Stone Lotus Fruit is the pseudobulb or whole plant of the orchidaceae plant Stone Lotus Fruit. It is harvested in autumn, used fresh, or blanched with boiling water and dried. It is widely distributed in East China, South China, and most parts of Southwest China. Stone Lotus Fruit is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat dizziness and headaches.
The characteristics and identification of Stone Lotus Fruit: The rhizome is thick and has a diameter of 5-10mm. The lower part has dark gray-black root tips and distinct nodes. There are dry membranous scale leaves on the nodes, and a pseudobulb grows every 0.5-1.5cm. The pseudobulb is fleshy and thick, shaped like a bottle, oval or elongated, measuring 3-7.5cm in length and 1.5-2.5cm in diameter. The surface is bluish-green or yellowish-green, with 5-7 longitudinal ridges or smooth, and the base is contracted into a stalk-like shape, some covered with sheath-like scales. Two leaves grow at the top, most of which have fallen off, leaving overlapping "V"-shaped leaf scars. The leaves are leathery, thick, elliptical or lanceolate, measuring 5-18cm or longer in length and 3-6cm in width. The apex is gradually pointed, and the base is wedge-shaped, tapering into a stalk. There are several parallel veins, with three prominent veins on the lower surface. The inflorescence is terminal. Most of them are dried. It has a slight aroma and a sweet, mild taste.
Microscopic identification: Cross-section of the pseudobulb: The epidermal cells are elongated or square-like, mostly elongated in the longitudinal direction, with thick walls, stomata, and a layer of cuticle on the outside, about 5μm thick. There are scattered mucilage cells in the peripheral tissues, which contain bundles of calcium oxalate needles, measuring 17-84μm in length and 1-2.5μm in diameter. The thin-walled cells have larger stomata. The vascular bundles are scattered, with an external phloem and fiber bundles on the outer side of the phloem. Siliceous bodies are present in the surrounding cells.
Cross-section of the leaf: Both the upper and lower epidermis are covered with a cuticle. The cell walls of the upper and lower epidermis are slightly thickened. Non-glandular hairs can be seen, more on the lower epidermis, measuring 36-54μm in length and approximately 25μm in diameter, pale yellow-brown. In the leaf parenchyma, mucilage cells can be seen, which are round and contain bundles of calcium oxalate needles and square crystals. The vascular bundles have an external phloem and a sheath of fibers.
Powder characteristics: Grayish-green. ① Fibers are bundled or scattered individually, and the cells surrounding the fibers contain calcium oxalate crystals, forming crystal fibers. ② Epidermal cells are elongated or square-like, with thick walls, stomata, and a layer of cuticle on the outside, about 5μm thick. ③ Calcium oxalate needle bundles, measuring 17-84μm in length and 1-2.5μm in diameter. They exist in mucilage cells. ④ Non-glandular hairs are mostly single-celled, with blunt tips, rod-like, measuring 36-54μm in length and 25μm in diameter, thin-walled, gradually thickening at the base, and pale yellow-brown.
【The efficacy and function of Stone Lotus Fruit】
Stone Lotus Fruit nourishes Yin and moistens the lungs; clears heat and detoxifies; promotes diuresis; removes blood stasis. It is used for the treatment of lung heat cough, coughing up blood, vomiting blood, dizziness, headaches, nocturnal emission, sore throat, rheumatic pain, dampness and heat swelling, dysentery, leukorrhea, malnutrition, lymphadenitis, and bruises.
① "Essential Guide to the Properties of Medicinal Herbs": Used to treat internal injuries, dissolve phlegm, and stop coughing.
② "Record of Herbal Medicines in Lingnan": Used to treat internal injuries and vomiting blood, boiled with pork kidney and consumed; used to treat asthma and cough, boiled with tangerine peel and pork; used to treat heart pain, boiled in water and consumed with wine; used to treat rheumatism and bone pain, soaked in alcohol; used to treat dysentery, boiled in water and consumed with honey; used to treat toothache caused by wind and fire, boiled in water and consumed with wine.
③ "Guangdong Chinese Medicine" Volume II: Clears lung heat, nourishes lung yin, dissolves phlegm, and stops coughing. Used to treat internal injuries and cough in children.
【Compound prescriptions of Stone Lotus Fruit】
① Used to treat tuberculosis with coughing up blood, chronic cough, acute gastroenteritis, and chronic gastritis: Fresh Stone Lotus Fruit 1-2 liang or dried Stone Lotus Fruit 3-5 qian. Decoction for oral administration. (Guangzhou Military "Handbook of Common Chinese Medicinal Herbs")
② Used to treat lung heat cough, urinary retention, dampness and heat swelling, and malnutrition in children: Stone Olive 3-5 qian, decoction for oral administration. ("Guangxi Chinese Medicinal Herbs")
③ Used to treat cough and sore throat: Dried leaves of Stone Lotus Fruit 5 qian to 1 liang, decoction for oral administration, twice a day. ("Wenshan Chinese Medicinal Herbs")
④ Used to treat external bleeding: Apply powdered dried fruit leaves externally; or apply fresh fruit pulp. ("Wenshan Chinese Medicinal Herbs")
⑤ Used to treat stomach and duodenal ulcers: Whole plant of Stone Lotus Fruit, 5 qian to 1 liang, decoction and taken orally. ("Hunan Pharmacopoeia")
⑥ Used to treat hot bi syndrome and lower back pain: Fresh pseudobulbs of Stone Lotus Fruit, 2-4 liang, decocted in alcohol and water and consumed.
⑦ Used to treat hot lin syndrome: Fresh whole plant of Stone Lotus Fruit, 1-2 liang, decoction for oral administration.
⑧ Used to treat nocturnal emission: Fresh pseudobulbs of Stone Lotus Fruit 1 liang, fresh whole plant of Golden Thistle 5 qian. Decoction for oral administration.
⑨ Used to treat toothache caused by stomach fire, and throat pain caused by deficient fire: Fresh pseudobulbs of Stone Lotus Fruit 1-2 liang, decoction for oral administration. (The following prescriptions are from "Fujian Chinese Medicinal Herbs")
⑩ Used to treat bruises and injuries: Mash fresh Stone Lotus Fruit and apply externally with alcohol. (Guangzhou Military "Handbook of Common Chinese Medicinal Herbs")
⑾ Used to treat chronic osteomyelitis: Mash fresh Rhizoma Dendrobii, apply externally to the affected area, or use dried product, soak in diluted rice wine, grind into paste, and apply externally to the affected area. ("Selected Compendium of Surgery")
