Chinese medicine refers to the leaves of the elm tree, a plant in the Ulmaceae family. It is mainly distributed in central and southern China, southwest China, as well as Shaanxi, Gansu, Jiangsu, and other regions. It is often found on mountain slopes, roadsides, or near houses. It has a bitter and cold taste. Chinese medicine uses elm tree leaves to treat dysmenorrhea!
[Treating Dysmenorrhea with Chinese Medicine Elm Tree Leaves]
Chinese medicine elm tree leaves have the functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as cooling blood. It is used to treat painful sores, swelling, and dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea refers to when women experience heavy bleeding from the vagina outside of their menstrual period, or continuous bleeding. It is also known as "bleeding during menstruation" or "leaking during menstruation."
Sudden heavy bleeding is referred to as "bleeding," while a slower and continuous bleeding is referred to as "leaking." These two conditions often convert into each other, hence the term "bleeding and leaking." This is equivalent to the modern medical term "functional uterine bleeding."
Dysmenorrhea is a general term for vaginal bleeding in women outside of their menstrual period. It is mainly characterized by sudden heavy bleeding or continuous and lesser bleeding. Conditions such as functional uterine bleeding, female reproductive organ inflammation, and tumors in Western medicine all fall into the category of dysmenorrhea. Dysmenorrhea is a more severe and complex symptom in women's menstrual disorders.
[The Original Plant Morphology of Elm Tree Leaves]
The elm tree is a tall tree that can reach up to 25 meters in height. Its one-year-old branches are densely covered in soft hairs. The leaves are alternate, with a hard papery texture. The leaf stalk is 1-4mm long, without stipules. The leaf blades of elm tree leaves are elliptic-ovate, narrowly ovate, or ovate-lanceolate in shape. The apex is gradually pointed, and the base is wide-wedge-shaped or nearly circular. The upper surface is rough with deciduous stiff hairs, while the lower surface is densely covered in soft hairs. The leaf margin has single serrations, and there are 7-15 pairs of lateral veins.
The flowers are unisexual, occasionally polygamous, with male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flowers cluster in the leaf axils or bract axils of the lower part of new branches, while the female flowers, 1-3 in number, grow in the leaf axils of the upper part of new branches. The perianth consists of 4-5 tepals. The stamens are the same number as the tepals and opposite to them. The female flowers have only one pistil, with a single chambered ovary and two oblique styles. The upper part of the nut is oblique, with a diameter of 2.5-4mm. The flowering period is from March to April, and the fruiting period is from October to November.
