Many food lovers have a deep love for "Da Hong Pao", its taste is so mouth-watering. In fact, there is also a "Da Hong Pao" in plants, it is called the "Hungry Grasshopper", which is a common Chinese medicinal herb with the effects of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, clearing heat and reducing swelling. So how can we identify the characteristics of the Hungry Grasshopper?
Introduction of the Hungry Grasshopper
The Hungry Grasshopper has other names such as Red Palm Grass (in "Medicinal Plants of Mount Emei"), Mountain Bean Root, Da Hong Pao (in "Guizhou Herbal Medicine"), and Sticky Grass (in "Guangxi Herbal Medicine").
It is a shrub, about 1-2m tall. It has trifoliate leaves, with elliptical to inverted ovate small leaflets, about 5.5-9cm long and 3.5-5.4cm wide. The tips are obtuse or acute, with hard thorn tips, wedge-shaped bases, and soft hairs along the veins on the underside. The petioles are about 1.5-4cm long. The stipules are small and lanceolate in shape.
The inflorescence is axillary or terminal, about 16cm long. The bracts are lanceolate, about 1cm long. The calyx has 5 triangular teeth. The corolla is purple, with round or elongated flag petals, wing petals equal in length to the flag petals, and shorter keel petals. It has 10 stamens and a linear ovary covered with silky hairs. The fruit is about 1.5-2.5cm long and 0.25cm wide.
It has black-brown silky hairs between the species. There are 4-7 seeds. The flowering and fruiting period is from July to October. (Refer to "Illustrated Guide to China's Major Plants, Leguminosae" page 487, Figure 477)
Habitat and Distribution: It grows on slopes and grasslands or on the edge of forests. It is distributed in Fujian, Taiwan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi and southwestern China.
Effects and Functions of the Hungry Grasshopper
In traditional Chinese medicine, the Hungry Grasshopper is believed to have the effects of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, detoxifying and reducing swelling. It is used to treat abdominal pain, malnutrition in children, dry blood consumption in women, waist sprains, wounds, urethritis, mumps, snake bites, and other conditions.
1. "Medicinal Plants of Mount Emei": Clears heat and resolves toxins.
2. "Guizhou Herbal Medicine": Nourishes weakness, promotes blood circulation, treats malaria, and relieves pain.
3. "Guangxi Herbal Medicine": Relieves indigestion and pain, and detoxifies snake venom. It is used to treat stomach diseases, malnutrition in children, and snake bites.
4. "Fujian Medical Records": "Clears heat and diuresis, detoxifies and reduces swelling, promotes digestion and dissolves accumulation. It is used to treat stomach pain, malnutrition in children, heatstroke, urethritis, mumps, lymphadenitis, and snake bites."
Identification of the Characteristics of the Hungry Grasshopper
The Hungry Grasshopper has cylindrical stems and branches with a diameter of about 3mm. It has trifoliate leaves, with larger small leaflets at the tips, about 5.5-9cm long and 3.5-5cm wide, and are elliptical in shape.
The tips are obtuse or acute, with hard thorn tips, wedge-shaped bases, entire margins, and are dried green in color. The undersides are covered with soft hairs and have a crispy texture.
Sometimes, inflorescences or fruits can be seen. The fruits are about 1.5-2.4cm long, with constricted sutures and deeply wavy dorsal sutures, with 4-7 nodes, and are densely covered with brown silky hairs on the surface. It has a slight odor, resembling the smell of beans.
