Are Purple Pearl Leaf and Purple Pearl Grass the same medicinal plant? There is only one letter difference between the two, so what are the differences between them? Here are the details:
Purple Pearl Leaf
Purple Pearl Leaf
【Alias】 Da Feng Ye, Bai Gou Chang, Da Ye Zi Zhu
【Source】 The leaf of Callicarpa macrophylla vahl, a plant of the Verbena family.
【Harvesting】 The leaves are harvested in summer and autumn, and can be dried or used fresh.
【Properties】 Neutral in nature, with a slight spicy and bitter taste.
【Appearance】 The leaves are often curled and wrinkled, and some are broken. When fully opened, they are oblong to lanceolate in shape, 15-30cm long and 5-11cm wide, with a gradually pointed tip and serrated edges. The upper surface is covered with short hairs, and the lower surface is densely covered with grey-white hairs. It has a slight aroma and a slightly bitter taste.
Purple Pearl Grass
【Alias】 Da Feng Ye, Gan Feng Zi, Hong Da Yu, Jia Da Ai
【Medicinal Parts】 The leaves, stems, and roots of the plants Callicarpa cathayana and Callicarpa kwangtungensis of the Verbena family.
【Functions and Indications】 Dispels stasis and stops bleeding, reduces swelling and alleviates pain. Leaves: used for vomiting blood, coughing up blood, nosebleeds, and bloody stools; externally used to treat external bleeding caused by injuries. Roots: used for bruises, swelling, and rheumatic bone pain.
Purple Pearl Grass
Purple Pearl Grass, also known as Purple Pearl or Hemostatic Grass, has a bitter, astringent taste and a neutral medicinal nature. It has the functions of stopping bleeding, dispersing stasis, and reducing inflammation. The leaves contain a hemostatic component called flavonoid condensed tannins, so it has the effects of stopping bleeding, dispersing stasis, and reducing inflammation. Injection preparations made from Purple Pearl Grass extracts can be used to treat gastrointestinal bleeding, surgical incision bleeding, and postoperative bleeding.
【Properties and Channels】 Spicy, bitter, and neutral in nature. It belongs to the Liver, Spleen, and Stomach meridians.
Differences between Purple Pearl Leaf and Purple Pearl Grass
1. Medicinal Differences
Purple Pearl Grass, also known as Purple Pearl or Hemostatic Grass, is a plant of the Verbena family, and both its roots and leaves are used as medicine. The leaves are harvested in summer and autumn, while the roots can be harvested throughout the year.
Purple Pearl Leaf Image
Purple Pearl has a bitter, astringent taste and a cooling nature. Purple Pearl Leaf is the dried leaf of the plant Callicarpa cathayana. It is harvested in summer and autumn and then dried. It has a bitter and astringent taste and a cooling nature. The two have similar medicinal effects.
2. Appearance Differences
The leaves of Purple Pearl Grass are opposite, and the leaf shape is mostly oblong or lanceolate. In summer and autumn, small purple flowers will bloom at the leaf axils of Purple Pearl Grass, which will later develop into spherical fruits that turn purple-red when ripe.
Purple Pearl Leaf is often wrinkled and curled, and some are broken. The intact Purple Pearl Leaf is mostly elliptical. The leaf stalk is about 0.5-1.5cm long, with a wide wedge-shaped or blunt round base, and the edges have fine serrations, while the base is almost entire.
