Have you heard of the Chinese herb called Dawayao? Dawayao is the whole plant or root of the herbaceous plant Dawayao of the Euphorbiaceae family, mainly distributed in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and other regions in China!
Image of Dawayao
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Dawayao has the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and diuresis. It is used for pneumonia, empyema, sore throat, oral ulcers, bladder stones, abscesses, and other conditions.
Dawayao is also known as Gouweicao and Quanchongcao. It is an annual herbaceous plant, growing to a height of 15-60cm. The roots are cylindrical and turn yellow-brown when dried. The stems are erect, stout, and branched, covered with rough hairs.
The leaves are opposite or nearly opposite; petioles are 2-5cm long; leaf blades are ovate or elliptic, 4-10cm long and 2-4cm wide, with a short or gradually pointed apex and a rounded or truncate base that extends down to the petiole;
The margins are slightly serrated or slightly wavy, and both sides are sparsely covered with short rough hairs. The inflorescence is spike-like, 5-20cm long, slender and curved, solitary, unbranched, terminal or opposite to the leaves, without bracts;
The flowers are small and densely arranged in 2 rows on one side of the inflorescence axis; the calyx is deeply divided into 5 lanceolate lobes, covered with rough hairs; the corolla is light blue or blue-purple, rarely white, with a high foot-shaped disc, 3-5mm long, and 5 shallowly lobed at the apex;
The lobes are nearly circular, expanded, the throat is smooth, and there are no appendages; there are 5 stamens, hidden inside, attached to the base of the corolla tube; the ovary is small, and the style and stigma are very short, with the stigma being wide and conical, and the apex being flat and truncated.
The fruit is ovoid, 4-5mm long, with longitudinal ribs and deeply divided into 2 lobes, with each lobe splitting into 2 single-seeded segments. The flowering period is from April to July, and the fruiting period is from August to October.
1. "Selected Compilation of Guangxi Materia Medica": "Clears heat, detoxifies, and resolves abscesses and swelling."
2. "National Compendium of Chinese Medicinal Herbs": "Clears heat and detoxifies. It is used for pneumonia, lung abscess, empyema, diarrhea, dysentery, orchitis, diphtheria, oral ulcers, and boils."
