As a traditional Chinese medicine, Di Yu has the effects of cooling blood, stopping bleeding, detoxification, and healing wounds. It is used for conditions such as blood in the stool, hemorrhoids, dysentery, excessive menstrual bleeding, scalds, and abscesses. Now let's take a look at the Di Yu pictures and its clinical applications.
[Botanical Characteristics of Di Yu]
Di Yu is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows 1-2 meters tall. It has a thick and stout rhizome that forms a spindle-shaped cylindrical root. The stem is erect and has ridges.
The leaves are pinnately compound, alternate; the basal leaves are larger than the stem leaves, with long petioles, while the stem leaves are almost sessile, with semi-circular clasping stipules that have triangular teeth along the edges;
There are 5-19 leaflets, which are elliptic to elongate-ovate, measuring 2-7 cm in length and 0.5-3 cm in width. The apex is pointed or rounded, the base is truncate, broadly wedge-shaped, or slightly heart-shaped, and the margins have pointed rounded serrations. The leaflets have short or nearly absent petioles.
The flowers are small, densely arranged in a inverted ovate or short cylindrical or nearly globose spike-like inflorescence, loosely distributed at the top of the stem; the inflorescence stalk of Di Yu is slender, smooth or slightly hairy; the flowers are dark purple, with 2 bracts that are membranous and lanceolate, covered with fine soft hairs;
The calyx is 4-lobed, with lobes that are elliptic or broadly ovate; there are 4 stamens, attached at the throat of the calyx tube, with blackish-purple anthers; the ovary is superior, ovoid and hairy, with a slender style and nipple-like stigma.
The fruit of Di Yu is elongate-ovoid or ovoid, brown, with 4 longitudinal ridges, resembling narrow wings. There is 1 seed. The flowering and fruiting period is from June to September.
[Clinical Applications of Di Yu]
1. Treatment of infantile typhoid fever
For children aged 4-14, take 1 liang of Di Yu, 5 qian of Bai Hua She She Cao, and boil them with 3 bowls of water until the volume reduces to 60 ml for oral administration. For children under 4 years old, halve the dosage. Take it 2-3 times a day, and once a day after the body temperature drops, until the stool culture becomes negative.
Experimental studies have shown that a 1:5 or 1:10 concentration of Di Yu decoction has antibacterial effects. No side effects were observed during the treatment.
2. Treatment of burns
Grind dried Di Yu into fine powder and sift it; boil sesame oil (or vegetable oil), then quickly add the Di Yu powder and stir to form a paste. Transfer it to a sterilized container for later use.
When using it, apply the medicine paste directly to the wound. It can quickly form a thick scab, which can prevent and control infection, relieve pain, and promote rapid healing of the wound.
3. Treatment of skin diseases
Roast Di Yu until it turns yellow, grind it into fine powder and sift it. Mix it with vaseline to make a 30% ointment for external application on the affected area. It is suitable for acute, subacute, seborrheic dermatitis, infantile eczema, and acute exacerbation of chronic eczema.
When there is a lot of exudation, wait until the exudation decreases, then use 20 liang of Di Shu, 20 liang of calcined gypsum, and 1 qian of alum, grind them into fine powder and mix well, and make it into a 40-50% ointment for external application, once or twice a day.
In case of subacute or chronic eczema with infiltrated or mildly hypertrophic skin lesions, use 1.5 liang of Di Yu powder, 3 liang of Mituo Seng powder, mix them well with vaseline to make a 50-60% ointment for external application, once or twice a day.
4. Treatment of tuberculous abscess and chronic osteomyelitis
Prepare an injection solution using Di Yu, with 2 grams of raw herb per 2 ml of solution. Inject 4 ml of the solution into the muscle once a day, or take a 5% concentrated decoction of Di Yu orally, once a day, with dosage reduced for children.
[Di Yu Pictures]
Di Yu Pictures
Di Yu Pictures
