Sea asparagus, also known as "Nalengmen," is the whole grass and fruit of the plant Lycium barbarum L. It has the effects of nourishing, stopping diarrhea, and calming. Let's take a look at its specific uses and medicinal formulations together with the editor!
【Morphology of Sea Asparagus】
Sea asparagus is a perennial herb, 20-30 cm tall. The stem base is swollen. The leaves are basal, linear, slightly flattened in the upper part, and semi-cylindrical in the lower part, widening at the base to form a sheath.
The flower stalk is 5-30 cm tall, with dense spike-like inflorescences at the upper end; the flowers are small, yellow-green, and have short stalks; they have no bracts.
The calyx consists of 6 ovate, scale-like segments arranged in 2 rows; the stamens are 6, opposite to the calyx, with few filaments; the ovary consists of 6 carpels, lacking a stigma, with a feathery style. The fruit is elongated with longitudinal grooves and splits into 6 segments when ripe. Flowering period is from June to July.
It grows in riverside wetlands, marshy meadows, and shallow waters. It is distributed in Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, and other regions.
【Harvesting Time of Sea Asparagus】
The whole grass is harvested from June to July, washed, cut into sections, and dried. The fruit is harvested from September to October.
【Chemical Composition of Sea Asparagus】
The immature fruit, flower, ripe fruit, stem, and leaves all contain hydrocyanic acid, as well as trace amounts of acetaldehyde and ethanol. The leaves also contain piperidine-2-carboxylic acid. Grape glucose cyanoglycoside, also known as Lycium barbarum glycoside, is separated from the flower, which hydrolyzes to produce Lycium barbarum acid, namely 2-butene-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid.
【Functions and Indications of Sea Asparagus】
① "Fruit: Nourishing, stopping diarrhea, calming. Used to treat eye pain." - "Medicinal Atlas of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau"
② "Whole grass: Clear heat, nourish yin, generate fluids, relieve thirst." - "Handbook of Traditional Tibetan Medicine"
【Dosage and Administration of Sea Asparagus】
Internal use: Decoction, 2-4 qian (6-12 grams).
【Selected Formulas】 ① For treating excessive heat injuring yin (dehydration), red face, crimson tongue, restlessness, cold limbs, spontaneous sweating, faint pulse: Sea asparagus is combined with yuzhu, baiwei, baishao, and muli, decocted and taken orally. - "Handbook of Traditional Tibetan Medicine"
② For treating spleen deficiency and diarrhea: Sea asparagus seeds are combined with dangshen, xiangqing, and laoguancao, decocted and taken orally. - "Handbook of Traditional Tibetan Medicine"
