Purple Oil Wood Leaves is a positive tree that grows in limestone mountain forests or thickets, but it can also tolerate partial shade. It prefers warm temperatures and requires deep soil with strong germination power. It grows slowly and has a long lifespan, but the seedlings are not very cold-resistant. What are the benefits of Purple Oil Wood Leaves?
What is Chinese medicine Purple Oil Wood Leaves?
Purple Oil Wood is a plant of the Rhus family and the Mahonia genus. It is also known as Fragrant Wood. It is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can be propagated by sowing or cutting in both spring and autumn.
It is an evergreen tree that grows to a height of about 15-20 meters. Its leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, and measure 6-15 centimeters in length. The leaf axis has narrow wings, and there are 3-8 pairs of small leathery leaflets.
The leaflets are elliptical or broadly ovate, measuring 1.5-4 centimeters in length and 1-2 centimeters in width. They have entire margins, a concave apex, a wedge-shaped base, and a shiny green upper surface. The cone-shaped inflorescence is axillary.
The flowers are small and lack petals. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. The male flowers have 1-5 pink sepals with hairs and 3-5 stamens, while the female flowers have 2-5 sepals and a 1-loculed ovary without a stalk. The fruit is spherical and turns red when ripe, with a network pattern on its surface.
Purple Oil Wood Leaves grow in limestone mountain forests or thickets at an altitude of 580-2700 meters. They are distributed in Southwest China, Guangxi, Tibet, and other regions.
What are the benefits and effects of Purple Oil Wood Leaves?
In traditional Chinese medicine, Purple Oil Wood Leaves are believed to have the functions of clearing heat, dispelling dampness, and promoting digestion. They are used to treat dysentery, diarrhea, indigestion, eczema, and rubella.
1. "Common Herbs in Sichuan": "Promotes qi circulation and relieves pain. It is used to treat abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody dysentery, and cracked feet."
2. "Yunnan Chinese Herbs": "Clears heat and detoxifies. It is used to treat dysentery, enteritis, diarrhea, ulcers, eczema, rubella, and indigestion."
The bark of Fragrant Wood (Purple Oil Wood Bark) is also used as a medicinal herb. It has a bitter and slightly astringent taste and a cooling nature. Its function is to constrict and stop bleeding, and it is used to treat external bleeding caused by injuries.
Purple Oil Wood Leaves can also help dispel dampness. Boiling 9-15 grams of Purple Oil Wood Leaves in water to make a decoction for internal consumption can effectively dispel dampness, making it a helpful remedy for people with heavy dampness during the summer.
Drinking a decoction of Purple Oil Wood Leaves can effectively treat gastrointestinal discomfort, such as indigestion, diarrhea, and dysentery. It also has certain therapeutic effects on rubella and eczema.
