Nicknames: Shrimp Claw Vegetable, Joint Flower, Water Achyranthes, horseshoe crab foot vegetable
Harvesting and processing: harvested in summer and autumn. Wash and dry.
Medicinal parts: whole plant
Origin: National
Science: Amaranthaceae
Original plant: Lotus seed grass
Plant condition: herbaceous
Height 10-45 centimeters; The conical root is thick, with a diameter of up to 3 millimeters; The stem rises or crawls, green or slightly purple in color, with stripes and longitudinal grooves, with soft hairs in the grooves, and a row of soft hairs at the nodes.
The shape and size of the leaves vary, ranging from lanceolate to oblong, ovate to oblong, with a length of 1-8 cm and a width of 2-20 mm. The tips are sharp, rounded, or blunt, and the base gradually narrows. The entire edge may have indistinct serrations, and both sides are hairless or sparsely furry; The petiole is 1-4 millimeters long, with no hair or soft hairs.
1-4 inflorescence heads, axillary, without a total peduncle, initially spherical, gradually cylindrical, with a diameter of 3-6 millimeters; Flowers densely grow, with white soft hairs densely growing on the flower axis; The bracts and bracteoles are white, with short pointed tips and no hair; Bracts ovate lanceolate, about 1 millimeter long, bracteoles diamond-like, 1-1.5 millimeters long; The perianth is ovate, 2-3 millimeters long, white, with a pointed or acute tip, hairless, and has one vein; Stamen 3, filaments about 0.7 millimeters long, base connected into a cup-shaped shape, anthers rectangular in shape; Degenerate stamen triangular diamond shaped, shorter than stamen, apex gradually pointed, entire margin; The style is extremely short and the stigma is short and cracked.
The fruit is inverted heart-shaped, 2-2.5 millimeters long, laterally flattened, winged, dark brown, enclosed within the persistent perianth. The seed is spherical in shape. The flowering period is from May to July, and the fruiting period is from July to September.
Characteristics of lotus seed herb:
Lotus seed herbal properties:
[Taste] Slightly sweet, light, and cool.
【 Indications and Functions 】 Clearing heat and cooling blood, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, removing toxins and relieving itching. Used for dysentery, nosebleeds, hemoptysis, rectal bleeding, urethritis, pharyngitis, mastitis, and difficulty urinating; Topical treatment for sores, boils, swelling, toxins, eczema, dermatitis, tinea corporis, and venomous snake bites.
【 Usage and Dosage 】 0.5-1 liang, decoct in water and take orally, or 2-4 liang of fresh whole grass, stew in sauce and take warm. Apply an appropriate amount externally, crush fresh whole grass and apply it, or wash the affected area with concentrated water decoction. "