Herbal Color Atlas - (4)

Author: Wang Yi / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Water Nettle (also known as Scissors Vegetable, Swallowtail Grass, Grandma's Vegetable, and Small Nettle). It is derived from the whole plant of the aquatic plant Sagittaria sagittifolia Mak. (Family Alismataceae).
Plant Morphology: Perennial herb. Fine, white, tender fibrous roots, often with transparent transverse stripes, hollow. Leaves grow from the root cluster, several in number; the base of the petiole is expanded; the blade is arrow-shaped, with a sharp apex, and the leaf auricles spread outward on both sides, entire.
A long stem grows from the leaf cluster; flowers are monoecious, arranged in whorls, with 3 flowers per whorl; the lower part consists of female flowers, and the upper part consists of male flowers; white.
Aggregate fruits are spherical. Flowering period: May to June. Grows in paddy fields, ditches, and ponds. Produced in all parts of Guizhou. Distributed in the southern Yangtze River region.
Properties and Effects: Pungent, cool. Clears heat and detoxifies, promotes blood circulation and relieves pain.
Clinical Applications:
① Treating carbuncles and boils: 20g of water nettle is crushed and applied externally.
② Treating snake bites and bee stings: An appropriate amount of water nettle is crushed and applied externally, or the juice is applied.
③ Treating acute conjunctivitis: An appropriate amount of water nettle is crushed and applied to the eyelids.
④ Treating uterine bleeding and hemorrhoids: 20g of water nettle and 30g of iron-wrapped gold are decocted and taken orally.
⑤ Treating erysipelas: An appropriate amount of water nettle is crushed, and the juice is applied externally.
Dosage: 20–30g. P2