[Original plant] Knife beans.
Annual tangled herbaceous vine, up to several meters long, hairless or slightly hairy. Three compound leaves with petioles measuring 7-15cm in length; The apical lobules are usually broadly ovate, measuring 8-20cm in length and 5-16cm in width, with a pointed apex and a wide wedge-shaped or nearly circular base. They are entire and hairless on both sides. The lateral lobules have a circular base and are skewed. The axillary flowers of the inflorescence are often clustered with 2-3 flowers on the axis of the inflorescence; Calyx tube bell shaped, slightly hairy, large upper, with 2 lobed teeth, lower lip with 3 lobed teeth, ovate; The corolla is butterfly shaped, light red or light purple, 3-4 cm long, with a wide oval shaped flag petal that is concave at the top and has indistinct ears and wide claws at the base. The wing and keel petals are curved and have downward ears; Stamen 10, fused to the base of one petal slightly detached; Ovary linear, with short stalks and sparse long hairs; Most ovules. Yingguo is linear, flat and slightly curved, with a length of 10-35cm and a width of 3-6cm. The tip is curved or hooked, and the edge has ridges. There are 10-14 seeds, which are elliptical, elongated or kidney shaped. The seed coat is pink, red or brown, and the navel is about 3/4 of the total length of the seed. The flowering period is from June to September, and the fruiting period is from August to November.
【 Habitat Distribution 】 Cultivated in warm climate zones. Distributed in provinces and regions such as Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan.
Harvesting and processing: When the seeds mature in autumn, harvest the pods, peel the seeds, and dry them in the sun.
【 Medicinal herb characteristics 】 The seeds are flattened oval or flattened kidney shaped, with a length of 2-3.5cm, a width of 1-2cm, and a thickness of 0.5-1.5cm. The surface is light red, reddish purple or yellow brown, with a few white or purple black, slightly glossy, miniature, and has a gray black seed hilum (commonly known as "black eyebrow") at the edge. It is about 3/4 the length of the seed and about 2mm wide, with residual white film like bead stalks on it. One end near the seed hilum has concave bead holes, and the other end has dark junctions. There is a raised seed ridge between the junction and the seed hilum. Hard in texture and difficult to break. The seed coat is leathery, the inner surface is brownish green, smooth, and the cotyledons are yellow white. The embryonic root is located at one end of the bead hole, tilted to one side. Mild odor, light taste, with a bean like odor when chewed.
[Processing and Decoction Pieces] Remove impurities and crush when used.
[Sexual Taste Function] Sweet taste, warm nature. It has the function of warming the middle and lower qi, nourishing the kidneys and nourishing the essence.
【 Indications and Usage 】 Used for symptoms such as deficiency cold, hiccup, vomiting, kidney deficiency, lower back pain, and phlegm wheezing. The dosage is 4.5-9g.