The leaves of the elm tree are leaves of the elm tree, a plant in the Ulmaceae family. They are mainly produced in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Hunan, and other areas. They are also produced in Shaanxi, Henan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. They are generally harvested in summer and autumn and used fresh or dried.
Picture of elm leaves
The elm leaves have the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, and cooling blood. They are used to treat ulcerations, swelling, and abnormal uterine bleeding.
The elm tree is a tall tree, reaching up to 25 meters. The one-year-old branches are densely covered with soft hairs. The leaves are alternate, with a hard papery texture; the leaf stalks are 1-4mm long; there are no stipules; the elm leaves are elliptic, narrow-ovate, or lanceolate;
The tips are gradually pointed, the base is wide-wedge-shaped or nearly circular, rough on the upper surface, with deciduous stiff hairs, and densely covered with soft hairs on the lower surface; the margins have single serrations; there are 7-15 pairs of lateral veins.
The flowers are unisexual, sometimes polygamous, with male and female flowers on the same plant; the male flowers are clustered in the leaf axils or bract axils of the lower part of the new branches, and the female flowers are 1-3 in the leaf axils of the upper part of the new branches; the perianth has 4-5 segments;
Picture of elm leaves
The stamens are the same number as the perianth segments and are opposite to them; the female flowers have only one pistil, one-roomed ovary, and two oblique styles. The nuts are oblique, with a diameter of 2.5-4mm. The flowering period is from March to April, and the fruiting period is from October to November.
1. "Tang Materia Medica": "The tender leaves, when mashed and applied, are effective for treating ulcers and burns caused by fire."
2. "Rihua Zi Materia Medica": "It treats swollen and ulcerated wounds, mashed with salt."
3. Yao Kecheng's "Food Materia Medica": "It is used to make a drink to cool the heart and lungs; it is mashed and applied for burns."
4. "Rihua Zi": "It is cool and non-toxic."
5. "National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicine": "It is used to treat boils and sores."
