A penny

A penny

(selected Chinese herbal medicines from Simao, Yunnan)

Tongqiangen.

[source] it is the root of Pennisetum japonicum.

[plant morphology] yiwenqian

Perennial twining vines. The rhizome is slender with fibrous roots. Stem thin, often twisted, surface brown with fine longitudinal stripes, smooth glabrous. Leaves alternate, leaves broadly ovate, 3-6 cm in diameter, entire; petioles peltate, 2.5-4 cm long. Cymose umbels in axils of leaves, flowers small, unisexual, green. Fruit globose, red when ripe.

Born on hillside, roadside and bush. It is distributed in Yunnan and other places.

[collection] all year round.

Bitter, cold.

Functions and indications: regulating qi and relieving pain, dispelling wind and dampness. It can treat stomachache, acute and chronic gastroenteritis, food stagnation, Qi distension, rheumatoid arthritis, lumbago and knee pain.

[usage and dosage] oral administration: decoct soup, 1-3 yuan; or grind powder.