Da Guolu Huang, a traditional Chinese medicine, is the whole herb of the plant Lepidium apetalum, which belongs to the family Primulaceae. It is distributed in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, and other regions. It has the functions of dispelling wind, clearing heat, and detoxification, and is commonly used for wind-heat cough, sore throat, and hot toxic sores and abscesses.
【Effects and Functions of Da Guolu Huang】
Chinese medicine believes that Da Guolu Huang has the functions of dispelling wind, clearing heat, and detoxification. It is used for wind-heat cough, sore throat, and hot toxic sores and abscesses.
"Sichuan Commonly Used Chinese Medicinal Herbs": "Dispels wind, clears heat, and transforms phlegm. Used for wind-heat sore throat, cough, blood in stool, sinking distension, hard abdominal pain, and hot toxic sores."
【Morphological Characteristics】
Da Guolu Huang is an annual or perennial herb. The stem is usually clustered, bent and erect, 10-30cm in height. In humid habitats, the lower part of the stem often creeps, with roots growing on the nodes. The upper part is tortuous and can reach up to 60cm in length. It is single or branched, densely covered with 1-1.5mm long multicellular hairs.
The leaves are opposite; the petiole is 2-12 times shorter than the leaf blade, densely covered with soft hairs; the two pairs of leaves at the top of the stem are close together, forming a whorl, often 1-2 times larger than the lower leaves. The leaf blade is ovate to ovate-elliptic, 1.5-8cm long, 8-40mm wide;
The apex is sharp or slightly blunt with a sudden pointed tip, the base is broadly wedge-shaped, and both sides are covered with rough hairs with nodes, and the midrib is slightly wider and more obvious on the lower surface. The inflorescence is terminal, nearly head-like, with many flowers; the pedicel is 1-7mm long, covered with soft hairs;
The calyx is split almost to the base, with lanceolate lobes, and the back is covered with soft hairs; the corolla is yellow, 10-13mm long, with a basal fused portion of about 3mm long, and the apex is 5-lobed, with inverted ovate lobes and transparent glandular dots;
There are 5 stamens, the filament base is fused into a tube, and the upper part is free, the anther is ovate-lanceolate with ciliate edges; the pistil is up to 8mm long, and the lower part and the apex of the ovary are hairy. The capsule is brown, with a diameter of 3.5-4mm. The flowering period is from May to June, and the fruiting period is from August to September.
