Gang Song refers to the branches and leaves of the plant Gang Song in the Rosaceae family. It is harvested in summer and autumn and grows in low hills, barren mountains, grass slopes, and shrubs. It has the functions of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, clearing heat and detoxifying, and diuresis.
Gang Song image
【Alias】 Sao Ka Mu ("Lu Chuang Materia Medica"), Sao Ba Zhi, Song Mao Zhi, She Chong Cao, Ji Er Song ("Guangxi Chinese Materia Medica"), Chang Song, Sha Song ("Guangxi Medicinal Plant Catalog"), Xiang Chai, Sao Zhu Zi (Jiangxi "Herbal Manual").
【Source】 The whole plant or root of the plant Gang Song in the Rosaceae family.
【Botanical characteristics】 Gang Song is a short shrub, sometimes a small tree, with a height of 1-2 meters. It branches out and is smooth.
Single leaf, opposite, erect or spreading; leaf blade linear-conical, 5-10 mm long, 0.3-0.5 mm wide, pointed at the tip, with a groove on the upper surface and raised on the lower surface, with transparent glandular spots.
The flowers are small, white, solitary in the leaf axils, with two small bracts at the base, and a short pedicel; the calyx tube is bell-shaped, 5-lobed, about 1 mm long, membranous, persistent; the petals are 5, round, about 1 mm long; stamens are 10, rarely 8, shorter than the petals;
The ovary is 3-celled, each cell with several ovules. The capsule is about 1 mm long and cracks at the upper part. The seeds have angles. Flowering period is July to August.
It grows on hills, mountain streams, and swampy areas. It is distributed in southern China and Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and other places.
【Harvesting and storage】 Harvest in summer and autumn, wash and dry.
【Chemical composition】 Leaves contain volatile oil 0.9-1.8%, of which α-phellandrene and β-phellandrene account for 58%, polyphenols 0.7%, 1,8-cineole 7.4%, limonene and diene 3.1%, linalool, carvone, camphor, and turpentine alcohol account for 10%;
Sesquiterpenes 1.4%, sesquiterpene alcohols 3%, phenols 2.4%, crystalline phenol ethers 5.5%. In addition, it contains Gang Song alcohol.
Gang Song image
【Taste】 "Bitter, cold, non-toxic." (Nanning Materia Medica)
【Efficacy and Function of Gang Song】
It can promote blood circulation, relieve pain, diuretic, and insecticidal. It is used for injuries from falls, rheumatic pain, urinary problems, scabies, and athlete's foot.
① "Treats febrile diseases." (Guangzhou Flora)
② "Disperses swelling, relieves pain, promotes blood circulation, and kills insects. It is used for injuries from falls, scabies, ulcers, and snake bites." (Lu Chuang Materia Medica)
③ "Astringent, insecticidal, hemostatic, analgesic, and promotes tissue regeneration. It is used for washing ulcers and itching." (Nanning Materia Medica)
④ "Has diuretic and antidiuretic effects. It is used for bladder heat, difficulty urinating, vaginal itching, and skin heat. Boiled water is used to treat skin itching, eczema; leaves are mashed and applied to treat centipede bites; branches and leaves are steamed to extract oil to treat sores and leprosy." (Guangxi Chinese Materia Medica)
【Usage and Dosage】 Internal use: decoction, 0.8-1 liang. External use: boiled water for washing or mashed for applying.
【Medicinal Value of Gang Song】
① It is used for treating injuries from falls and blood stasis: take six qian of Gang Song leaves. Mash and mix with boiling water, filter, and add four liang of white sugar to drink. (Lu Chuang Materia Medica)
② It is used for treating heart disease: take two liang of fresh Gang Song root, tea tree root, and kiwi fruit root, and one pig heart. Stew and take orally.
③ It is used for treating rheumatic bone and joint pain, stomach pain and bloating, and diarrhea: take five qian to one liang of Gang Song root. Decoct in water and take orally.
④ It is used for treating athlete's foot and skin itching: boil the whole plant of Gang Song in water and use the steam to wash.
⑤ It is used for treating centipede, scorpion, and wasp stings: take an appropriate amount of fresh Gang Song. Mash and apply externally.
⑥ It is used for treating liver cirrhosis: take three qian of Gang Song, Diercao, Waer Teng, and Hulucha. Decoct in water and take orally once a day. (The following formulas are from the Jiangxi "Herbal Manual")
