Did you know about the antibacterial effects of the five-spice herb? The five-spice herb is the whole herb of the Lip Shape Family plant, Su Zhou Ji Zhi. It is mainly distributed in Suzhou, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and eastern Jiangxi.
Image of the five-spice herb
【Antibacterial effects of the five-spice herb】
In vitro experiments, the decoction of the five-spice herb has a certain antibacterial effect. It has the strongest antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Proteus vulgaris. It also has good antibacterial effects against Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, and Salmonella paratyphi, but slightly weaker effects against Shigella flexneri and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
The antibacterial active ingredients are found in the leaves and stems, while the roots have little effect. After oral administration of the decoction to rats, their concentrated urine showed antibacterial effects in test tubes.
【Morphology of the five-spice herb】
The five-spice herb is an annual herbaceous plant, growing 12-50cm tall. The stem is erect and four-sided, covered with sparse short hairs. The leaves are opposite; leaf stalks are 2-7mm long, slightly hairy; leaf blades are linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1.2-2.2cm long, 0.2-0.4cm wide, gradually pointed at the tip, and wedge-shaped at the base. The edges have fine serrations, with the lower part being entire near the base. The upper surface is covered with tiny hairs, while the lower surface has short stiff hairs and glandular spots.
Umbel inflorescences have 2 flowers, forming terminal pseudo-umbel inflorescences on the main stem and lateral branches, 2-5mm long, with sparse flowers. The bracts are small, arranged sparsely, nearly circular to ovate, 1.5-2.5mm long, with a tapering tip, covered with soft hairs on the upper surface, and densely covered with glandular spots on the lower surface. The calyx is bell-shaped, about 3mm long, covered with soft hairs and glandular spots on the outside, with 5 calyx teeth, bilabiate, and the 3 posterior teeth being shorter and deeply divided. The corolla is purple, 6-7mm long, covered with fine hairs on the outside, with an upright upper lip and a slightly concave lower lip divided into 3 lobes, with the middle lobe being larger. There are 4 fertile stamens, slightly protruding. The ovary is 4-lobed, with a basal style and a 2-lobed stigma. The small nut is spherical, brown, and has a reticulated pattern. The flowering period is from July to October, and the fruiting period is from August to November.
