The alias is Crotalaria, Crotalaria, Achyranthes hirsuta, Chicken's nose and Chicken's bone yellow.

It comes from Achyranthes aspera L., a plant of Achyranthes of Amaranthaceae, and is used as medicine by root (Achyranthes bidentata) or whole grass (Achyranthes bidentata). Harvesting in summer and autumn, removing stems and leaves, and drying roots to obtain Achyranthes bidentata; If the whole grass is dried in the sun, it is inverted grass.

Original form of annual or biennial herbs, up to 1 m. The stem is erect or loose, solid, 4-angled, branched and pilose, as big as a knee, and the aboveground part turns dark red after autumn. Simple leaves opposite, stipitate. Light green flowers bloom in summer and autumn, and spikes are terminal and erect. Utricle ovoid, ca. 3 mm long.

The taste is slightly bitter and cold.

Functions: clearing away heat, detoxicating and diuresis. Used for treating common cold and fever, tonsillitis, diphtheria, mumps, malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, urinary calculi, nephritis and edema.

Usage and dosage: root and whole grass 0.5 ~12.

Remarks (1) There are many foreign objects with the same name named Achyranthes bidentata. In addition to the former species, Achyranthes acuminata, Japonicanakai and Achyranthes longifclia Makino of Achyranthes salicifolia belong to Achyranthes. Achyranthes aspera L. var.rubrofuscahook.f., Achyranthes aspera L. var.indica L. [a.obtusifolia lam.] and Achyranthes bidentata Blume, which are wild in various places.

Excerpt from "National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicine"