This plant, which is used to treat asthma, is often removed as a weed.

There used to be a riddle circulating in the countryside: "A green bamboo pole with eighteen sections, which grows without leaves until it dies." I wonder if anyone can guess what this riddle is? In fact, this thing refers to the native ephedra in rural areas. It looks like bamboo in sections, but this seemingly useless weed actually has a very well-known effect, which is to treat stubborn asthma.

Ephedra sinica does not grow leaves and is specifically used to cure chronic asthma. Rural people should not treat it as weeds. Ephedra sinica does not grow in the soil. It likes water by nature, so it often grows in rice fields, competing with the rice fields for nutrients. Its surface is very rough, and since ancient times, carpenters have used it to polish wooden and ivory products, making wooden gadgets and ivory look smoother. It has another name called horsetail grass, which is said to be named because Li Shizhen described it as "a thief in the cloud wood".

Ephedra sinica does not grow leaves and is specifically used to cure chronic asthma. Rural people should not treat it as weeds because it can be picked all year round. After being dried and cut into sections, it becomes a Chinese medicinal material. Elderly people in rural areas often drink this in tea. Some elderly people can prolong their lifespan and live longer just by drinking this. Its most famous effect is in treating stubborn asthma, and it can be said that it is absolutely effective. Xiao Wang has a colleague who initially had just a cold but later developed asthma due to lack of care. He tried all kinds of Chinese and Western medicines but to no avail. Finally, he heard from his grandmother that he could drink horsetail grass soaked in water. After drinking it in water, it has no bitter taste and does not smell as bad as Houttuynia cordata. My cough stopped after drinking it for a week. The weeds growing on the horizon in the countryside can actually cure the problems that neither Chinese nor Western medicine can cure.

Ephedra is not without leaves. If you look closely, you can see small water chestnuts at the junction of the nodes. And although it grows beside fields, its existence has been found in fossils as early as 360 million years ago. Ancient plants like Ephedra sinica, which can treat asthma, grow in rice fields all year round and form large patches. I hope people living in rural areas will not pull them out and discard them as weeds. You should know that they can help treat coughs and asthma, and are good things that can prolong life.