In rural areas, there is a saying, "If you beat someone down, they will crawl like blood full grass." So what exactly is blood full grass? Blood full grass is also known as "bajiu ma" in Chinese, and it refers to the whole plant and roots of the honeysuckle family's red mountain flower. It is harvested in summer and autumn, and can be dried and chopped or used fresh. It grows in open fields, sparse forests, and damp areas, and is mainly found in Yunnan, Tibet, and other regions. Blood full grass is a well-known herbal medicine in folk medicine for treating bruises, injuries, rheumatism, and joint pain!
[Introduction to Blood Full Grass]
Blood full grass is also known as bone-setting herb and arrow grass. It belongs to the plant genus called bone-setting herb, which has about 20 species worldwide. Its stem has angles (about eight angles), and it is particularly easy to break. It has a medullary core, leaves opposite each other, odd-pinnate compound leaves with fine serrations on the edges. When the leaves are rubbed, they emit a foul odor. The flowers are very small and white, and the mature fruits are red and spherical. It usually blooms from June to August, and the fruits ripen from September to October.
It is mainly distributed in the villages, forest edges, and shrubs of Shandong, Henan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other provinces in China, and can grow up to 2 meters tall.
In folk medicine, it is used to treat bruises, injuries, promote blood circulation, dispel stasis, and also has diuretic effects. Currently, it has not been cultivated through artificial breeding, but it is a potentially valuable herbal medicine for orthopedics.
However, there is one thing about blood full grass that people find annoying. After May, it will start to bloom, and the flowers emit a foul smell that can make people feel nauseous.
[Treatment of Fractures with Blood Full Grass]
Clean and dry the roots and stems of blood full grass, grind them into powder, and mix a small amount of flour when using. Mix them with white wine at a ratio of 4:1 to make a paste, and apply it to the fracture. Then use a splint to fix it. Change the dressing every 5-10 days, and add white wine every other day to enhance the effectiveness. The recovery is very fast.
In traditional Chinese medicine, apart from its use in traditional Chinese medicine and Tibetan medicine, the Hani ethnic group uses the leaves to treat fractures and sprains;
The Tujia ethnic group uses it to treat bruises, sprains, fractures, and swelling and pain in bones;
The Buyi ethnic group also has a traditional recipe that uses the stems and branches of blood full grass to treat rheumatism, bone and joint pain, bruises, sprains, fractures, and bleeding wounds.
[Pictures of Blood Full Grass]
