The efficacy and function of Crotalaria

The environment is now seriously deteriorating and various diseases are emerging one after another. In order to prevent the occurrence of various diseases and ensure good health, many people choose to enhance their immunity through diet. As a food ingredient that can fundamentally regulate various functions of the body, Chinese medicinal materials have received widespread attention. Today I will introduce to you the medicinal herb Crotalaria chinensis.

【English Name】 Striped Crotalaria Herb

[Other names] White pig dung bean, wild bitter bean, big-eyed orchid, wild yellow bean grass, pig dung green, wild peanut, big bell, water bamboo, bell grass

[Source] Medicinal material source: the whole herb of Croton rot of the Leguminosae family.

[Original form] Croton glomerata is an upright, short shrub. Stems and branches closely pubescent. Leaves are alternate, trifoliate; petioles are 2-4cm long, densely hairy; stipules are small, bristle-like and fall off early; leaflets are obovate-oblong or narrowly elliptic, 3-5cm long, 1.5-2cm wide, with obtuse and sometimes slightly emarginate tips. The base is cuneate, glabrous above and slightly covered with silky hairs beneath; the veins are obvious. The racemes are terminal and axillary, with 20-50 flowers; the bracts fall off early; the calyx is 4-6mm long, the calyx tube is cup-shaped, with 5 lobes at the apex, and the lobes are triangular. Folded outward, about the same length as the calyx tube; butterfly-shaped corolla, yellow, with the standard petal embedded with purple stripes, about 13mm long, the corolla extends far beyond the calyx, with 10 stamens, separated at the upper part, the ovary oblong, the style inward curved, and the stigma small. The pods are oblong, hairy when tender, almost hairless when ripe, drooping, and twisted when the petals open. 20-30 seeds. Flowering and fruiting period is from June to October.

【Habitat distribution】Ecological environment: cultivated or wild on hillsides and roadsides.

[Chemical composition] Crotalaria seeds contain bioalkalis such as mucronatine, mucronatinine, usaramine, nilgirine, crotastriatine and integerrimine. It also contains β-sitosterol, luteolin, vitexin, vitxin-O-xyloside and lectins.

[Pharmacological action] 1. General pharmacology: Intravenous injection of 1-3 mg/kg of Senecio nitrosamine in dogs has a significant antihypertensive effect. In addition, it also has muscle relaxant and antispasmodic effects. Croton dahliae has an atropine-like effect.

[Toxicity] Crotalaria seeds and leaves contain a large amount of bioalkali, which can be absorbed through the skin. They are mainly toxic to the liver, but do not cause anemia, decreased serum total protein, or prolonged plasma prothrombin time (rats). Feeding the leaves of the plant during its flowering period can cause poisoning to goats, while the dried leaves lose their toxicity. The median lethal dose of radlanil for rats injected intraperitoneally is 37 mg/kg.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; pungent; neutral; toxic

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and dampness, detoxifies and resolves stagnation. It is used for damp-heat diarrhea, dribbling urine, infantile malnutrition, and mastitis.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 6-12g. For external use: take appropriate amount and mash it for application.

【Note】 Pregnant women should not take this medicine.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

Through the introduction of the above content, we can understand that the Chinese medicine Crotalaria foetida plays a very important role in many aspects. Proper consumption of Crotalaria has many benefits to our body.