Production RegionsPrimarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi.
Macroscopic FeaturesDry stem is cylindrical, up to 60cm long, 2~5mm thick; externally pale brownish-yellow, densely covered in yellow soft hairs, brittle texture and easily broken, fractured surface is pale yellow, center has white pith. Wrinkled leaves easily fallen off; upper side is grayish-green to dark green, without hairs; lower side is pale green, densely covered white hairs. Nodes often have stipules, pointy lanceolate-conical, pale brown. Crude drug occasionally contains flower and fruits. faint odor; tasteless.
Quality RequirementsSuperior medicinal material is leafy and green.
PropertiesSweet, tasteless; neutral
FunctionsClears heat, eliminates dampness, promotes urination, frees strangury. Apply to pyretic stranguria, sandy stranguria, stony strangury, and astringent pain during urination, edema and oliguria, jaundice, reddish urine, lithangiuria.
OriginThe dried aerial portion of Desmodium styracifolium (Osb.) Merr.(Fabaceae)