Luoshuanghong is a traditional Chinese medicine that can clear heat, detoxify, cool blood, and stop bleeding. It is commonly used for burns, dental caries, ulceration, and external bleeding. To understand a herb, it is important to know its growing environment and its medicinal properties. So what are the growing environment and medicinal uses of Luoshuanghong?
Luoshuanghong
Luoshuanghong is a deciduous shrub with hard hairy leaves, reaching a height of 1-2m. The bark is gray and the branches have obvious pores.
The leaves are alternate with a petiole length of 6-8mm. The leaf blades are membranous, elliptical, ovoid, or ovoid-elliptical, measuring 2-9cm in length and 1-4cm in width. The apex is gradually pointed, the base is wedge-shaped, and the edges have sharp serrations. The upper surface of the midrib is concave, while the lower surface is convex. The leaves are sparsely covered with hard hairs.
The inflorescence is a solitary umbel in the leaf axil. The male flowers are 4-5 in number, with pedicels measuring 2.5mm in length. The calyx has a diameter of 1.5-2mm and triangular calyx lobes covered with soft hairs. The corolla has a diameter of 4.5-5mm, with oblong petals slightly fused at the base. The stamens are slightly shorter than the corolla.
The female flowers are 4-5 in number, with pedicels measuring 2-3mm. They have a calyx similar to the male flowers and a corolla with a diameter of 4.5mm. The petals are ovate, and the ovary is ovoid with a disc-shaped stigma.
The fruit is spherical, with a diameter of about 5mm, and is red in color. It contains 4-5 (rarely 1) ellipsoidal or broadly ellipsoidal drupes with smooth dorsal surfaces and leathery endocarps. The flowering period is from August to September, and the fruiting period is in October.
Ecological environment: It is commonly found in sparse forests and shrubs at altitudes above 1200m.
Distribution: It is distributed in Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, and other provinces in China.
