Chinese medicine Xue Man Cao, grows in the wild forests, valleys, slopes, and wetlands at altitudes of 1600-3600 meters. It has been widely used in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. So, what does Xue Man Cao look like in the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine?
Image of Xue Man Cao
[Xue Man Cao in Traditional Chinese Medicine]
Xue Man Cao is a perennial tall herb or semi-shrub, reaching a height of 1-2 meters. The roots and rhizomes are red and have a red sap when broken. The stem is herbaceous with distinct ridges. The odd-pinnate compound leaves are opposite; the leaflets are leaf-shaped or linear, with 3-5 pairs, measuring 4-15cm long and 1.5-2.5cm wide. The leaflets have gradually pointed or obtuse tips, asymmetrical bases, serrated edges, and are sparsely covered with coarse hairs on both sides, with denser hairs along the veins. The base of one pair of leaflets at the top of Xue Man Cao is often connected along the petiole, and sometimes it is also connected to the terminal leaflet. The stipules of the leaflets degenerate into glandular bottle-shaped protrusions. The umbel inflorescence is terminal, in the form of an umbrella, about 15cm long. It has a peduncle with 3-5 branching at acute angles, initially covered with yellow short soft hairs, and may have glandular hairs. The flowers are small and have an unpleasant odor. The calyx is 5-lobed, covered with short soft hairs, with triangular lobes, and the lower part is fused into a bell shape. The corolla is white, radiate, and 5-lobed. There are 5 stamens, alternate, attached to the corolla tube, with enlarged bases and yellow anthers. The ovary is 3-loculed, with a very short style, and the stigma is 3-lobed. The fruit of Xue Man Cao is red and spherical. The flowering period is from May to July, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
[The Effects of Xue Man Cao]
According to the book "Yunnan Chinese Herbal Medicine," Xue Man Cao is named after its red roots and rhizomes, which release red sap when broken, resembling blood. The whole plant and root bark of Xue Man Cao can be used as medicine. It has a spicy taste, warm in nature, and has the effects of dispelling wind, activating collaterals, dispersing blood stasis, relieving itching, promoting blood circulation, and diuresis. It can be used to treat various symptoms such as acute and chronic nephritis, rheumatic pain, rubella itching, sequelae of infantile paralysis, chronic lumbago and leg pain, contusion and pain, fractures, trauma, and edema.
