What is Herba Lysimachiae?
Herba Clerodendranthi, also known as Gelsemium elegans and Caulis Clematidis, is a plant of Loganiaceae, which is naturally distributed in some provinces and regions south of the Yangtze River in China, as well as in Southeast Asia and India. This plant has been famous since ancient times because of its virulence. Its whole body is toxic, even pollen is no exception, especially the roots and young leaves are extremely toxic. It is said that the roots of Gelsemium elegans, which have just been dug out of the soil, are still slightly fragrant, but smelling them for a while will make people feel dizzy. Zhao Xuemin, a medical scientist in the Qing Dynasty, said in the compendium of materia medica: "Hu Manteng (that is, Uncaria rhynchophylla) smells fragrant and burns it, which makes people unconscious." Adults will die if they eat 3 grams of Gelsemium elegans root or a few tender leaves and buds; Therefore, since ancient times, there have been many cases of hurting people or committing suicide by hooking. Surprisingly, such a highly toxic substance is a traditional medicine in China with the functions of expelling wind, attacking toxin, reducing swelling and relieving pain, but it is mainly used externally to treat scabies, eczema, carbuncle swelling and furuncle. Today, scientists have basically found out that the toxic substances in Gelsemium elegans are mainly a variety of alkaloids.