There are no two leaves in the world that are exactly the same, but there are similar plants. It is difficult for non-professional doctors to distinguish between them. So today, I will teach you how to differentiate between Baogai grass and Polypodium and their respective functions. The details are as follows:
Baogai Grass
Differences between Baogai Grass and Polypodium
1. Polypodium
Polypodium vulgare, family Polypodiaceae. The whole plant is used as medicine. Also known as lantern grass, kidney grass, and polypodium.
An annual to biennial herbaceous plant with short soft hairs. It comes in three colors: blue, white, and pink. The stem branches from the base and creeps along the ground.
The triangular or nearly circular leaves are opposite on the lower part of the stem and alternate on the upper part, with rounded teeth along the edges. It blooms with small purple-red flowers in early spring, solitary in the axils of bracts.
Fruit period is from March to May. It has the effects of tonifying the kidney and strengthening yang, cooling the blood, stopping bleeding, and regulating qi and relieving pain. It is used for vomiting blood, hernia, testicular abscess, leukorrhea, irregular menstruation, cough in children, impotence, and bone fractures.
2. Baogai Grass
Baogai grass, also known as pearl lotus, bone-setting grass, lotus platform summer withered grass, etc., belongs to the order Lamiales, family Lamiaceae, and is an annual or biennial plant.
The stem is 10-30 centimeters tall, with many branches at the base, often dark blue in color.
The lower leaves have long petioles that are equal to or longer than the leaf blades. The leaf blades are round or kidney-shaped, with truncate or truncate-wedge-shaped bases, semi-clasping the stem, and deep rounded teeth along the edges. It blooms from March to May and bears fruit from July to August.
Functions and Indications of Baogai Grass
It clears heat and dampness, activates blood circulation and disperses wind, and reduces swelling and detoxification. It is used for jaundice-type hepatitis, lymph node tuberculosis, hypertension, facial nerve paralysis, and hemiplegia. It can also be used externally for bruises, bone fractures, and yellow sores.
Baogai Grass
① Treatment for falls from heights, fractures, and tendon injuries: 2 liang of Baogai grass, 1 liang of purple kudzu root (grated), 1 liang of dendrobium (grated), 1 or 2 liang of Morinda officinalis, 1 liang of clove, 1 liang of xuduanduan (wrapped in flour and cooked until done).
Grind the ingredients into coarse powder. Take it with warm wine, about 2 qian (a unit of weight in traditional Chinese medicine) each time, without considering the time. (Baogai Grass Powder in the Shenghui Fang)
② Treatment for bruises, foot injuries, red swelling, and inability to walk: Baogai grass, hemp root, and thistle.
Mix them with egg white and honey until mashed, then apply it to the affected area. Change it once overnight. If the pain persists for a long time, add onion and ginger to reapply.
③ Treatment for phlegm and fire, red and swollen pain in the hands and feet: 5 qian of Baogai grass, 2 qian of chicken foot thorn root, and 2 qian of turmeric.
Mash them together and burn them with wine, applying them three times to the affected area. After the swelling subsides and the pain stops, add Acorus gramineus, Angelica dahurica, and Ligusticum chuanxiong. Remove turmeric and chicken foot thorn root, and cook them in water and wine for three doses.
④ Treatment for women with lumps in both legs, resembling peaches or plums, red, swollen, and hardened: 3 qian of bone-setting grass. Boil it in water and take it with wine.
If it recurs, add Withania somnifera, Saposhnikovia divaricata, and Centella asiatica, and take it three times. (The following formulas are from "The Southern Yunnan Materia Medica")
⑤ Treatment for lymph node tuberculosis: ㈠ 1 or 2 liang of young Baogai grass, 2 eggs, stir-fried and eaten together. ㈡ 2 or 3 liang of Baogai grass, 2 or 3 eggs.
Boil them together, remove the shells after the eggs are cooked, and continue boiling for half an hour. Eat the eggs and drink the soup. ㈢ 2 liang of fresh Baogai grass.
Mash it and extract the juice, then boil the juice and drink it after boiling. Take it once every other day for three to four times. (From "The Handbook of Chinese Herbal Medicine" by Su Yi)
⑥ Treatment for facial paralysis and hemiplegia: bone-setting grass, Saposhnikovia divaricata, Uncaria rhynchophylla, and Gentiana scabra. Boil them in water, and take half of it with water and half with wine. (From "The Southern Yunnan Materia Medica")
Excerpt from "The Dictionary of Chinese Medicinal Plants"
