Macroscopic FeaturesWhole herb is 50~100cm long, all covered in white soft hairs, lower portion of stem is cylindrical, 4~6mm diameter, reddish-brown, upper portion is square cylindrical, indented four sides, greenish-brown, with longitudinal grooves and ridges, and joints; Light in weight, hard texture, easily broken, fractured surface is hollow in the center. Singular alternating pinnately compound leaves, dark green, wrinkled; brittle texture, easily broken, 2 kinds of leaves, large and small, alternating grown on rachis, apex small leaf is relatively large, intact small leaf is oval or long elliptical after flattened, apex is pointed, base is wedge-like, edge has saw-teeth, 2 stipules, embracing stem, sloped oval shape. Raceme is thin and long, lower portion of calyx is tube-like, upper portion has hook-sting, 5 lobes at apex, yellow petals. faint odor, slightly bitter taste.
Quality RequirementsSuperior medicinal material has purple stem, blue-green leaves, numerous and intact, without foreign matter.
FunctionsAstringes and stops bleeding, relieves diarrhea, kills worms. Universally apply to various hemorrhage, for example. hematemesis, hematuria, hematochezia, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, hemoptysis, epistaxis, red and white dysentery, over strained and fatigue, carbuncle, injury, traumatic bleeding and so on.