Small three needles

Small three needles

(Yunnan Chinese herbal medicine)

[synonym] xiaohuanglian, sanzhaohuanglian and xiaohuanglianci (Yunnan Chinese herbal medicine).

[source] it is the root of Berberidaceae.

[plant morphology] Berberis chrysantha

Deciduous or semi evergreen shrubs, ca. 1 m tall. The root is transverse, with rough skin and fibrous roots. Branches semiprocumbent, reddish brown, pubescent, grooved. The spines are three and thin, 1-2 cm long. Leaves clustered, leathery, obovate, spatulate or oblanceolate, 6-25 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, apex obtuse, truncate or subacute, sometimes shortly pointed, base cuneate, entire, gray green above, gray below, slightly powdery, reticulate veins on both sides, sessile. 4-7 flowers clustered in leaf axils, golden yellow, about 7 mm in diameter; pedicel 4-7 mm long; bracteoles 3, ovate; sepals 6, petaloid, arranged in 2 rings; petals obovate, apex obtuse or concave, base gradually narrowed; ovary with 3-5 ovules. Berry subglobose, pink, with shortened style.

It grows in the thickets on the hillside or on the roadside. It is distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hubei and Sichuan.

[collection] it can be harvested all year round, sliced and dried in the sun.

[chemical constituents] the root contains berberine, so it can be used as a substitute of Coptis chinensis.

[nature and taste] Yunnan Chinese herbal medicine: "bitter, cold. "

[functions and indications] 1. Yunnan Chinese herbal medicine: "clearing away heat and toxin, eliminating inflammation and stopping dysentery. Treatment of dysentery, sore carbuncle swelling, conjunctivitis, oral erosion in children. "

② Selected Chinese herbal medicines in Yunnan: "it is used to treat enteritis, pneumonia, upper respiratory tract inflammation, acute conjunctivitis, mastitis, acute jaundice hepatitis and sores. "

[usage and dosage] oral administration: decoction, 1-3 yuan. Topical use: eye drops of fried water or sprinkle with grinding powder.