Cucumis melo

Cucumis melo

(Henan Chinese herbal medicine manual)

[synonym] dieshaohua (seed plant of Southern Jiangsu), yangbunai, xiaoluffa and fupiao (Handbook of Chinese herbal medicine in Henan).

[source] the whole plant and fruit of asclepiada lepiada.

[plant morphology] Plantago tenuifolia

Herbs perennial, ca. 20 cm tall. The underground stem is transverse and uniaxial. Stem erect or obliquely ascending, much branched, densely pilose, with white milk. Leaf blade linear, 30-50 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, apex pointed, base slightly narrow, entire, lower midrib raised. Umbelliform cyme axillary; flowers small, yellow white; corolla campanulate, ca. 5 mm long, 5-lobed, corona shallow tubular, upper 5-lobed, lobes alternate with corolla lobes; stamens 5, filaments short; 2-carpels, separated. Follicles spindle shaped, both ends short pointed, middle wide, about 6 cm long, about 2 cm wide. The flowering period is from May to August. The fruit period is from August to October.

Born on roadside, ditch, hillside grass and sand wasteland. Distribution of northeast and Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu and other places.

[collection] collect the whole grass and fruits in summer and autumn, wash them and dry them in the sun.

[chemical constituents] the roots contain many kinds of glycosides, which are hydrolyzed to produce leucogenin and penosigenin.

[pharmacological action] the extract has some antiviral effects.

Sweet and smooth.

Functions and indications: tonifying lung qi, clearing away heat and reducing fire, generating fluid and relieving thirst, diminishing inflammation and relieving pain.

[usage and dosage] take orally. Decoction, 0.3-1 Liang.

[prescription selection] ① treatment of Qi and blood deficiency: one or two herbs of diqiangua and two or two herbs of tuhuangqi. Take it in water.

② Treatment of cerebral neurasthenia: to shoot melon whole grass a Jin. Water decoct juice, medicine juice beat eggs two, when tea, take twice a day.

③ Treatment of sore throat: to shoot melon one or two (whole grass two). Fried in water or chewed with fresh fruit. (the nature and taste are listed in the Handbook of Chinese herbal medicine in Henan Province)