Da Jiugu Niu, a traditional Chinese medicine. The original form and medicinal properties of Da Jiugu Niu!
The Plant Morphology of Da Jiugu Niu
A shrub, about 1 meter tall, with thick roots and sparse branches covered in white hairs.
Leaves are opposite; leaf blades are ovate-elliptic in shape, measuring 3-6.5 cm in length and 2-4.5 cm in width, with blunt or slightly pointed tips, rounded bases, and irregular coarse serrations along the edges; no stipules.
Small white flowers, monoecious, arranged in terminal conical inflorescences; male flowers with cup-shaped calyx and 4-lobed corolla;
4 petals, lanceolate-spoon-shaped; female flowers without petals, with annular floral disc; 2 leaf-like bracts, white in color.
Fruits are compressed and do not split, attached in the middle of wing-shaped bracts. 1 seed per fruit. Flowering occurs in autumn.
Characteristics of Da Jiugu Niu
Cylindrical in shape, measuring 3.7-7.5 cm in length, with a gray-white or light brown surface, opaque. If the outer skin is not removed, 3-4 rings and longitudinal lines can be seen, and a layer of skin can be peeled off, resembling fibers.
Clear knife marks can be seen. There is a concave or protruding stem scar at the top.
Firm in texture, not easily breakable, with an uneven section, resembling keratin. Faint odor, slightly bitter taste.
Medicinal Uses of Da Jiugu Niu
Used for treating cough due to lung heat, mastitis, parotitis, boils, and injuries from falls or blows.
1. For cough due to lung heat: 15g of Da Jiugu Niu root (peeled), 6g of Xiang Ling Cao, and 6g of Wa Cao. Grind them together into powder, take 6g each time, and take it twice daily.
2. For mastitis, parotitis, boils, scabies, and all internal and external ulcers: equal parts of Da Jiugu Niu root, Chong Lou, Bai Ji, Xiao Nian Yao, and Wu Xiang Xue Teng. Use honey or vinegar to make a paste and apply it to the affected area. (The above two prescriptions are from "Folk Medicinal Herbs Used in Kunming")
