What is Hedyotis diffusa, also known as mallow, also known as Hosta, Fat Vegetable, Mixed Vegetable, etc., is an aquatic plant of the family Euphorbiaceae. They can be seen in rice growing areas all over the country and in the south of the Yangtze River basin.
Morphological characteristics The rhizome of Hedyotis diffusa is very short, erect or inclined, with a height of12 ~ 35 cm. The whole plant is smooth and hairless, the leaves are basal or stem-shaped, and the shape and size of the leaves vary greatly, from heart-shaped wide oval and long oval to needle-shaped, with a length of 2-7 cm and a width of 0.8-5 cm. The top end is short or tapering, and the base is round or shallow, with arc-shaped veins. Petiole length10 ~ 20 cm.
Growth habit 1, dormancy and germination seeds of Hedyotis diffusa have a long dormancy period, and dormancy is released in early spring. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 13~25, but if the temperature is above 30℃, the germination of Hedyotis diffusa will be inhibited. Hedyotis diffusa is a typical aquatic weed, which can germinate under water.
2. The root system of Hedyotis diffusa is shallow, and it needs sufficient water, fertilizer, light and temperature to grow larger plants during the growth process. The optimum growth temperature of Hedyotis diffusa is between 20-25℃. Under the condition of sufficient water, Hedyotis diffusa can grow a leaf every 3-4 days, and it grows most vigorously from late June to early July.
3. Hedyotis diffusa will blossom and bear fruit one after another after July, which is closely related to light. Generally, Hedyotis diffusa with sufficient light has higher green fruit. After fruiting, Hedyotis diffusa will not wither, but will continue to grow. Generally, the life span of seeds can reach more than 2 years under the condition of sufficient water, and it is only 1-2 years in dry soil.
4. Hedyotis diffusa blooms and bears fruit after July. After flowering and bearing fruit, the plant can continue to grow without withering immediately. Flowering and fruiting are closely related to light, and the fruiting rate is higher in central ditch and field edge. In the state of water saturation, the life span of seeds can reach more than 2 years when placed in dry soil.
Medicinal Efficacy The main functions of Hedyotis diffusa are: clearing away heat, cooling blood, inducing diuresis, clearing away heat and toxic materials, and treating dysentery, enteritis, acute tonsillitis, gingival abscess, erysipelas and furuncle. Can be confirmed in the following medical skills:
1, Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine: Clearing Liver and Cooling Blood
2, "Jiangsu Medicinal Materials": Treating dysentery and abdominal pain.
3, "Tang Materia Medica": the main fever wheezes, and the child is swollen.
4, "Shaanxi Chinese Herbal Medicine": pain relief, bone separation. Treat dental diseases.
5, "Herbal Manual": Treating dysentery, enteritis, gingival pus, acute tonsillitis, sore throat.
6, "Nanning Pharmacology": clearing heat and detoxifying. Treat sudden heat and erysipelas, and treat swollen sores and snake bites by external application.
When Hedyotis diffusa is flooded, it will do harm to crops. Generally, it is a continuous cropping field of rice and wheat, and the field with good irrigation and drainage conditions, stable irrigation water source and high fertilization level, especially the field with large amount of available nitrogen fertilizer, is more harmful.