Baibu, also known as Baitiaogen, Jiuzhonggen, medicine lice, etc. It is a perennial grass of the family Encyclopedia. The underground roots are used for medicinal purposes and have the effects of moistening the lungs, relieving coughs, killing insects and relieving itching. Mainly used to treat chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, whooping cough, amoebic dysentery, hookworm disease, ascariasis, pinworm disease, skin itching, eczema, dermatitis and other diseases. External use to kill lice and maggots. Varieties are divided into creeping parts, erect parts and opposite-leaf parts. The main producing areas are Shaanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Fujian, etc.

1. Morphological characteristics

1. Upright parts: 30-60cm high. The roots are fleshy, often spindle-shaped, and grow in clusters of several to dozens. Stem erect, unbranched. The leaves are often in whorls of 3-4, occasionally 5, or 2 opposite; the leaves are oval or elliptical, 4-6cm long, 2-4cm wide, with a short pointed apex and a base that narrows into a short stalk or is nearly absent. Stalk, entire margin, 3-5(-7) main veins, 3 obvious ones in the middle. Most of the flowers are born in the axil of the scale leaves at the lower part of the stem, and the bracts are lanceolate; the pedicel is slender and flat, and the flowers are oblique or upright upward; the perianth is 4 pieces, ovate-lanceolate, light green, and the outer rows are 2 slightly larger; the stamens 4. Purple, the apex of the septum expands to form a lanceolate appendage, the anthers are linear, with a narrow oval appendage at the top; the ovary is triangular, the stigma is short, and there is no style. Capsule flat-ovate, bilobed. The seeds are oval in shape with white bristles attached at one end. The flowering period is from April to May and the fruiting period is from July.

2. Creeping stems: perennial twining herbs. The roots are bunched, fleshy, and long spindle-shaped. The stem is about 100cm long. The leaves are whorled with 2-4(-5) leaves, the petiole is 1.5-3cm long; the leaves are ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3-9cm long, 1.5-4cm wide, the apex is acuminate, the base is round or broadly wedge-shaped, and the edges are Often microwave-shaped, the leaves have 5-9 veins and are raised on both sides. The flowers are solitary or arranged in several cymes, with the total pedicel completely attached to the midrib of the leaf; the perianth has 4 pieces, which curl outward after opening; there is a short drill-shaped appendage at the top of the stamen anther. The capsule is ovate, slightly flat, 1-1.4cm long and 4-8mm wide. Seeds dark purple brown.

3. Opposite leaves: Perennial climbing herb. Stems grow to 4-5m. The leaves are usually opposite, the petiole is 4-6cm long, the blade is broadly oval, 10-20cm long, 3-10cm wide, the apex is acuminate to short-pointed, the base is heart-shaped, entire or microwave-shaped, and the main veins are 7-13. The total pedicel is 4-6cm long, with 1-3 flowers at the top, with more than 2 flowers. Capsule obovate.

2. Growth Habits

Baibu likes a cool and humid environment. Soil requirements: Deep soil, loose and fertile, sandy loam rich in organic matter is preferred. Heavy clay soil, saline-alkali land, and low-lying land are not suitable for planting.

3. Land preparation and fertilization

Select fields with high terrain and good drainage, and cultivate deeply and carefully. Combined with land preparation, apply sufficient base fertilizer: 3,000 kilograms of soil fertilizer, 20 kilograms of urea, and 50 kilograms of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer per acre, and then make a 1.5-meter-wide sorghum border and wait for sowing.

4. Sowing

Baibu propagates by seeds and divisions. The sowing period is divided into spring sowing and autumn sowing. Sowing in spring is before and after Qingming Festival, and sowing in autumn is before freezing.

Seed propagation: divided into two steps: seedling cultivation and transplanting. To raise seedlings? When sowing, first use a columbine to make a shallow trench on the finished border, then spread the seeds evenly into the trench, rake the covering soil flat, and water to maintain moisture to facilitate the emergence of seedlings. After the seedlings are gathered together, management should be strengthened, and they can be transplanted after one year of growth. The seeding rate per acre is 4 kg. One acre of seedlings can be transplanted into 10 acres of field.

Transplanting: Plant the one-year-old seedlings on the finished border with a spacing of 35 × 25 cm between rows and plants, and water to maintain moisture to facilitate survival.

Propagation by division: During harvest, the large root pieces are cut off, and then the upper root buds are divided into several plants. Each plant has 1-2 strong buds. Plant the plants on the finished border with a row-to-plant spacing of 35 × 25 cm. Water and maintain moisture to facilitate survival.

5. Field management

After all the seedlings are planted, pay attention to cultivating and weeding. Pay attention to watering in dry weather and drain water in time in rainy weather. Top dressing once every year before and after the beginning of autumn: 20 kg of urea and 10 kg of potassium dihydrogen phosphate per acre.

Clean the fields in winter and spread a layer of soil fertilizer on the borders. When the vine is 20 cm tall, a thin bamboo pole should be inserted next to the plant as a support for climbing to facilitate ventilation and light transmission.

6. Pest and disease control

There are few pests and diseases in Baidu. When found, conventional methods are used to control them. Pests such as red spider mites can be controlled with Promethaden or Triprophylaxis.

7. Harvesting and Processing

Baibu is generally harvested in the autumn, 2-3 years after planting, after the above-ground stems and leaves have withered. Remove the soil from the dug roots, cut off the fine roots, put them into boiling water and cook until there are no white cores, then take them out. It can be used as medicine after drying. The yield per mu is 200 kilograms.