Lysimachia is a wild plant used as medicine and food. Its whole grass can be used as medicine. Its tender stems and leaves can be eaten as wild vegetables.

Chiqingcai (plant)

Qianchi, Latin name: Lythrum salicaria L. Chloridaceae, Chlamydia chinensis belongs to perennial herbs, rhizome lying in the ground, stout; stem erect, much branched, the whole plant turquoise, slightly hirsute or densely tomentose, branches often 4-angled.

Leaves opposite or tricuspidate, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, apex obtuse or mucronate, base rounded or cordate, sometimes slightly clasping, entire, sessile.

Flowers form Cymes, clustered, and because pedicels and peduncles are very short, flower branches are fully shaped like a large spike; bracts broadly lanceolate to triangular-ovate, triangular; appendages needlelike, erect, reddish purple or lavender, oblanceolate-long elliptic, base cuneate, inserted on upper part of calyx tube, shortly clawed, slightly wrinkled; extending beyond calyx tube; ovary 2-loculed, style varied in length. Capsule oblate.

Morphological characteristics

Perennial herbs, rhizomes lying in the ground, stout; stems erect, much branched, 30-100 cm tall, whole plant turquoise, slightly hirsute or densely tomentose, branches often 4-angled. Leaves opposite or verticillate, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, 4-6 (- 10) cm long, 8-15 mm wide, apex obtuse or mucronate, base rounded or cordate, sometimes slightly clasping, entire, sessile.

Flowers form small Cymes, clustered, and because the pedicels and peduncles are very short, the flower branches are fully shaped like a large spike; bracts broadly lanceolate to triangular-ovate, 5-12 mm long; calyx tube 5-8 mm long, with 12 longitudinal ribs, slightly hirsute, lobes 6, triangular; appendages needle-shaped, erect, 1.5-2 mm long Petals 6, red-purple or lavender, oblanceolate-long-elliptic, base cuneate, 7-8 mm long, inserted on upper part of calyx tube, shortly clawed, slightly wrinkled; stamens 12, 6 long and short, protruding beyond calyx tube; ovary 2-loculed, style varied in length. Capsule oblate.

Growth habit

Born on riverbanks, lakes, streams and ditches, and moist grasslands. Like strong light, strong cold resistance, like water and humidity, do not have strict requirements on the soil, and grow better on deep, humus-rich soil.

Geographical distribution

It is grown all over China and is also cultivated in Algeria, North America and southeastern Australia in Asia, Europe, Africa and Algeria.

Reproduction method

Ramet propagation is the main part, and it can also be sowed or cut. Early spring or autumn ramet, spring sowing and tender cuttings.

Sow:

Seed propagation: spring sowing in March-April, before sowing, the seeds will be mixed with fine soil, then sowed on the bed, covered with soil 25px, and finally covered with grass and watered. The seedlings emerged 10-15 days after sowing, and the grass was uncovered immediately. Seedling height 250px was transplanted around. 3 plants were planted in each hole according to the distance between rows and 750px500px.

Cuttage propagation: strong branches were selected in spring, cut into about 300px length, leaves were removed, and the depth of oblique sowing into the soil was cuttings 1 to 2, pressed, watered and transplanting after rooting and long leaves. Ramet propagation: dig up the root clump from April to May in spring, cut the bud into a clump, and plant it in the wetland where sufficient base fertilizer is applied.

Cultivation techniques

Main points of cultivation:

(1) lax requirements for soil, cold resistance, light and moisture. Fertile soil is the best cultivation.

(2) it can be propagated by sowing, cutting, ramet and so on. Sowing must be carried out in wetlands; cuttings are carried out from June to July, the new branches are cut off and inserted into muddy water, and they can take root in a month; ramet in spring, the old plants are dug up, cut into multiple parts, and planted separately.

(3) it can be cultivated once and harvested for many years.

Field management: ploughing and weeding 3-4 times a year from planting to closing. One application of nitrogen fertilizer or compound fertilizer in spring and summer, and one compost or stable manure after autumn to keep the soil moist is the most important measure to grow Chikuchi.

Main value

Medicinal use

The whole herb is used in medicine to treat enteritis, dysentery and hematochezia; it is used externally for traumatic bleeding.

[performance] bitter, cold. Return to the large intestine meridian. Clear heat, cool blood, restrain, stop diarrhea.

Treatment of dysentery, metrorrhagia, hematemesis, traumatic bleeding, ulcers and ulcers, etc.

Treat diarrhea, dysentery, stool blood, blood avalanche. Fried clothes: 6 to 12 grams.

Treat traumatic bleeding and apply it externally. This product contains many kinds of alkaloids, such as chelerythrin, Gallic acid tannin and choline, light chelidine, light chelidine and so on. Flowers also contain vitexin and so on. The decoction can inhibit staphylococci and typhoid bacilli in vitro, especially to Shigella dysenteriae. It has antispasmodic effect on isolated intestinal canal. Root decoction is used as an astringent or palliative for chronic dysentery.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the whole herb tastes bitter and cold. It has the functions of clearing heat, cooling blood and so on. It can treat dysentery, ulcer, blood avalanche and other diseases. It has antibacterial and other functions.

Animal experiments have proved that Qianqu has a hypoglycemic effect. The extract can also reduce the content of serum TG and increase the level of FFA.

Pharmacological action

1. Antibacterial activity, crude drug (whole plant) decoction can inhibit the growth of staphylococci and large intestine-Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella dysenteriae is particularly sensitive.

2. Effect on blood pressure: intravenous injection of vitexin 0.05-10.0mg/kg can temporarily increase blood pressure in anesthetized rats, while when it is larger than 10mg/kg intravenous injection, it can produce lasting hypotension. The antihypertensive mechanism is blocked by ganglion.

3. Anti-inflammation: vitexin 20 mg/kg intraperitoneal injection has anti-inflammatory effect on carrageenan-induced inflammation in rats.

4. Spasmolysis: vitexin 10-30?g/ml can inhibit the contraction of isolated guinea pig intestine induced by acetylcholine and histamine. It initially enhanced the isolated guinea pig intestine, but later showed antispasmodic effect, which could weaken the excitatory effect of acetylcholine and histamine on gut.

5. Other effects: hemostatic effect is caused by tannin. Its root decoction is used as an astringent or moderator for diarrhea or chronic dysentery; this effect may be caused by chelerythrin, Fe2O3 XH2O and tannins, and is harmless to the kidney, stomach and circulatory system. Its extract Salicairine can prevent glycosuria caused by taking phloridin, but it does not produce hypoglycemia.

Character identification

The stem is square columnar, grayish green to yellowish green, 1-2mm in diameter, branched, hard and easy to break, fibrous and hollow at the edge of the section. Leaf blade grayish green, brittle, wrinkled and broken, complete leaves opposite or 3 whorls, leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, entire, sessile. Apex with spikes, flowers bisexual, every 2-3 flowers in leafy bracts, calyx gray-green, tube: petals purple. Capsule ellipsoid, completely enclosed in persistent calyx. Slightly smelly, slightly bitter taste.

Chemical composition

The whole herb contains Salicarin and tannin. The ash contains twice as much sodium as potassium and contains a large amount of iron and choline 0.026%. The main tannin is Gallic acid tannin, its content is: root 8.5%, stem 10.5%, leaf 12%, flower 13.7%, seed also contains a lot of tannin. The flower contains flavonoids vitexin (Vitexin), orientin (Orientin), Malvin (Malvidin3,5-diglucoside), galactoside (Cyanidin3-monogalactoside), Gallic acid, Ellagicacid and a small amount of chlorogenic acid (Chlorogenicacid). It contains vitexin, orientin, isoorientin,homoorientin, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid and Gallic acid, as well as choline, tannin and pigment. It is also reported that it contains a small amount of volatile oil, pectin, resin and alkaloid.

Garden

This species is a flower plant. North and East China are often cultivated at the edge of the water or as potted plants for ornamental purposes, also known as Shuizhi brocade, sesame brocade or water willow.

The plants are neat, towering and elegant, with luxuriant flowers, long inflorescence and long florescence, which is an excellent vertical material in the waterscape. It is most suitable to be planted in shallow shore or in ponds. It can also be used as flower border material and cut flowers. For potted plants or swamp gardens.

Edible

Lysimachia chinensis is a wild plant for both medicine and food. Its whole grass is used as medicine, and its tender stems and leaves can be used as wild vegetables, which has a long history in Chinese folk.

There are medicinal or edible records in many ancient and modern documents, such as "rescuing famine Materia Medica", "Hunan Medicine Chronicles", "Guizhou Folk Medicine", "Atlas of Chinese Medicine Plant" and many other ancient and modern documents.

In ancient times, in addition to the barren years, people generally ate wild vegetables when they were short of vegetables in spring to supplement vitamins and other nutrients to avoid disease.

Since the 1980s, Qianchi has been eaten again. Generally pick in the field between April and May, pick the tender stems and leaves from the place where it is easy to break, wash the fresh vegetables, blanch them in boiling water, cold salad, stir-fry, or make soup. Some are chopped and steamed with flour; some are eaten with strips under fresh vegetables; others are used as hot pot ingredients.

In ancient times, Qianqu vegetables were made into dried vegetables for the needs of winter and spring. That is, blanch the fresh vegetables with boiling water, and then dry them for storage. When eating, water hair, stir-fry, soup can be, but also have a different flavor.

This dish has the function of clearing away heat and cooling blood, and it is a good vegetable in hot summer. This dish is also rich in iron and other ingredients.

The cosmetics made of Qianqu and other raw materials can reduce congestion, avoid dry skin and prevent external irritation.