Category: whole grass

English name: BittersweetHerb

Alias: Saussurea involucrata, Saussurea involucrata, Cucurbita moschata, and Mao Xiucai.

Source: the whole grass of SolanumlyratumThunb. of Solanaceae.

Picking: harvesting in summer and autumn and drying in the sun.

Sexual taste: cold in nature and sweet in taste; There is a little poison.

Plant morphology: perennial herbaceous vines, stems and leaves densely villous. Leaves alternate, mostly harp-shaped, 3.5 ~ 2.5～4cm in width, 2.5 ~ 4 cm in width, tapering at the apex, whole at the base or oval with 3 ~ 5 deeply divided middle lobes, which are large and villous on both sides; Petiole entire or 3 ~ 5-parted, middle lobe ovate, large, villous on both sides; The petiole is about 3cm long. Cymes terminal or axillary; Flowers blue or white, calyx 5-lobed; Corolla 5-parted, reflexed outward from base; Stamens 5, anther apical pore dehiscence; Ovary 2-loculed. Berries are round and red when ripe. The flowering period is from July to September, and the fruiting period is 9 ~11month.

Location: Born on hillside or roadside. Produced in Jiangsu, Shandong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Sichuan.

Chemical composition: contains β-hydroxysteroid alkaloids.

Indications: clearing away heat and toxic materials, expelling wind and promoting diuresis, and removing blood stasis. Can be used for treating damp-heat jaundice, wind-heat headache, leukorrhagia, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Remind you: Bai Ying, a Chinese herbal medicine, comes from the Internet. Please follow the doctor's advice before using it.