Chinese medicinal Ligustrum leaves are the leaves of the Ligustrum plant, a member of the Oleaceae family. They can be harvested throughout the year and used fresh or dried. Ligustrum leaves have the effects of improving eyesight, detoxification, reducing swelling, and stopping coughing. In clinical practice, they can be used to treat burns and radiation injuries.
[Composition]
Ligustrum leaves, sesame oil, beeswax
[Preparation]
Take 0.5 jin of Ligustrum leaves and boil them in 1 jin of sesame oil. After the leaves become dry, remove the leaves and add melted beeswax (2.5 liang in winter, 3 liang in summer) to make a ointment.
[Usage]
Apply the ointment to the affected area once a day. It has been effective in treating 30 cases of first to third degree burns and radiation injuries with different areas ranging from 1% to 20%.
[Effects and Functions of Ligustrum Leaves]
Ligustrum leaves have the effects of dispelling wind, improving eyesight, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. They are used to treat headaches, red and swollen heels due to wind and heat, ulcerated abscesses, burns, and oral ulcers.
1. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Dispels wind, disperses blood, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. Used to treat headaches, various types of ulcers and swelling, ulcerated abscesses. Boil the leaves in hot water and apply them frequently, or boil them with rice vinegar. For mouth and tongue ulcers, crush the leaves and soak them in water, then gargle with the liquid."
2. "Guizhou Folk Prescription Collection": "Applied externally to stop bleeding from wounds, reduce inflammation and swelling, and treat burns caused by hot liquids. Taken internally to stop coughing and vomiting blood."
3. "Shaanxi Chinese Herbal Medicine": "Clears heat and detoxifies. Can be used to treat mouth ulcers, swollen and painful gums, and burns."
[Description of Medicinal Plant]
Ligustrum is a shrub or tree that can grow up to 25 meters tall. The bark is gray-brown. The branches are yellow-brown, gray, or purple-red, cylindrical, with round or oblong lenticels.
The leaves are evergreen, leathery, ovate, elongated ovate, or elliptical to broadly elliptical. The terminal inflorescence is cone-shaped, 8-20 cm long and 8-25 cm wide. The peduncle of the inflorescence is 0-3 cm long. The axis of the inflorescence and its branches are hairless, purple or yellow-brown, and become ridged when the fruits develop. The basal bracts of the inflorescence are the same shape as the leaves, and the small bracts are lanceolate or linear, 0.5-6 cm long and 0.2-1.5 cm wide, and they fall off.
The flowers are sessile or nearly sessile, not exceeding 1 mm long. The calyx is hairless, 1.5-2 mm long, with indistinct or nearly truncate teeth. The corolla is 4-5 mm long, the corolla tube is 1.5-3 mm long, the lobes are 2-2.5 mm long and reflexed. The stamens are 1.5-3 mm long, the anthers are oblong and 1-1.5 mm long.
[Pharmacological Analysis]
The special characteristic of this medicine is that wounds heal relatively fast. Second-degree burns can heal in about 8 days, and radiation injuries can heal in about 10 days. This medicine has the functions of clearing heat, reducing inflammation, relieving pain, and promoting tissue regeneration. It does not require special disinfection when used.
