Throat Grass, a Chinese medicinal herb. It is the whole herb or fruit of the Primula plant of the Primulaceae family. It is harvested before Qingming Festival and dried. Its functions include dispelling wind, clearing heat, reducing swelling, and detoxifying.
[Other Names of Throat Grass]
Foduzhu, Dihujiao, Wuyuechaotian, Xiaohuercao
[Botanical Characteristics of Throat Grass]
Throat Grass is an annual herb, 8-15 cm tall, with white fine hairs all over.
The leaves grow in a rosette pattern from the roots, with slender stalks;
The leaf blade is nearly circular, about 15 mm in diameter, slightly heart-shaped at the base, with rounded toothed edges, green on the upper side, sometimes partially purple-red.
The flower stems emerge from the rosette, 3-7 branches, with small umbels at the top, arranged in an umbel-like inflorescence;
The calyx is green, deeply divided into 5 lobes, egg-shaped, persistent; the corolla is white, with the lower part fused into a short tubular shape, the upper part divided into 5 lobes and spreading outward; there are 5 stamens; the ovary is spherical, with an inconspicuous style.
The fruit is spherical, 2-3 mm in diameter, with 5 split petals when ripe. The seeds are numerous, small, and brown. Flowering period is in April. Fruit period is in May. =
[Distribution and Habitat of Throat Grass]
Grows in: grasslands, roadsides, pastures. Distribution: widespread, from Hebei in the north to Guangdong and Yunnan in the south, and from Sichuan and Qinghai in the west.
[Usage and Dosage of Throat Grass]
"Guizhou Folk Medicinal Herbs": pungent, sweet, slightly cold, non-toxic.
