges, and sessile. The flowers are purple-blue, connate, and 5-lobed; the inflorescence is a narrow panicle, with few branches, or a pseudoracemose, borne at the neck. Capsule dehiscent at base with 3 holes. Flowering period is August to October. Sweet in taste, cool in nature.

Clears away heat, nourishes yin, moistens the lungs and relieves cough.

1. Impact on immune function

Intraperitoneal injection of apricot leaf and Adenophora Root decoction (0.5 g/mouse) can significantly increase the number of lymphocytes and T cells in the peripheral blood of mice; the number of lymphocytes and T cells in the thymus also tends to increase, and can significantly increase the phagocytic percentage of peritoneal macrophages in mice; it can significantly increase the weight of the spleen of mice, but reduce the number of lymphocytes and T cells in the spleen of mice. This shows that Adenophora adenophora can enhance the body's cellular immunity and nonspecific immunity, and inhibit humoral immunity. It has the function of regulating immune balance. Adenophora can also increase the lymphocyte conversion rate.

2. Expectorant effect: Gavage of 1g/kg of Adenophora Root decoction to rabbits showed a certain expectorant effect, which could last for more than 4 hours, but the intensity of the effect was not as strong as that of Adenophora odoratum.

3. Antifungal effect: The water extract of Adenophora radix (1:2) has different degrees of inhibitory effect on skin fungi such as Microspores of tinea audouin and Microspores of tinea woolly in vitro.

4. Cardiotonic effect: 1% Adenophora radix extract has a significant cardiotonic effect on the isolated toad heart, increasing the amplitude of the isolated heart and the effect can last for 5 minutes.