Field Pennywort is rich in natural medicinal ingredients that can help suppress virus activity. Apart from being found in the wild, Field Pennywort can also be cultivated. The specific cultivation method is as follows:
Therapeutic Uses of Field Pennywort
Purple Field Pennywort has a cold nature and a bitter taste. It belongs to the Heart and Liver meridians and has the functions of clearing heat, detoxification, cooling blood, and reducing swelling.
It can be used to treat blood stasis caused by heat, carbuncles and abscesses, redness, swelling, and pain. It is the preferred medicine for treating carbuncles and can be used internally by crushing and juicing Purple Field Pennywort, and externally by applying the residue.
It can also be used to treat breast abscesses, intestinal abscesses, red and swollen eyes, and febrile diseases caused by external pathogens.
In addition, it can also be used to treat snake bites. By crushing and juicing Purple Field Pennywort and taking it orally, or by combining it with powdered Realgar and applying it externally.
The dosage for decoction is between 15g-30g for internal use, and an appropriate amount for external use. It should be noted that it is not suitable for individuals with weak and cold constitutions.
Cultivation of Field Pennywort
1. Field Pennywort is propagated by seeds, with about 3 to 4 kilograms of seeds needed per acre. It is usually intercropped with gramineous plants.
During the Small Heat and Great Heat periods, after the gramineous plants such as corn are ridged, the ground between the rows is shallowly hoed. The seeds are evenly scattered between the rows, and a large hoe is used to cover the seeds tightly. Water is then poured to keep the bed moist. The seeds will germinate in about 30 days.
2. After the Field Pennywort seedlings emerge, they need to be watered frequently and properly managed. When the main autumn crops are mature and ready for harvest, care should be taken not to bury the Field Pennywort seedlings.
Before the first frost, the plants should be watered with freezing water and covered with manure. After the thaw of the following spring, the manure should be crushed and leveled.
From the Qingming to the Grain Rain period, when the new leaves have not yet covered the ground, urea should be applied at a rate of 10-15 kilograms per acre, followed by watering. After the start of summer, watering should be stopped to prevent stem and leaf rot and reduce yield.
3. Around the Awakening of Insects period, when the Field Pennywort seedlings turn green, there is often a black caterpillar of the Lepidoptera order that feeds on the tender buds, causing significant damage. It can be controlled by spraying with Bacillus thuringiensis (No. 3 strain) at a dilution of 500-1000 times;
Alternatively, 2500 grams of the bacterial powder can be mixed with 15-25 kilograms of fine soil to make a toxic soil, which is then spread in the field for pest control.
