Ruilingcao is the whole plant of the Asteraceae plant, Eupatorium fortunei Turcz. It has a bitter taste, cold nature, and is harvested in summer and dried in the shade. It is used to invigorate blood and regulate menstruation, and to clear heat and improve vision. It is mainly used for irregular menstruation, hot flashes and fatigue, and liver heat causing red eyes.
Plant Morphology
Eupatorium fortunei Turcz. is a perennial herb, 15-45cm tall. The whole plant is usually hairy. The rhizome is slender. The stem is erect, clustered or solitary, with purple upper parts and surrounded by residual leaf stalks at the base, covered with white sparse long hairs or almost hairless.
The basal leaves have short or long petioles, the leaf blades are lanceolate or linear-elliptic, up to 15cm long; the middle and upper leaves gradually become smaller, without petioles, with pointed or gradually pointed tips, semi-clasping the stem at the base, with downward sharp teeth, sparsely hairy or nearly hairless on both sides; the uppermost leaves are small, often purple at the tip.
The inflorescence is cymose, with 2-5 umbel-like clusters borne at the top, with a diameter of 1-1.5cm and slender pedicels; the involucre is narrowly campanulate, 15-17mm long, with 4-5 layers of involucre bracts, dark purple at the apex and margin, covered with white long soft hairs, slightly obtuse, outer layer ovate, inner layer lanceolate; the corolla is dark purple, about 15mm long. The achene is oblong, about 3mm long; the pappus is dirty white, with shorter outer layer and feather-like inner layer.
Medicinal Properties of Ruilingcao
Ruilingcao can invigorate blood and regulate menstruation, and clear heat and improve vision. It is mainly used for irregular menstruation, hot flashes and fatigue, and liver heat causing red eyes.
Application of Ruilingcao
Treatment of irregular menstruation: Take 5 grams each of Ruilingcao, Lushoucha, Zhulingcao, and Yimucao, decocted in yellow wine and taken orally. (From "Shaanxi Herbal Medicine")
