Daguo Lu Huang is a traditional Chinese medicine known for its heat-clearing and detoxifying properties. It is mainly found in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan, and other regions. It is commonly used to treat conditions such as cough with wind-heat, sore throat, and heat-toxin sores and abscesses.
Daguo Lu Huang picture
[Morphological Characteristics of Daguo Lu Huang]
1. Stem
The stems of Daguo Lu Huang are usually clustered, bent and erect, 10-30 centimeters tall. In shady and humid habitats, the lower part of the stem often grows creeping, with roots growing on the nodes, while the upper part bends and rises, reaching a length of up to 60 centimeters. It can be single or branched, densely covered with multicellular hairs that are 1-1.5 millimeters long.
2. Leaves
The leaves are opposite, with the upper 2 pairs closer together, forming a whorled arrangement. The upper leaves are usually 1-2 times larger than the lower leaves. The leaf blades are ovate to ovate-elliptic in shape, occasionally lanceolate, measuring 1.5-8 centimeters in length and 8-40 millimeters in width.
The leaf tips are sharp or slightly blunt with an abrupt point, while the leaf bases are broadly wedge-shaped. The upper surface is deep green, while the lower surface is lighter. Both surfaces are covered with rough hairs that can reach 1 millimeter in length.
3. Flowers
The flowers are terminal, in dense head-like inflorescences, with many flowers. The flower stalks are 1-7 millimeters long and covered with soft hairs. The calyx is 6-9 millimeters long, with lobes that are lanceolate in shape and gradually pointed at the tip, and the back surface is covered with soft hairs.
The corolla is yellow, 10-13 millimeters long, with a fused base that is about 3 millimeters long. The lobes are inversely ovate or oblong, 4-6 millimeters wide, with a sharp or rounded tip and transparent glandular dots.
Daguo Lu Huang picture
[Clinical Applications of Daguo Lu Huang]
1. For early-stage jaundice and debilitated yellowing: Take 3 grams of San Ye (Herba Scutellariae Barbatae), Bai He Bao Cao (Bulbus Lilii), Ping Di Mu (Cortex Picrasmae) and Yin Chen (Herba Artemisiae Capillaris), boil in water and take three times a day, morning, noon, and evening. (Bai Cao Jing)
2. For ascites and bloating: Take an appropriate amount of fresh Daguo Lu Huang, mash it and apply it to the navel. (Shanghai Common Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs)
3. For kidney deficiency edema: Cook Sichuan Da Jin Qian Cao (Herba Lysimachiae), Xiaohui Xiang (Fructus Foeniculi) with pig trotters and consume. (Sichuan Chinese Materia Medica)
4. For urinary calculi: Take 30 grams of Daguo Lu Huang, decoct in water and consume. (Hunan Chinese Materia Medica)
5. For all types of hernias: Take Xian Ren Dui Zuo Cao (Herba Scutellariae Barbatae), Qing Mu Xiang (Radix Acori Tatarinowii), mash them and mix with wine, then drink. (Liu Yuyi's Experience Prescription)
6. For boils: Mash Daguo Lu Huang, dilute with rice water or alcohol, and consume. (Hunan Chinese Materia Medica)
7. For bruises and injuries: Take fresh Daguo Lu Huang, wash it, mash it and consume a small cup of the juice. (Shanghai Common Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs)
