Is Houttuynia cordata Thunb really poisonous?

Houttuynia cordata Thunb is a famous Chinese herbal medicine, especially in summer to drink tea with Houttuynia cordata Thunb, can achieve the effect of heat-clearing and detoxification, its root is often called folded ear root, used to make cold food taste is also a unique, so Houttuynia cordata Thunb is known as health-preserving sacred products. But recently, it is said on the Internet that Houttuynia cordata is poisonous. Is it really poisonous? The analysis for you is as follows:

What is Houttuynia cordata?

1. Houttuynia cordata, a plant of the family Euphorbia trifoliata, grows most luxuriantly in summer. It can be found on both sides of the road, and it smells fishy as soon as it comes into contact, so the name comes from it. In summer, you can harvest luxuriant branches and leaves and go home, remove some impurities, wash them, dry them in the sun and make tea.

two。 Houttuynia cordata water drink taste is relatively pungent, belongs to the cold medicine, if the fire people drink can achieve the benefits of reducing the fire; but not suitable for weak people to drink, will aggravate the moisture.

3. Houttuynia cordata Thunb is mainly distributed in southern China, such as Hunan, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Guangxi and other places.

Through the above three points, I believe you have a preliminary understanding and understanding of Houttuynia cordata.

Is Houttuynia cordata really poisonous?

According to the certification of experts, Houttuynia cordata Thunb is non-toxic. It is said on the Internet that Houttuynia cordata Thunb is poisonous mainly because Houttuynia cordata Thunb contains a substance of aristolochia lactam, which leads many netizens to mistakenly think that "aristolochic acid". So it has been circulating on the Internet that Houttuynia cordata is a poisonous plant. The following is to analyze the main differences between aristolochic acid and aristolochia lactam:

1. In 2017, the World Health Organization's International Cancer Research preliminary collated that aristolochic acid was added to the carcinogenic list, meaning that plants containing aristolochic acid had certain carcinogens in it. The Chinese herbal medicines containing aristolochic acid include Aristolochia mandshurica, Aristolochia angustifolia, Aristolochia mandshurica, bone-hunting wind, Guang Fangji, cinnabar lotus and other plants, so special attention should be paid to them.

two。 Aristolochia lactam can cause damage to the kidneys of the human body, which can lead to kidney damage if consumed for a long time.

To sum up, it can be understood that Houttuynia cordata Thunb contains a very small amount of aristolochia lactam, so it is OK to drink a small amount in daily life, but not in large quantities, not for several days in a row, which will cause kidney damage. so the poison of Houttuynia cordata spread on the Internet is not a thing, it's just a rumor.

Third, what are the effects of eating Houttuynia cordata on the human body?

Eating Houttuynia cordata has the following two main effects on the human body:

1. Houttuynia cordata Thunb contains decanoylacetaldehyde, which can play an anti-inflammatory effect on the human body, and the main source of fishy smell is also due to the presence of decanoylacetaldehyde. Drinking a little houttuynia tea in daily life can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, both of which are the main culprits of fever, cough and sore throat. Houttuynia cordata can not be used as a medicine to treat diseases, because it contains more complex substances, some people will have allergic symptoms to Houttuynia cordata.

two。 Houttuynia cordata contains aristolochic amide, and aristolochic amide can damage kidney function, so 16 mg is enough when making tea with dried houttuynia, but if you eat too much once or twice, it will not be a big problem. It is best to take it under the guidance of a doctor, otherwise it will bring harm to the body.

Conclusion: the above is the explanation of whether Houttuynia cordata is toxic or not. I hope it can help you. This paper integrates the answers of professional knowledge.