Sunflower

Sunflower

(Guangxi Chinese herbal medicine)

[synonyms] Hibiscus yefurong, pseudocotton (Guangxi Chinese herbal medicine), Rhododendron and maojia (flora of Hainan).

[source] it is the root or leaf of Malvaceae.

[plant morphology] okra, also known as musk okra.

Herbs annual or biennial, ca. 1 m tall, whole plant covered with hirsute hairs. Leaves alternate, palmately 5-lobed, lobes elliptic lanceolate, sometimes 3-5-lobed, apex acuminate, base cordate or subhalberd, both sides hairy, upper leaves smaller; stipules subulate. Flowers solitary in leaf axils, pedicel 3-8 cm long; bracteoles 7-10, linear lanceolate, abscission; calyx spatholoid, 2-3 cm long; corolla bright yellow, central dark purple, diameter about 10 cm; stamen tube about 2.5 cm long; style branch 5, stigma discoid. Capsule ovoid oblong, 5-6 cm long, with short beak, thin leathery pericarp, coarsely hairy. The seeds are kidney shaped, with longitudinal papillary protrusions, slightly musky when kneaded. The flowering period is from June to October.

Born in valley, ditch, roadside, wilderness grass. Distributed in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Taiwan and other places.

[collection] harvest in summer and autumn.

[chemical constituents] the dried leaves contain β - sitosterol and β - D-glucoside. There are β - sitosterol, myricetin and glucoside in flower petals. Only β - sitosterol was found in the peel of dried fruit. The seeds contain α - cephalin, phosphatidylserine, its acetal phospholipid and choline acetal phospholipid, and musk like musk pear lactone.

[pharmacological action] seeds can be used for headache. It also has a kind of adsorption capacity (equivalent to 43% of carbon powder), which can inactivate snake venom. The leaves have some antibacterial activities in vitro, and the aboveground parts and fruits of plants have insecticidal activities. Although musk pear lactone has lactone structure, it has no cardiotonic effect.

[nature and taste] Guangxi Chinese herbal medicine: "the taste is slightly sweet and the nature is cool. "

[function indications] Guangxi Chinese herbal medicine: "detoxification, detumescence, purulence and pain relief. Treatment of carbuncle sore pain, nameless swelling poison, snakehead sores. "

[usage and dosage] external use: tamping