Cowpea

Cowpea

(Shaanxi Chinese herbal medicine)

[synonym] Shi Xiaodou.

[source] it's the whole plant of the Polypodiaceae.

[plant morphology] Alpinia vannamei

Herbs perennial, up to 20 cm tall. Rhizome transverse, densely covered with dark brown scales. Leaves alternate, thickly leathery; leaf blade long linear, subsessile, margin strongly revolute, almost reaching main vein. Sporangia are ovoid or oblong, with shield like septa, attached at the junction of venules, between midrib and leaf margin, and covered by involute leaf margin.

It grows on rocks or tree trunks under high mountain forests. It is distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places.

In addition, the whole plant of Polypodiaceae is also used as cowpea in Shaanxi Province. See "cangtiaoyubies" for details.

[collection] harvest in summer and autumn and dry in the shade.

[flavor] light and astringent, flat.

Functions and indications: remove rheumatism, relieve pain, diuresis, regulate menstruation, dredge lymph and strengthen spleen. Treatment of rheumatic pain, low back pain, gonorrhea, metrorrhagia, leucorrhea. Infantile malnutrition, headache, epistaxis.

[usage and dosage] oral administration: decoct soup, 2-3 yuan; or soak in wine.

[selection] 1. Treatment of gonorrhea and rheumatic pain: one or two cowpeas, fried in water.

② Treatment of infantile malnutrition: Stone cowpea or two, powder, plus a jin of flour, steamed bread food.

③ Treatment of metrorrhagia, leucorrhea: Stone cowpea, three white grass each four money, taibaihua, golden ribbon, red Panax notoginseng each three money, Chaihu two money. Fried in water, sweet wine as a guide.