Sugarcane mustard is the whole plant and seeds of the cruciferous plant sugarcane mustard. It is mainly distributed in Northeast China, North China, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and other places. It has the effects of invigorating the spleen and stomach, diuresis, and strengthening the heart. Let's learn about the medicinal uses of sugarcane mustard.
[Introduction of Sugarcane Mustard]
Functions and Indications
Sugarcane mustard tastes bitter and spicy, with a cold nature. It belongs to the spleen, stomach, and heart meridians. It can invigorate the spleen and stomach, promote diuresis, and strengthen the heart. It is mainly used for disharmony of the spleen and stomach, indigestion, and edema caused by heart failure.
Dosage and Administration
Oral administration: Decoction, 6-9g; Powdered and taken orally, 0.3-1g.
Collection and Processing
The whole plant is harvested in spring and summer, and the seeds are harvested when the fruits ripen from July to September. Cut the entire plant, dry it in the sun, remove the seeds, and clean them to obtain the medicinal material.
[Identification of Sugarcane Mustard]
1. Medicinal characteristics
The stem can grow up to 60cm long and is unbranched or branched in the upper part. It has angular edges and is densely covered with appressed forked hairs. The leaves are often wrinkled and become lanceolate or long elliptic after being flattened. The basal leaves are 5-15cm long, 0.5-2cm wide, with entire margins, and appressed forked hairs on both sides.
The flowers have a diameter of about 1cm, and the petals are orange-yellow and circular. It has a slight aroma and a slightly bitter taste. The seeds are long and elliptical, laterally compressed, about 2.5mm long, and dark reddish-brown. It has a slight aroma and a mild taste.
2. Appearance of prepared slices
It is an irregular small segment, a mixture of stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. The stem is round and strip-shaped with edges, and it is covered with appressed hairs. The leaves are often fragmented, with sparsely toothed or nearly entire margins. The flowers are light yellow, and the petals are ovate. The siliques are small or slender, with blunt edges, and there are numerous seeds, which are long and elliptical and dark reddish-brown.
[Pharmacological Effects of Sugarcane Mustard]
1. Cardiotonic effect
Experiments using decoctions of the whole plant on frog and rabbit hearts, as well as in vivo electrocardiograms of cats, show that sugarcane mustard has a typical cardiotonic effect similar to cardiac glycosides, characterized by rapid action and minimal accumulation.
2. Effects on experimental atherosclerosis
Daily administration of 0.03mg/kg of sugarcane mustard glycosides for 30 days can lower the blood cholesterol level of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits, increase the ratio of lecithin/phospholipid to cholesterol, and restore the DNA and RNA content in liver and muscle cells.
