Reed Herb has the effects of astringing and stopping bleeding, nourishing deficiency, eliminating accumulation, stopping diarrhea, killing insects, detoxifying and reducing swelling. It is also known as Wolf Bud Grass. It is harvested during the summer and autumn, when the branches and leaves are lush but not yet flowering. So, what does Reed Herb look like in the eyes of traditional Chinese medicine?
Image of Reed Herb
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Reed Herb is mainly used to treat astringing and stopping bleeding, treating malaria, stopping diarrhea, and detoxifying. It is used for coughing up blood, vomiting blood, excessive menstruation, malaria, bloody dysentery, physical exhaustion, boils, swelling, and toxic sores, as well as vaginal itching and abnormal discharge. Reed Herb is decocted in a dose of 0.5 to 1 liang (a traditional unit of weight) and taken once daily for 5 to 7 days. It has a certain preventive effect on influenza and typhoid caused by spiral-shaped bacteria.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant that grows to a height of 50 to 120 centimeters. The stem is erect, covered with long white soft hairs, and sometimes with scattered short soft hairs on the upper branches. The leaves are pinnately compound with odd numbers, alternate, and have petioles. The stipules are oblique-ovate with deep serrations and covered with long soft hairs.
The leaflets are 3 to 9 in number, elongated oval or elliptical, 1 to 6 centimeters long and 0.6 to 3 centimeters wide. The apex is sharply pointed, the base is cuneate or slightly oblique, and the edges are sharply serrated. Both sides are covered with soft hairs and have numerous yellow glandular dots. The larger leaves are at the top and middle, with small leaflets interspersed among them.
The inflorescence of Reed Herb is terminal and axillary, narrow and slender, 10 to 20 centimeters long. The flowers have short stalks and are surrounded by two trident-shaped bracts at the base. The calyx is simple, with 5 lobes at the apex, which are inverted-ovate and covered with hooked prickles.
The petals are 5, yellow, inverted-ovate with a slightly concave apex. There are 10 or more stamens, and the stigma has a head-like shape. The fruit is thin and enclosed in the persistent calyx with hooks. The flowering period is from July to September, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
It grows in wasteland, mountain slopes, roadsides, and grasslands. It is distributed in most parts of China, with the main production areas being Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Hubei. It is also produced in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Hebei, Shandong, Hunan, Yunnan, and other places.
