The efficacy and function of snake basil

The medical value of snake plant is beyond our imagination. It is very effective in treating some diseases. Snakehead tea contains many substances that are beneficial to the human body. Let’s take a look.

[Alias] Death snake, hairy tiger (Luchuan Materia Medica), yellow grass, great resurrection (Guangxi Medicinal Plant List), false patchouli (Guangzhou Air Force Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook).

[Source] The stems and leaves of the Lamiaceae plant.

[Original form] Annual herb, 0.5 to 2 meters tall, with fragrance when rubbed. Stem erect, stout, branched, more or less hairy. The leaves are opposite, ovate, 4 to 9 cm long, becoming smaller towards the upper part, slightly obtuse at the tip, rounded or shallowly cordate at the base, with small serrations on the edges, and covered with sparse soft hairs on both sides; with long petioles. 2 to 4 flowers, axillary, arranged in racemes or panicles; calyx about 4 mm long in flowering, but quickly grows to 1 cm long, linear, pubescent, 5-lobed at apex, with cone-pointed teeth, erect; corolla blue, 6 to 8 mm long, 2-lipped, lower lip fissured in the middle, sac-shaped; 4 stamens. The fruit is a small nut. Flowering period is autumn.

[Habitat distribution] Grown on the side of the mountain, or planted beside the house or in the garden. Distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi, Taiwan and other places.

[Pharmacological action] The decoction and water extract (adding alcohol to remove the precipitate) of the leaves and stems have a weak excitatory effect on the isolated guinea pig ileum, and have no obvious effect on the isolated rabbit duodenum and rat uterus. In the rat hind limb perfusion test, the water extract has a vasodilatory effect. Both had no significant effect on isolated rabbit hearts. When 0.1 g of crude drug/kg was injected intravenously in anesthetized dogs, neither had a significant effect on blood pressure. When mice were intraperitoneally injected with 1 gram of the decoction of the herb per mouse, both mice died within 24 hours. The water extract had no obvious toxicity.

【Nature and flavor】Acrimonious, warm.

【Functions and indications】Disperses wind and blood stasis. Detoxify and relieve pain. Treat colds, rheumatism, eczema, and trauma.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 2 to 3 qian; or mash into juice, soak in wine. For external use: decoct in water and wash.

[Additional prescription] ① Treat bleeding from knife wounds, swelling and pain from bruises: mash the fresh leaves of Mao Lao Hu and apply to the affected area. (Guangzhou Air Force "Handbook of Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines")

[Clinical Application] Hemostasis: 1. Powder: Grind the dried leaves of the herb into fine powder and sterilize at low temperature. In case of external injury or surgical bleeding, sprinkle an appropriate amount on the bleeding area and apply pressure for a few minutes to stop the bleeding. Take orally 10 to 15 grams per day, once or divided into several doses. ㈡ Tablets: Boil the whole herb of Mao Lao Hu twice, add the fine powder of Mao Lao Hu leaves when it is concentrated to be sticky, and press into tablets. Each tablet is equivalent to 1 gram of dry Mao Lao Hu leaves. For gastrointestinal bleeding, 9 to 15 tablets per day, divided into 1 to 3 doses. ㈢Aqueous solution: A concentrated solution extracted with water, each milliliter is equivalent to 10 grams of hairy tiger. Used for trauma and surgical bleeding, use sterilized gauze dipped in medicine to compress or fill the bleeding area. ㈣ Injection: Each milliliter is equivalent to 2 mg of alcohol precipitation of Mao Lao Hu. For internal bleeding, inject 2 ml intramuscularly each time. Can also be used externally. The powder and aqueous solution were used clinically to treat 43 cases of traumatic bleeding by local compression. Except for 3 cases that were ineffective, the bleeding stopped quickly in all other cases. Powder (or tablets) were used to treat 32 cases of upper gastrointestinal ulcer complicated with bleeding. After taking the medicine for 3 to 7 days, the stools of 31 cases turned yellow, and there was 1 case with no effect. Among 4 cases of liver cirrhosis complicated with esophageal varicose bleeding, the bleeding gradually stopped in 2 cases after taking medication, and in 2 cases it was ineffective. Mao Lao Hu achieves the purpose of hemostasis by promoting the formation of blood clots in blood vessels. It has the best hemostatic effect on extensive bleeding and tissues that cannot be ligated. The drug will work quickly if the bleeding surface can fully contact the drug, otherwise it will be ineffective. Therefore, its effect on gastrointestinal bleeding is not as good as that on traumatic bleeding. No adverse reactions or side effects were found during use, and no multiple thrombosis was observed.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 From "Luchuan Materia Medica"

Everyone should know the medicinal value of snake basil, so you can be more targeted when consuming it. More reasonable use of the medicine can better treat some common diseases.