The efficacy and function of mountain peony

Euphrasia officinalis is a medicinal material that is quite common in life. We can eat Euphrasia officinalis appropriately. Since many people don’t know much about Euphrasia officinalis, let’s take a look at it below.

[Other names] White-headed woman, Perilla frutescens, southern Perilla frutescens, balance-pole grass, moving the steamer, wild cohosh, hemp balance-pole, balance-pole cohosh, red cohosh, earth cohosh, Zelan, blood cohosh, fine black cohosh, Perilla frutescens

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb of Cymbidium wilfordii of the Asteraceae family.

[Original morphology] Single-leafed orchid is a perennial herb, 1-2m tall. The underground rhizome is creeping and lignified; the roots are slender and mostly curved. The stem is erect, often tufted, woody at the base, green above with purple spots, and covered with soft hairs. Simple leaves are opposite; petiole is 1-2cm long; leaf blade is ovate, ovate-elliptical or needle-shaped, 7-16cm long, 3-8cm wide, gradually narrowed at the base, with serrated edges, dark green above, nearly glabrous, light green below, sparsely hairy, more on the veins, with glandular dots. There are many capitulums, arranged in umbels at the stem or branch tops, with a small bract at the base of the inflorescence, and the involucre is bell-shaped; there are about 9 involucral bracts, obtuse at the apex, arranged in an imbricate manner; the capitulum contains 5 white bisexual tubular flowers, with 5 lobes at the apex. Achenes 5-ribbed, hairy or with glandular dots; pappus white and feathery. Flowering and fruiting period is from June to November.

[Habitat distribution] It grows in sunny grass on hillsides and along ditches in hilly areas. Except Xinjiang and Tibet, it is widely distributed throughout the country.

[Properties] Identification of properties: The stem is cylindrical, 40-80cm long, brown or dark purple-red on the surface, with longitudinal wrinkles and scattered purple spots, covered with white hairs; it is hard, the broken surface is yellow-white, fibrous, and has white loose pith in the center. The leaves are opposite, mostly broken, wrinkled and curled. The complete leaves are often three-lobed when flattened. The lobes are ovate-oblong, gradually or sharply pointed at the apex, cuneate at the base, with coarse serrations on the edges. They are dark green on the upper side and light green on the lower side. The plasma membrane is easily detached. The inflorescence is borne at the end of the branch, with many tubular flowers, remnants of membranous bracts, and some still with achenes. It has a fragrant aroma and a slightly astringent taste.

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : It also contains germacrene D. The leaves contain coumarin, o-coumaric acid, and thymohydroquinone. The roots contain euparin. Eu-panin, eupachifolin A, B, C, D, E, eu-pasimplicin A, B and deacetyleu-Pasimplicin A (or B) are also isolated from the leaves.

【Pharmacological Action】 1. Anti-cancer effect: In the in vitro test of total alkali, the average IC50 for cervical squamous cell carcinoma (Hela) cells was 103.4±9.8μg/ml. In vivo experiments showed that intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/(kg/day) of total biotin for 7 consecutive days can significantly prolong the survival of mice bearing ascites sarcoma S180. When the same dose is injected subcutaneously, the anti-tumor effect is poor. When total bioalkaloids were used together with cyclophosphamide, both routes of administration showed synergistic effects. Mouse S180 solid tumors are less sensitive to total alkali.

[Toxicity] Feeding its fresh leaves and juice to rabbits can cause chronic poisoning, mainly damaging the kidney and liver tissues, and causing diabetes; 0.3g of the alcohol extract of the leaves can cause general anesthesia, respiratory depression, decreased body temperature, and increased blood sugar in rabbits.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy; bitter; neutral

【Functions and indications】Dispels heat and releases exterior; eliminates dampness and harmonizes the middle; regulates qi and activates blood circulation; detoxifies. It is used to treat various injuries caused by summer heat and dampness; fever and headache; abdominal distension and stuffiness; indigestion; gastroenteritis; stomach cold; cough; pharyngitis; tonsillitis; irregular menstruation; injuries from falls; carbuncle; snake bites

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decocted in water, 9-15g; or ground into powder, 6-9g each time, twice a day. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash it for application.

[Additional prescription] The stems and branches of this product are straight and strong, with scattered purple spots, like a scale beam, hence the name scale beam grass. The inflorescence is terminal and the white flowers are dense, so it is called "white head".

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

In fact, you will only know its benefits after practicing it. Just like the Chinese medicine Cyperus rotundus introduced above, it turns out that Cyperus rotundus can also treat some other diseases. Therefore, eating it in moderation has many benefits.