Herbal pictures of Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla is a commonly used Chinese medicine and is listed as a low-grade medicine in Shennong's Herbal Classic. The herbal records of different generations and the products currently used in various provinces across the country are extremely inconsistent, and the original plant sources are also quite complicated. The commonly used products in Tianjin and Hebei are the roots of the Ranunculaceae plant Pulsatilla scabra. Pulsatilla scabra is a Chinese herbal medicine that comes from the roots of the plant Pulsatilla scabra, which are mostly harvested in autumn and dried as medicine. So do we know what the herb diagram of Pulsatilla looks like? Do you understand its functions and effects? If you don’t know, you can take a look at the pictures of the white-headed gentian I showed you, and I will tell you its functions and effects in detail.

Other names: Pink milkweed, white-headed grass, old lady grass, chrysanthemum seedling, old man flower, old crown flower, cat's paw flower.

Source: The dried root of the perennial woody plant Pulsatilla chinensis of the Ranunculaceae family, natural.

Place of Origin: The main producing areas are Hebei Province, Liaoning Province, Anhui Province, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi Province, Henan Province, Shaanxi Province, Jilin Province and other provinces.

Green plant shape: Perennial herb, 10~40 cm tall. The whole plant is densely covered with long, soft milky white hairs. The main stem is conical, with yellow-brown epidermis, and basal leaves are clustered with long petioles. The leaves are three-mountainous, and 2 to 3 leaflets are disintegrated. The branches emerge from the leaves, 1 to 3 in number, 10 to 40 cm high. The flower is single and terminal, with 6 petals arranged in two circles, and the flower orchid is blue-purple. Most of the achenes are clustered into heads. At the top of each achene, there is a feather-like persistent style, up to 6 cm long, and fluffy like white hair, hence the name white-headed mantis.

Characteristic identification: some are conical, distorted and bent, some are flat and have many cracks, and the shapes are different. The tip is usually broken and is about 5 to 20 cm long and 0.5 to 1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is yellow-brown or tan, rough and shaped like firewood damaged by wind. The outer skin has a reticular structure where the tax falls off. There are remnants of leaf bases at the root head, which are encapsulated layer by layer. The inner surface of the leaf base and bud scars are covered with velvety milky white soft hairs. The texture is firm and brittle. Easy to break. The cross section is yellowish white. Slightly bitter aroma. It is preferred to have symmetrical roots and solid material.

Main ingredients: Contains protoanemonin, saponin, etc.

The role and efficacy of Pulsatilla

The key effect is to eliminate dysentery and toxins. Its effects have been proven to be:

1. Anti-amoeba Cordyceps. The decoction of Pulsatilla can inhibit the growth of amoeba and its ingredient is saponin. Potentilla has a killing effect on the amoeba.

2. Anti-trichomoniasis. Granules can eliminate vaginal fungi during in vitro fertilization.

In addition, it also has antifungal and antibacterial (against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) effects.

Chinese medicine preparation: cut into slices and used raw.

Poria cocos effects: bitter and cold.

Meridians: Enters the stomach and small intestine meridians.

Function: Disperse blood, clear away heat, detoxify, and remove toxins.

Main treatment: bloody dysentery caused by heat toxins, warm malaria, epistaxis, hemorrhoid bleeding, etc. It is very effective in treating amoebic dysentery.

Clinical application: It is mainly used to treat amoebic dysentery, that is, damp-heat toxic dysentery, with thick or pure blood in the stool, abdominal pain, burning sensation at the anus, urgency and fever. It is also reasonable to treat bacterial dysentery. It can be used alone, but is more often used with Qinpi, Huangqin, and Huangbai, such as in the prescription of Baitouweng Decoction. For diarrhea caused by deficiency of qi and blood after childbirth, add licorice and donkey-hide gelatin cake, that is, whiteheada licorice and donkey-hide gelatin soup.

Note on use: Although Pulsatilla has significant effects on patients with subacute and chronic amoebic dysentery, it should not be used for those who have had diarrhea for a long time, whose vital energy has declined, and who have poor gastrointestinal function. When it is necessary to use it, Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos should be added to Pulsatilla decoction.

Dosage: 3-12g.

Prescription example: Baitouweng Decoction (Treatise on Febrile Diseases): Baitouweng 9g, Scutellaria baicalensis 6g, Phellodendron chinense 3g, Qinpi 6g, decocted in water and taken orally.

Note: According to the description under the entry of Whitehead in the first volume of "Chinese Materia Medica", there are more than 20 kinds of Whitehead sold all over the country, based on references and collected local samples. According to the description under the entry of Pulsatilla in the first volume of "Handbook of Identification of Chinese Medicines" published in 1972, there is still confusion, the excerpt is as follows: In Gansu Province, the Ranunculaceae plants Pseudostellaria baicalensis and wild cotton roots are used as Pulsatilla baicalensis. The roots of Potentilla ovata of the Rosaceae family or wolfberry with roots are used as Pulsatilla in Central China, Northwest China, East China and Inner Mongolia (Xilingmeng). In Henan Province, Anhui Province, Jiangsu Province, Jiangxi Province, Guangdong Province and Guangxi Province, the Rosaceae family's Herba Pogostemonis is used as the herb. In Inner Mongolia (Bamenghu City), Henan Province, Shaanxi Province (certain areas), Jiangsu Province (Jiangyin Nantong City, Huaiyin City), Hunan Province (Lingling Chenzhou City), the roots of the Asteraceae plant Lophatherum are used as white-headed ginseng. In Yunnan Province, the roots of the Asteraceae plant Gerbera or wolfsbane are used as whiteheads.

According to the article "Pharmacognostic Evaluation Research of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulsatilla" on page 25 of Volume 4, Issue 1, and page 265 of Volume 6, Issue 5 of "Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica", it is believed that the above "Tang Materia Medica" is consistent with the Ranunculaceae plant Pulsatilla that is currently used in many regions. The medicinal value of Pulsatilla should be dominated by this type. According to the description under the entry of Pleurotus eryngii in the first volume of "Chinese Materia Medica", since the discovery that Pleurotus eryngii is effective for amoebic dysentery, various parts of the country have conducted in-depth research on it. It is reported that due to the different sources of plants, some are effective for amoebic dysentery. It is difficult to ensure the effectiveness of similar trademark applications. This kind of confusion should be corrected.