【Name】
Ye Xiang Hua (Leaf Elephant Flower)
【Alias】
Grass Acalypha (Flora of Hainan), Acalypha (Wenshan Herbal Medicine).
【Source】
The whole plant of Acalypha wilkesiana, a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. It can be harvested all year round.
【Reference】
Wenshan Herbal Medicine
【Properties】
Bitter and cold.
【Functions】
Regulates menstruation and stops bleeding, promotes bone healing and reduces swelling. Used for excessive menstrual bleeding, bruises, fractures.
【Prescriptions】
① For excessive menstrual bleeding, bruises: Take 2-3 qian (6-9 grams) of Ye Xiang Hua, decoct in water and take twice a day.
② For external bleeding and fractures: Take fresh leaves of Ye Xiang Hua, mash them and apply to the affected area, change the dressing every 2-3 days. (The properties and taste are based on Wenshan Herbal Medicine)
【Habitat】
Cultivated throughout China.
【Chemical Composition】
Seeds contain protein, fatty oil, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid, etc.
【Plant Morphology】
An annual herb, about 1 meter tall. The stem is erect, solitary, with oblique and stout branches that spread out. When broken, a white sap flows out. The young stems are hollow and green. The leaves are alternate, with various shapes, such as ovate, elliptic, deeply lobed or unlobed. The leaves in the middle and lower part of the stem are 4-10 cm long and 2.5-5 cm wide, with pinnate lobes or unlobed. The petiole is 2-3 cm long. Some or all of the leaves in the lower part of the inflorescence are purplish-red. The inflorescence is cup-shaped and arranged in dense umbels at the top of the stem or branches. The involucre is green and bell-shaped, with 5 lobes at the top. There are 1-2 glandular organs, cup-shaped, without petal-like appendages. The ovary is ovate, 3-loculed, and the style is 3-parted and free, with 2 lobes at the top. The capsule is ovate-trigonous, about 5 mm in diameter. The seeds are ovate with wart-like projections on the surface.
【Pharmacological Effects of Ye Xiang Hua】
The hot water extract of the flower and leaf has inhibitory effects on Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37) in vitro, while the stem and root are ineffective. The juice of the leaf or plant is toxic and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and delirium. The toxic components may be in the resinous part.
【Uses and Effects of Ye Xiang Hua】
Ye Xiang Hua has the effects of cooling blood, regulating menstruation, dispersing stasis, and reducing swelling. It is used for excessive menstrual bleeding, external injuries with swelling and pain, bleeding, and fractures.
Internal use: Decoction, 6-10 grams of flowers, external use: apply crushed leaves.
1. For excessive menstrual bleeding, bruises: Take 2-3 qian (6-9 grams) of Ye Xiang Hua, decoct in water and take twice a day.
2. For external bleeding and fractures: Take fresh leaves of Ye Xiang Hua, mash them and apply to the affected area, change the dressing every 2-3 days. (The properties and taste are based on Wenshan Herbal Medicine)
Symptoms of poisoning: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, delirium.
Rescue methods:
1. Induce vomiting and gastric lavage in the early stage;
2. Take tannic acid protein or general detoxifying drugs orally;
3. Intravenous infusion and symptomatic treatment.
