The Chinese medicinal herb E Machilus alba is also known as Hong Zhang Cao, Shan Dou Gen, Da Hong Pao, and Nian Shen Cao. E Machilus alba is a commonly used detoxifying and anti-inflammatory herb. It not only has the effect of appetizing and relieving heat, but also can treat snake bites. So what are the characteristics of E Machilus alba?
【Morphological Characteristics of E Machilus alba】
E Machilus alba is a small shrub with a height of 0.5-2m.
The branches have sparse soft hairs. The petiole has light yellow soft hairs; stipules are ovate-lanceolate; trifoliate leaves, with the terminal leaflet being broadly elliptic, 4.5-8.5cm long, 2.5-5cm wide, blunt at the apex, with a hard tip, wedge-shaped at the base, hairless on the upper surface, and with yellow long soft hairs on the veins on the lower surface, lateral leaflets are small and slightly oblique.
The inflorescence is axillary or terminal racemose, up to 16cm long, with numerous flowers densely packed; bracts are ovate-lanceolate, deciduous; calyx is campanulate, calyx lobes are lanceolate, with long soft hairs; corolla is pink, standard petal is about 1cm long, clawless, wing petals are as long as the standard petal, keel petals are shorter; ovary is linear, with silky hairs along the ventral and dorsal sutures.
The fruit is 1.5-2.5cm long, densely covered with black-brown silky hairs, with 4-7 pod segments, the ventral sutures are constricted, and the dorsal sutures are slightly wavy. The flowering period is from July to September, and the fruiting period is from September to November.
【Efficacy and Functions of E Machilus alba】
1. Treats abdominal pain
E Machilus alba has a good therapeutic effect on common abdominal pain and distension in women.
2. Treats dry chronic blood disease in women
Women often have problems such as dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and poor menstrual flow in their daily lives. If they want to regulate it for a long time, they can choose E Machilus alba for treatment.
3. Treats postpartum pain in women
E Machilus alba is also suitable for women who experience limb or joint soreness, pain, and numbness during the puerperium. Postpartum pain is a very common disease among puerperal women, also known as "postpartum wind" in Chinese.
4. Treats retained placenta
In some rural areas, some women have difficulty expelling the placenta after childbirth. The elderly use E Machilus alba to make medicinal formulas to help with treatment. Nowadays, E Machilus alba is widely used in clinical practice.
