The whole herb of the plant Polygonum hydropiper is called Yuyoucao in Chinese. It belongs to the family Urticaceae and has the functions of clearing heat, detoxifying, stopping cough, and stopping bleeding. It can be harvested throughout the year. So what does Yuyoucao look like? Let's find out together!
Yuyoucao is a perennial small herb, growing about 10-20 centimeters tall. It has branching stems at the base, with creeping stems and thin, slightly translucent stems covered with upward-facing hairs.
The leaves are alternate, rhomboid-ovate or slightly triangular, with similar length and width of about 1-2 centimeters. The apex is blunt, the base is wedge-shaped, and the margin has blunt rounded serrations. The upper surface has sparse long hairs and dot-like protuberances, while the lower surface has sparse short hairs.
The flowers are monoecious, with both male and female flowers on the same plant. The flowers are purple in color. The male flowers are arranged in elongated inflorescences, arising from the axils of the branches, with slender stalks. The female flowers arise from the axils of the upper leaves.
The male flowers have 5-lobed calyx and the same number of stamens. The female flowers have 4-lobed calyx with long white hairs on the lobes, and a single pistil with a brush-like stigma. The fruit is ovoid with dot-like protuberances. The flowering period is in April, and the fruiting period is from May to June.
Yuyoucao grows in damp and shady places at the foot of mountains, and is distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and Taiwan.
Yuyoucao has a mild taste and a cool nature. It has the functions of clearing heat, detoxifying, stopping cough, and stopping bleeding. It is mainly used to treat jaundice, coughing blood from pulmonary tuberculosis, hot flashes, hemorrhoids, and prickly heat.
Internal use: Decoct 30-60 grams of Yuyoucao in water. External use: Use an appropriate amount of Yuyoucao to decoct and wash the affected area.
According to "Zhejiang Tianri Shan Yaozhi": For the treatment of coughing with phlegm and blood and accompanied by hot flashes, take 1-2 liang of the whole herb of Yuyoucao, add 3-4 qian of Atractylodes macrocephala, decoct in water, and take it before meals in the morning and evening, adding rock sugar or white sugar.
