The efficacy and function of iron nail vegetable

Traditional Chinese medicine is a Chinese tradition. For many Chinese people, seeing a Chinese doctor and taking Chinese medicine when they are sick is their tradition and habit. Therefore, Chinese medicine is liked by many people. Iron nail vegetable is a common Chinese medicinal material. Let’s learn about it together below.

[Other names] Iron wire grass, scissors grass, iron grass, drum bell

[Source] Medicinal material source: The algae of the plants Hedyotis diffusa and Hedyotis diffusa of the Hedyotis family.

[Original form] 1. The body of the iron nail algae is dark brown and turns black after drying. Cartilaginous, 4-15cm high, cylindrical body, compound branching, branches are thin cylindrical, some are slightly flat and slightly angular, with a short petiole about 1-2cm long. The twigs are cylindrical and slightly flat, with a width of about 1-2mm in the middle and gradually narrowed and pointed at the top. The medulla is composed of crisscrossing filamentous cells. The cortex is composed of about 6-30 rows of small cells, which are closely arranged perpendicular to the surface of the alga. When the algae mature, the branch tips become lighter in color. From the cross-section, single-chambered spore sacs are observed growing out of the cortex, and colorless trichomes with single-row cells extend out of the cortical trichomes. The algal holdfast is small disc-shaped.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: 1. Grown on rocky reefs impacted by waves in mid- and high-tide zones, it grows all year round.

[Properties] Identification of properties (1) The body of the algae of the iron nail vegetable is dark brown, covered with white frost, and often forms irregular clumps. After being flattened in water, it is gray-brown to yellow-green, thin strips, 4-12cm long, with forked branches, the branches are thin cylindrical, slightly angular, or slightly oblate, with a diameter of 1-1.5mm. There is a holdfast at the base, which is small disc-shaped and has a short stalk. It is hard and brittle and easily broken. It has a fishy smell and a salty taste.

[Chemical composition] Ipomoea batatas contains diacylglycerylhydroxymethyltrimethyl-β-alanine (DGTA) and phosphatidylcholine (PC). It also contains alginate, glucosan, alginic acid, crude protein, mannitol, potassium, iodine, etc.

【Nature and flavor】 Salty; cold

【Meridian】 Liver meridian

【Functions and indications】 Softening and dispersing lumps; detoxifying; expelling ascaris. Cervical lymphadenopathy; goiter; laryngitis; ascariasis

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 15-30g.

[Additional recipe] Because this product is black when dried and has a hard texture, it is also known as iron nail vegetable.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above is a brief introduction to the medicinal value of iron nail grass. For most people in real life, there is no need to worry about side effects when using iron nail grass to treat diseases. Therefore, using iron nail vegetable to treat diseases is an effective and practical treatment method, and it has been widely used in clinical practice.