Mussel root

Mussel root

(Honghe Chinese herbal medicine)

Cough grass and iron broom.

[source] it is the root of a leguminous plant.

[plant morphology] Phyllanthus semishrub

Subshrub, young branches hairy. Simple leaves alternate, oblong ovate, 4-7 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, apex acute, base cordate, entire, green above, light green below, few glabrous, veins raised on the back, long hairy; petiole 0.8-1.5 cm long; stipules lanceolate. Raceme terminal, floret in mussel bracts, bracts densely covered with brown long bristles, white butterfly flowers. The pod is oblong ovate with 1-2 seeds.

It grows in the shrubbery on the hillside of high mountain area. Distributed in Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places.

[collection] collected in autumn and winter. Wash and dry.

[flavor] slightly bitter and sweet, cool.

Functions and indications: antipyretic and dehumidification, relieving malnutrition and relieving cough. Treatment of high fever, cold, rheumatoid arthritis, dysmenorrhea, infantile malnutrition, diarrhea, dyspepsia.

[usage and dosage] oral administration: decoct soup, 3-5 yuan; grind minced meat or stewed meat.

It can also treat cough, asthma, pneumonia, pertussis and jaundice.