Diding Grass, a traditional Chinese medicine, has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. It is mainly used to treat high fever and restlessness caused by warm diseases, influenza, infectious hepatitis, nephritis, scrofula, parotitis, boils, and other suppurative infections.
Diding Grass image
【Contraindications】
Diding Grass should not be taken by those with weak and cold constitution.
【Effects and Functions of Diding Grass】
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Diding Grass has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying. It is mainly used to treat high fever and restlessness caused by warm diseases, influenza, infectious hepatitis, nephritis, scrofula, parotitis, boils, and other suppurative infections.
1. "Liaoning Common Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook": "Clears heat and detoxifies. Treats abscesses, carbuncles, and lymph node tuberculosis."
2. "Hebei Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook": "Treats acute infectious hepatitis."
3. "Plateau Chinese Herbal Medicine Treatment Handbook": "Anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. Treats jaundice hepatitis, high fever and restlessness."
【Morphology of Diding Grass】
Purple Diding, a perennial herb, 7-15 cm tall, covered with white short hairs. The main root is thick and yellow-white. Leaves grow in clusters from the base of the plant; leaf stalks are 3-10 cm long, with wings on both sides of the upper part;
The bracts are membranous, linear-lanceolate, attached to the leaf stalk; leaf blades are long elliptical, long ovate to linear broadly-lanceolate, 2-9 cm long, 0.5-3.5 cm wide, blunt at the apex, shallowly cordate or truncate at the base, with shallow blunt teeth on the edges.
The flowers are axillary, pale purple, about 1.5 cm in diameter; flower stalks are 4-1.0 cm long, with two linear bracts in the middle; sepals 5, lanceolate, with round appendages below the calyx;
Petals 5, inverted ovate elliptical, the lower one larger, with an elongated pouch or tube-shaped spur at the base, about 7 mm long; stamens 5, anthers fused, connective broad, surrounding the ovary, filaments short and wide;
The lower two have appendages with nectar glands at the base, extending into the spur; ovary superior, carpels 3, 1 chamber, many ovules, style 1, stigma 3-lobed.
The capsule is ovoid, about 1 cm long, divided into 3 valves, each valve with ridges, with persistent calyx at the base. Seeds are oval, brownish-yellow, and smooth. Flowering period is from March to April. Fruit period is from May to August.
