Citronella

Citronella

(collection of herbs in Lingnan)

[synonyms] dafengmao (Lingnan medicine collection record), lemongmao (name of seed plant), lemongrass (flora of Guangzhou), Maocao tea, jiangba Mao (Guizhou folk medicine), jiangcao, Xiangba Mao (Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine record), Xiangmao, Fengmao (Guangdong traditional Chinese Medicine II), jiangba Cao (Guizhou traditional Chinese Medicine).

[source] it is the whole grass of grass plant citronella.

[plant morphology] citronella

Perennial herb with lemon fragrance. Culm stout, up to 2 meters high, nodes often with wax powder. The leaves are 1 meter long and 15 mm wide, rough and gray white on both sides. The spathe is lanceolate, narrow, 1.5-2 cm long, red or light yellow, 3-5 times longer than the peduncle; the pseudopanicle is linear to oblong, scattered, with 3 branches, discontinuous at the base, and its branches are thin and weak with downward inclination or slightly curved to arcuate bending, the first branch has 5-10 nodes, the second and Third branches have 2-3 nodes and simple; the raceme is twin, 1.5-2 cm long, with 4 nodes ; rachis internodes 2-3 mm long, with slightly long pubescence, but the hairs do not cover the spikelets; sessile spikelets bisexual, linear or lanceolate, linear, awnless, sharp; the first glume apex with 2 microteeth, narrowly winged ridge, abaxially slightly concave and concave in the lower part, without veins between the ridges; the second lemma apex lobed, mucronate and awnless; petiolate spikelets lead purple.

It is planted in cultivated land, garden or slope land. Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Shanghai, etc.

The root of this plant (xiangmaogen) is also used for medicine. See special section for details.

[collection] it can be harvested all year round, washed and dried after harvest.

[chemical constituents] the stems and leaves contain 0.4-0.8% volatile oil, in which the main component is citral, with a content of 75-85%. It also contains a small amount of citronellal, taurol and methyl heptenone.

[pharmacological action] the essential oil of citronella has antifungal effect, such as Streptomyces venereum. It has been reported that the leaves and roots contain insulin-like substances, which are grayish white, odorless and slightly bitter powder. They are neither alkaloids or glycosides nor tannins. The potency of insulin is 440 units for oral administration and 880 units for subcutaneous injection. Citronellal and geraniol have special odor and can be used as perfume without special pharmacological effect. The chemical structure of citronellol is similar to that of citronellol. Citronellic acid has paralytic effect on mice by subcutaneous injection, and has cardiotonic effect on isolated toad heart. The blood pressure decreased and respiration increased after injection in rabbits. The perfusion of Toad's lower limbs can dilate the blood vessels. It can inhibit smooth muscle in isolated rabbit intestine. It has hemolytic effect on rabbits.

[flavor] pungent, warm.

① Lingnan caiyao Lu: "the taste is pungent. "

② Lu Chuan's materia medica: "Xin, Wen. "

③ Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine annals: "it is warm in nature, spicy in taste and non-toxic. "

Functions and indications: dispersing wind, relieving exterior, removing blood stasis and dredging collaterals. Treatment of cold, headache, stomachache, diarrhea, rheumatic arthralgia, traumatic injury.

① "Collection of blood stasis, tongtiao powder". If you have a headache, wash it with boiling water. Stir fry citronella with rice, add water to drink, stop water diarrhea. Decocting water and washing the body can dispel wind, detumescence and stink. Extract its oil, can stop abdominal pain. "

② Lu Chuan's materia medica: "it can reduce fever, detumescence and pain. Indications: rheumatism, bone pain, traumatic injury, cold and body heat. "

③ Sichuan Traditional Chinese medicine records: "dispel wind and dampness, disperse cool and cold. It can cure the pain and numbness of muscles and bones. "

④ "Guangdong traditional Chinese medicine" II: "treatment of dizziness, head wind, wind phlegm, crane knee disease; decoction can stop heartache. "

⑤ Guizhou herbal medicine; tonifying deficiency, relieving cough, relieving pain, calming heart. "

[usage and dosage] oral administration: decoct soup, 1-2 yuan; or soak in wine. External use: decocting, washing or dressing.

[prescription selection] ① treatment of wind cold dampness pain: Citronella 1 jin. Take a bath in boiling water. (records of Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine)

② Treatment of bone pain: Maocao tea, shicuo (that is, spicy plaster), chenjie each one or two. Mash and add a little wine, stir fry hot package pain. (Guizhou herbal medicine)

③ Treatment of heartache, stomachache, lung disease: Maocao tea, fried water. (Guizhou folk medicine)

④ Cure weak cough: Mao Cao tea two Liang. Fried water for tea. (Guizhou folk medicine)