Blood-filled herb, which has been widely used in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, can not only be used to treat injuries, but also alleviate infantile paralysis!
【Blood-filled Herb in the Eyes of Traditional Chinese Medicine】
Blood-filled herb is a perennial tall herb or semi-shrub, reaching a height of 1-2m. The roots and rhizomes are red, and when broken, they produce red sap. The stem is herbaceous with distinct ridges. The odd-pinnate compound leaves are opposite, with leaflet-like or linear stipules.
There are 3-5 pairs of leaflets, which are oblong, lanceolate, or elliptical in shape, measuring 4-15cm in length and 1.5-2.5cm in width. The tips are gradually pointed or tapering, the bases are asymmetrical, and the margins have serrations. Both sides of the leaflets are sparsely covered with coarse hairs, and the veins have denser hairs.
The base of one pair of leaflets at the apex of the blood-filled herb is often connected along the petiole, and sometimes it is also connected to the apical leaflet. The stipules of the leaflets degenerate into glandular protrusions. The umbel inflorescence is terminal, umbel-shaped, and about 15cm in length.
It has a peduncle, with 3-5 branches branching at acute angles. Initially, it is covered with yellow short soft hairs, with some glandular hairs. The flowers are small and have an unpleasant odor. The calyx is 5-lobed, covered with short soft hairs, with triangular lobes, and the lower part fuses into a bell shape.
The corolla is white, radially symmetrical, and 5-lobed. There are 5 stamens, adnate to the corolla tube, with swollen bases and yellow anthers. The ovary is 3-celled, with a very short style and 3-lobed stigma. The fruit of the blood-filled herb is red and spherical. It blooms from May to July, and the fruit ripens from September to October.
【Growth Habit of Blood-filled Herb】
Blood-filled herb grows in open forests and damp areas. It is distributed in mainland China, including Yunnan, Ningxia, Tibet, Qinghai, Guizhou, Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and other regions.
It grows at an altitude of 1,600 to 3,600 meters and is mostly found in wet areas on valley slopes, thickets, under forests, along ditches, and in alpine meadows. It has not been cultivated artificially. It blooms from May to July, and the fruit ripens from September to October.
However, due to the unpleasant smell emitted when it blooms, people tend to stay away from it over time.
【Precautions for Blood-filled Herb】
1. Pregnant women
It should be used with caution by those with weak spleen and stomach, and pregnant women should not use it during pregnancy to avoid fetal malformation. It can be used in appropriate amounts for children.
2. Women during menstruation
Women's bodies are relatively weak during menstruation, so it is advisable to use it with caution.
