Hanxin grass, also known as Ear Digging Grass, Golden Tea Spoon, and Toothbrush Grass. The leaves are paired, and the leaf shape ranges from oval to lanceolate. The flowers are pink-purple and grow in the leaf axils. It is widely distributed in China, with a higher distribution in South China, East China, and Taiwan.
Effects and Functions of Hanxin Grass
In traditional Chinese medicine, Hanxin grass is considered to have a bitter and neutral nature. It has the effects of dispelling wind, promoting blood circulation, detoxifying, and relieving pain.
It is mainly used to treat injuries from falls, vomiting blood, coughing blood, abscesses, and toothaches. The book "Essential Guide to Medicinal Herbs" states that it can "treat falls, snake bites, dispel wind and scatter blood, strengthen tendons and bones, reduce swelling, and be fried in alcohol." The "Quanzhou Materia Medica" states that Hanxin grass "treats all kinds of blood stasis and pain, bleeding from knife wounds, etc."
In clinical practice, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners use it to treat injuries from falls, vomiting blood, coughing blood, abscesses, and other diseases, both internally and externally.
Properties: Bitter, neutral.
① "Essential Guide to Medicinal Herbs": "Bitter taste, neutral nature."
② "Lingnan Medicinal Herb Collection": "Bitter and spicy taste, neutral nature."
③ "Guizhou Folk Medicinal Herbs": "Bitter, cold, non-toxic."
Meridians Entered: "Heart, liver, and lung" according to the "Quanzhou Materia Medica".
Functions and Indications: Dispels wind, promotes blood circulation, detoxifies, and relieves pain. It is used to treat injuries from falls, vomiting blood, coughing blood, abscesses, boils, windpipe disorders, and toothaches.
① "Essential Guide to Medicinal Herbs": "Treats injuries from falls, snake bites, dispels wind and scatters blood, strengthens tendons and bones, reduces swelling, and is excellent when soaked in alcohol."
② "Nanning Medicinal Herb Records": "Reduces swelling and relieves pain, dispels wind and scatters stasis. Treats injuries from falls, snake bites, and sores."
⑧ "Guizhou Folk Medicinal Herbs": "Clears liver heat. Treats liver fire, irritability."
④ "Quanzhou Materia Medica": "Clears heat and detoxifies, reduces swelling and disperses abscesses, removes blood stasis, drains pus and treats abscesses, cools blood and stops bleeding, benefits throat. It treats all kinds of throat abscesses, and also treats lung fire, high fever, wheezing, coughing blood, blood-stasis-induced pain, bleeding from knife wounds, and wounds from tiger and dog bites."
Precautions: "Pregnant women should use with caution" according to the "Guangxi Medicinal Herbs".
Functions of Hanxin Grass
1. Antibacterial Effect
Half lotus 50% decoction was tested using the agar well diffusion method, and it showed inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli.
2. Antispasmodic and Expectorant Effects
The quercetin contained in this herb has a strong inhibitory effect on smooth muscle contractions caused by histamine and has good expectorant effects.
3. Antitumor Effect
Screening tests using the Meyer's tube method showed that this herb has a mild inhibitory effect on acute myeloid leukemia cells; screening experiments using the cell respiration method showed that the inhibition rate on acute myeloid leukemia blood cells is greater than 75%.
4. Immune Regulation
The polysaccharides contained in this herb can promote the transformation of A-induced mouse spleen lymphocytes in vitro, with the most suitable concentration being 400r/ml.
After 1 week of administration, it can significantly increase the percentage of esterase-positive cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes in mice and promote the delayed hypersensitivity reaction induced by DNCB. However, high-dose administration (200mg/kg) can inhibit the thymus index in mice, without affecting the spleen index.
5. Other Effects
Inhibition of ATP production: The baicalin contained in this herb has the ability to inhibit indole-3-acetic acid oxidase and ATP production.
Inhibition of larval growth: It can also inhibit the growth of Heliothiszea larvae.
Effects on blood vessels: Baicalin glycosides can increase cerebral blood flow, reduce cerebral vascular resistance, improve blood-brain barrier permeability, and counteract platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate.
【Food Therapy Recipe】
Yiyiren, Lingjiao, and Ban Zhilian Decoction: 30g of yiyiren, 30g of lingjiao, and 30g of Ban Zhilian, boiled with water to make a decoction, taken twice a day, for long-term use. It can be used for gastric cancer, cervical cancer, etc.
