The Chinese medicinal plant Da Wu Pao is edible and can be used for medicinal purposes. Its leaves can also be used to feed rabbits. The fruit is sweet and sour and is particularly common in southern China.
【How to identify Da Wu Pao?】
Da Wu Pao is a shrub that grows 2-3 meters tall. Its stem is thick and covered with yellow hairs and short, curved thorns. The leaves are alternate, with a leaf stalk that is 3-6 cm long and covered with yellow soft hairs. The leaflets are leathery and nearly circular, with a diameter of 5-16 cm and 7-9 shallow lobes. The lobes are often divided into 2 shallow lobes or have notches, with a rounded or acute tip and a heart-shaped base. The edges have irregular serrations. The upper surface has short hairs and dense small protuberances, while the lower surface is covered with yellow hairs. The main veins are palmate and there are 5-7 prominent secondary veins. The inflorescence is a cone-shaped or cymose panicle, densely covered with yellow hairs. The bracts are elliptical, 1-1.5 cm long, and torn at the edges. The sepals are ovate, often with multiple lobes at the tip, and densely covered with yellow hairs on the outside. The petals are slightly longer than the sepals, nearly elliptical in shape, and white with claws. There are numerous stamens and carpels, which are borne on the raised receptacle. The aggregate fruit is spherical, up to 1.5 cm in diameter, and consists of multiple red fleshy drupes. The flowering period is from April to June, and the fruiting period is from August to September.
The fruit of Da Wu Pao is green in April, turns red in July, and then changes to purple and black when fully ripe. Da Wu Pao plants are larger in size and produce more fruit. The fully ripe fruit is black in color. The light red fruit is not yet ripe and is hard and not sweet. The deep red to purple fruit has the best taste. If the fruit is too black, it becomes overripe and the taste becomes bland.
【The efficacy and function of Da Wu Pao】
In traditional Chinese medicine, Da Wu Pao is believed to have the effects of clearing heat, stopping bleeding, and dispelling wind and dampness. It is often used for fever, coughing with blood, nosebleeds, irregular menstruation, external bleeding, dysentery, diarrhea, prolapse of the anus, and rheumatic pain.
1. "Yunnan Chinese Herbs": "Clears heat, detoxifies, dispels wind, activates collaterals, stops bleeding, and relieves pain. Used for colds, high fever, coughing with blood, rheumatic joint pain, early menstruation, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, dysentery, and external bleeding."
2. "National Compilation of Chinese Herbs": "Clears heat and promotes diuresis. Used for coughing with blood, bleeding, rheumatic bone pain, and fractures."
