Cigu leaf is the leaf of the aquatic herbaceous plant Cigu. It is an edible plant with underground tubers. It has excellent heat-clearing and detoxifying effects when used medicinally. Now let's learn about the efficacy of Cigu leaf!
【Identification of Cigu leaf】
Cigu leaf is an aquatic herbaceous plant that grows in swamps and ponds. It is often cultivated in paddy fields. The leaves are large and can also produce flowers and fruits, making them visually appealing.
It is a perennial erect aquatic herb with creeping branches. The branch ends swell into tubers. The leaves have long petioles, about 20-40cm long.
The leaf shape varies greatly, usually lanceolate, large, with basal lobes 5-40cm long and 0.4-13cm wide. The apex is rounded and blunt, while the basal lobes are short, about the same length as or longer than the leaf blade, and tend to spread to both sides. It flowers from August to October.
Cigu leaf has a unique shape and beautiful appearance. It has strong adaptability and can be used for water gardens, marsh gardens, or pond landscaping.
The flowers are large and white, but not easy to bear fruit. It blooms from June to August. It prefers warmth and abundant sunlight. The soil should be rich in humus and sticky. It prefers shallow water. It grows in paddy fields, water ditches, ponds, and shallow waters of lakes.
【Efficacy and function of Cigu leaf】
Cigu leaf is also a traditional Chinese medicinal material with certain pharmacological effects. It has a good inhibitory and improvement effect on human diseases.
Cigu leaf has the effects of heat-clearing, detoxifying, cooling blood and resolving stasis, and diuretic and reducing swelling. It is mainly used to treat carbuncle, erysipelas, ulcers, sore throat, jaundice, edema, abscesses, scrofula, eczema, and snake or insect bites.
In addition, Cigu leaf can be used internally or externally. For internal use, 10-30g of Cigu leaf can be decocted and taken as a soup, or the juice can be mashed and consumed. For external use, a suitable amount of fresh Cigu leaf can be mashed and applied to the affected area, or powdered Cigu leaf can be applied. However, Cigu leaf should not be applied for a long time.
It is particularly effective in treating dampness, urinary disorders, and blood in the urine. It is suitable for patients with symptoms such as painful and bloody urination, burning and stinging sensation during urination, bright red or bitter yellow urine, and rapid and forceful pulse. Due to its bitter and cold nature, Cigu leaf can cool blood and clear heat, making it very effective for the above symptoms.
【Cigu leaf planting methods】
Cigu leaf can also be used for potted plants. It is native to southern China and has been cultivated since before the Tang Dynasty. Cigu flesh is pale yellowish-white with a delicate, sweet, and slightly bitter taste. It can be stir-fried, braised, or boiled.
In garden cultivation, it requires less intensive management, but for edible cultivation, more refined management is needed. When potted, the potting soil should be rich in humus river mud, with a spacing of 15-20cm between plants. The water depth should be maintained at 5-10cm, and it should be placed in a sunny location.
If planted in a garden water body, if the tubers are left in place over winter, care should be taken not to let the soil surface dry out, and water should be irrigated to maintain a water depth of more than 1m to prevent soil freezing.
When dividing the bulbs, it is best to dig them out before planting in the following spring, or they can be dug out and planted after the bulbs sprout. The best planting period is after the last frost.
After preparing the soil and applying base fertilizer, shallow water should be irrigated. After raking the soil flat, insert the bulbs into the mud, burying the top buds in the mud.
