Shuòcì is a type of Chinese medicinal herb that can be used for both medicinal and culinary purposes. The edible part of Shuòcì is the tender leaves of the plant. The leaves can be blanched in boiling water, soaked and cleaned, then stir-fried or mixed with other ingredients to create a unique flavor. But how can we identify Shuòcì?
Shuòcì is a shrubby herbaceous plant that can grow up to 3 meters tall. It has a vertical main root with few secondary roots. The stem is angular, smooth, and hairless, with multiple branches.
The leaves are arranged in pairs, with 5-9 leaflets. The leaflets are elongated-oval or lanceolate in shape, measuring 8-15 centimeters in length and 3-5 centimeters in width. They have a gradually pointed apex and a slightly oblique or broadly wedge-shaped base. The edges of the leaves are densely and sharply serrated. The upper surface is dark green, while the lower surface is light green. Both surfaces are smooth and hairless, although there may be short, soft hairs on the veins of the leaves.
The leaf stalk of Shuòcì is about 3 centimeters long and does not have any stipules. The compound umbel inflorescence is terminal, with a diameter of about 20-30 centimeters. It may have short, soft hairs or be slightly hairy. The bracts are small and lanceolate.
The flowers of Shuòcì are small and white. The calyx is five-lobed, with the lower part fused into a bell shape. The corolla is radiate, with five lobes that are ovate in shape. There are five stamens, which alternate with the corolla lobes. The filaments of the stamens are short, and the anthers open outward. There is one pistil, with an ovary that is ovoid in shape and a head-like stigma. The flowers also have yellow cup-shaped glands.
The fruit of Shuòcì is spherical and red, with a diameter of 3-4 millimeters. The flowering period is in August, and the fruiting period is in October.
The whole herb of Shuòcì, which belongs to the honeysuckle family, is used as a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It is warm in nature, sour in taste, and non-toxic. The decoction of Shuòcì can constrict blood vessels, accelerate bone healing, and reduce the permeability of capillaries.
1. Accelerating bone healing
Rabbits were artificially induced with fractures and then immobilized with splints. The external application of Shuòcì powder (mixed with wine) was changed every 3 days. The rabbits were also orally administered a decoction of Shuòcì every day. At the end of the fourth week, dense and significant amounts of bone callus and obvious calcification were observed (X-ray images). Tissue sections showed that the large pieces of bone callus had mostly ossified, with the formation of numerous bone trabeculae. Phosphorus-32 was injected into the local hematoma of the fracture, and after the application of Shuòcì, the pulse dissipation rate was faster, indicating a "blood-activating and stasis-dissipating" effect. The deposition of phosphorus in the tissues was also higher than in the control group, indicating that Shuòcì can promote the deposition of phosphorus in the bone callus and thus accelerate bone healing.
2. Anti-inflammatory effect
When Shuòcì was externally applied to rabbits in the form of an alcohol paste, there was no local vasodilation. The decoction of Shuòcì had no significant vasoconstrictive effect on the blood vessels of frog hind limbs, but at higher concentrations, it had a significant vasoconstrictive effect on the blood vessels of isolated rabbit ears. In experiments on rabbits and mice, the ointment of Shuòcì had a mild effect on reducing the permeability of capillaries. These effects may be related to its anti-inflammatory efficacy.
3. Other effects
The decoction of Shuòcì did not show any analgesic effect in mice using the hot plate method, nor did it exhibit any inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli in vitro.
