morphological shrub, 1 ~ 2m high. Branches are slender, often bent and drooping, with thorns. Leaves alternate or clustered on short branches, ovoid rhomboid to ovoid-lanceolate, 2 ~ 6 cm long and .5 ~ 1.7 cm wide. 1 ~ 4 flowers clustered in leaf axils; Calyx bell-shaped, 3-5-lobed; Corolla leaky-headed, lavender, 5-lobed, with predestined relationship hair; Stamens 5, filaments densely white pilose at base; Ovary 2-loculed. Berry ovoid or long elliptic ovoid, 5 ~ 15 mm long, red. Seeds kidney-shaped, brownish yellow. The flowering period is from June to September and the fruiting period is from July to October.

Born in sunny and dry places on hillsides and fields; There is cultivation. Location: Shanxi, Henan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu; It is produced in most parts of the country.

collecting and digging all year round, peeling the roots and drying in the sun.

The root bark is tubular, grooved or irregularly rolled. The tube is .5 ~ 2 cm in diameter and 1 ~ 3 mm in thickness. The outer surface is khaki or grayish yellow, rough, with staggered cracks and easy to peel off; The inner surface is yellow and white with fine longitudinal stripes. Brittle, the broken surface is divided into two layers, the outer layer is thick and khaki; The inner layer is white. Slightly fragrant and slightly sweet.

chemical constituents in the root bark include betaine, lyciumamide, β-sitosterol, sugiol, melissic acid, linoleic acid and cinnamic acid.

cold in nature and sweet in taste.

indications: cooling blood, removing steaming, clearing lung-heat and reducing fire. Used for hot flashes due to yin deficiency, night sweats due to bone steaming, cough due to lung heat, hemoptysis and epistaxis.