Chinese herbal medicine Wuxiangteng is cool in nature after being used as medicine. Boiling the root of Wuxiangteng in water can have the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. But can children eat the root of Wuxiangteng? Let's find out!
Wuxiangteng
Let's start with the efficacy of the root of Wuxiangteng. It can clear heat, detoxify, invigorate blood circulation, reduce swelling and relieve pain. It is used to treat flu, snake bites, rabies, rheumatism, numbness, injuries, irregular menstruation, abscesses, and toxic sores. The ancient book "Yunnan Chinese Herbal Medicine" states: "The root can clear heat, detoxify, reduce swelling, and relieve pain. It can prevent meningitis, flu, treat snake bites, unknown swelling and toxicity, external bleeding, and fractures."
Wuxiangteng is also known as Snake Venom Medicine, Detoxification Powder, Iron Bone Powder, Little Red Robe, and Rock Blue Leaves ("Yunnan Chinese Herbal Medicine"). It is a whole plant of the Magnolia family. It can be harvested all year round. The roots and stems are sliced and dried; the leaves are dried or used fresh.
Wuxiangteng is an evergreen climbing shrub. The main root is thick and cylindrical. The leaves are alternate, subleathery, ovate-lanceolate to elongate-elliptic, 5-15 centimeters long, gradually pointed at the apex, rounded at the base, with almost entire or slightly serrated edges. The flowers are unisexual, axillary, 1-2 per axil, with narrow triangular bracts measuring about 1 millimeter in length and width; the outermost 3-5 petals are small, triangular to nearly kidney-shaped, with hairy edges, and the inner 5 petals are purple-red, ovate to elliptic; the stamens are nearly spherical. The fruit turns bright red when ripe. It flowers in summer. Wuxiangteng grows in sunny rock crevices or mountain slope thickets. It is distributed in Yunnan.
The most common usage of Wuxiangteng is decoction, 4-6 qian (Chinese unit of weight); or soaking in alcohol; or external use: mashed for application or ground into powder for sprinkling. For the treatment of snake bites, rabies, and toxic sores: take an appropriate amount of Wuxiangteng leaves, mash them and apply externally. For the treatment of rheumatism, numbness, injuries, stomachache, irregular menstruation, and vasculitis: take 4-6 qian of Wuxiangteng roots and stems, decoct and take orally, or soak in alcohol and take. For the treatment of external bleeding: grind the skin or leaves of Wuxiangteng root into powder and apply to the wound.
In summary, although the root of Wuxiangteng has good effects in clearing heat and detoxifying, infants can only consume formula milk or breast milk before adding complementary foods at four months old. When starting to add complementary foods, they should only eat simple foods like rice cereal or egg yolks. Other foods should be added slowly after one year old. Considering the nature of Wuxiangteng and the development of a child's body, the root of Wuxiangteng can be consumed by children after the age of 9.
