1. Alias
Wild fennel, wild carrot seeds, snake rice, snake pearls, snake millet, snake bed kernels.
2. Plant morphology
Annual herb, up to 80 centimeters tall. The stem is upright, hollow, with many branches, and has edges on the surface. The young stem lies on the ground like a snake and stands up with growth. 2-3 lobed compound leaves, the basal leaves have long stalks, and the base swells into leaf sheaths and embraces the stem. Umbelliferae inflorescence terminal and axillary; Total bracts 8-10, small bracts 9-10, linear, with fine hairs on the edges. Petals 5, white ovate, with a narrow tongue that folds inward and is concave at the tip, hairless; 5 stamens, with filaments up to 2 millimeters in length; Lower ovary, 2 styles, 1 millimeter long, conical base of styles. The double hanging fruit is slightly flattened in an elliptical shape, gray yellow or yellow brown in color, with a fragrant aroma. After maturity, it is divided into two parts, with 5 edges and narrow wings on each edge. There is one oil tube in the concave part between the edges and two oil tubes on the joint surface. The flowering period is from April to July, and the fruiting period is from June to October.
3. Origin distribution
Born in damp places such as fields, riverbanks, and roadside grasslands. Mainly produced in Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan and other places.
4. Harvesting and processing
Harvest fruits in summer and autumn when they are ripe, remove impurities, and dry them in the sun.
5. Characteristics of medicinal herbs
Double hanging fruit, elliptical in shape, 2-4 millimeters long, with a diameter of about 2 millimeters. The surface is gray yellow or gray brown, with two outwardly curved column bases at the top and occasional fine stems at the base. The back of the fruit has 5 thin and protruding longitudinal edges, with a flat joint surface and 2 brown slightly protruding longitudinal edges. Crispy skin; Rubbing easily causes shedding, the seeds are small, gray brown, and oily. Fragrant aroma, spicy and cool taste, with a tingling sensation on the tongue.
6. Sexual Taste Returning to the Classics
Warm in nature, spicy and bitter in taste. Returning to the Kidney Meridian.
7. Effect and Function
Warm the kidneys and strengthen yang, dry dampness, dispel wind, and kill insects. It belongs to the category of insecticidal and anti itch drugs, as well as the category of tonifying yang drugs under the category of tonifying deficiency drugs.
8. Clinical application
Dosage: 3-9 grams, decoct in water or dissolve in pills. External use: Boil and fumigate, or grind and sprinkle, adjust and apply. Used to treat erectile dysfunction, uterine coldness, cold dampness, and lower back pain caused by dampness obstruction. Externally used to treat external eczema, female itching, and trichomonas vaginitis.
9. Pharmacological research
Antiarrhythmic; Inhibit the heart; Lowering blood pressure; Hormone like effects; Antifungal, insecticidal, trichomonas, and spermicidal; Dispelling phlegm and relieving asthma; Local anesthesia; Anti allergic reaction, anti mutagenic effect; Delaying aging; Affects the metabolism of plasma prostacyclin and cyclic nucleotides; Inhibit smooth muscle contraction; Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis; Has sedative and hypnotic effects.
10. Chemical composition
Containing volatile oil, the main components are pinene, isovaleric acid bornyl ester, parsley methyl ether, dihydroparsley alcohol, bergamot lactone, osthol, isoanisin, etc. It also contains ingredients such as camphene, isoeugenol, coumarin, bornyl acetate, limonene, and 3-sitosterol.
11. Usage taboos
Those with yin deficiency and excessive fire, damp heat phase and excessive fire movement, as well as strong yang and unstable essence, are prohibited from taking it internally.
12. Compatibility prescription
① Treating erectile dysfunction: divide the seeds of Dodder, Snake Bed, and Schisandra into equal parts. The honey pills are like wutong. Drink thirty pills every three days. (From "Qian Jin Yao Fang")
② Treating women's itching: 30g snake bed seeds, 6g alum. Boil soup and wash frequently. (A Brief Introduction to Lake Collection)
③ Treatment of ear moist sores: 3g each of snake bed seeds and Huanglian, 0.3g light powder. At the end. Blow it and it will heal. (Three Marvelous Essays in "The Collection of Immortals")
④ Treating toothache: Snake bed, no matter how much, boil hot water. Stop coughing with it. (Ancient and Modern Medical Mirror)
⑤ Treatment for prolapse: 30g each of snake bed seeds and licorice. Above is the end. Take 3 grams of hot soup, three times a day. (The Snake Bed Powder in "Puji Fang")
⊙ The content of the article is for clinical reference only. Non TCM professionals are not allowed to test drugs.