Fructus Psoraleae, a traditional Chinese medicine, is the fruit of the plant Psoralea corylifolia. It is distributed in Gansu, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and other regions. It has the effects of astringing the lower jiao and is used for excessive leukorrhea and chronic diarrhea.
【The effects and functions of Fructus Psoraleae】
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Fructus Psoraleae has the effect of astringing the lower jiao and is used for excessive leukorrhea and chronic diarrhea.
1. "Ben Jing Feng Yuan": Promotes blood circulation, dispels stasis, strengthens muscles and bones, nourishes the marrow, and consolidates essence and blood.
2. "Folk Medicinal Plants in Nanjing": Treats musculoskeletal pain and can be taken by soaking in liquor.
3. "Jiangsu Plant Medicine": Used for yin deficiency and internal heat, as a nourishing and heat-clearing medicine, with similar effects to Fructus Ligustri Lucidi.
【Morphological characteristics】
Fructus Psoraleae is an evergreen small tree or shrub, 3-8m in height. The bark is gray-white and smooth. The leaves are hard and leathery, elongated oval-shaped squares, 4-8cm long and 2-4cm wide;
The apex has 3 hard spines, the central spine is curved, the base is flat, and there are 1-2 spines on each side. The apex is short-pointed and the base is rounded. The surface is dark green and shiny, and the back is yellow-green. Both sides are hairless.
The plant is dioecious or occasionally monoecious, with flowers clustered in the leaf axils of 2-year-old branches. The flowers are yellow-green, 4-merous, with small calyx cups. The petals spread outward, inversely ovate to elongated oval-shaped, about 2.5mm long and 1.5mm wide, fused at the base;
There are 4 stamens, with filaments about 3mm long; the ovary has 4 chambers, with a very short style. The fruit is a drupe, spherical, and fresh red when ripe, with a diameter of 4-8mm. It has 4 bony seeds. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
