Baogai grass is an annual upright herbaceous plant, a whole pearl of the plant Baogai grass in the family Lamiaceae. It is harvested in spring and summer, washed and used fresh or dried, and has the effects of clearing heat and dampness, promoting blood circulation and dispelling wind, and reducing swelling and detoxification.
Baogai grass
[Origin of Baogai grass]
It is the whole plant of the plant Baogai grass in the family Lamiaceae.
[Alias of Baogai grass]
Jiegucao, Liantaixiaku, Maoye Xiaoku, Denglongcao ("Dian Nan Ben Cao"), Zhenzhu Lian ("Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao"), Fozuo ("Zhi Wu Xue Da Ci Dian");
Fengzhan, Lianqiancao, Datongqianqi ("Guangxi Zhong Shou Yi Yao Zhi"), Lazhu Qiancao ("Su Yi Zhong Cao Yao Shou Ce").
[Morphology of Baogai grass]
Baogai grass is an annual upright herbaceous plant. The stem is weak, square, often purple, and sparsely hairy with reversed hairs, 10-60 cm tall.
The leaves are kidney-shaped or round, with a heart-shaped or round base, with rounded teeth and small clefts on the edges, and hairy on both sides; the leaves at the base of the stem have petioles, and the stem leaves have no petioles, and they clasp the stem at the base.
There are 2 to several flowers in each flower cluster, the flowers are sessile, axillary, and without bracts; the calyx is tubular, 5-6 mm long, with 5 teeth, and both the outside and the teeth are covered with long fine hairs;
Baogai grass
The corolla is purple-red, 9-17 mm long, covered with hairs on the outside, with a slender tube, no hairy ring at the base, and an expanded throat, the upper lip is erect and elongated, lanceolate, and the lower lip is 3-lobed, with the middle lobe fan-shaped and deeply concave at the apex, and the lateral lobes are broadly triangular;
There are 4 stamens, 2 of which are prominent, and the anthers are red; the style is 2-lobed and needle-shaped. The achenes are long and oval, with 3 edges and a truncate apex, brown-black, with white scale-like protrusions. The flowering period is from March to April. The fruiting period is in June.
[Distribution of Baogai grass]
Baogai grass grows on roadsides and wastelands. It is distributed in Northeast China, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei, Tibet, and other places.
[Functions and Indications of Baogai grass]
Baogai grass has the functions of dispelling wind, promoting meridian circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. It is used to treat muscle and bone pain, numbness of the limbs, bruises, and scrofula.
① "Dian Nan Ben Cao":
"It is used to treat muscle and bone phlegm-heat pain, numbness of the hands and feet. It dispels wind that wanders throughout the body, disperses scrofula and phlegm nodules in the hands and feet. It treats bruises and fractures. It stops nasal discharge and nasal congestion caused by phlegm-heat. It is effective for red and swollen painful conditions caused by phlegm-heat."
② "Zhi Wu Ming Shi Tu Kao":
"Nourishes the tendons, promotes blood circulation, and relieves pain throughout the body."
