Broadleaf Globethistle Root

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Inner Mongolia, Henan.

Sub-cylindrical, thick top and thin bottom, slightly curved, 10~30cm long, 1~2cm diameter. Outer skin is grayish-brown or grayish-yellow, rough, with longitudinal wrinkles, hard hairs grow thickly from the apex, which are remnants of leaf stem vascular bundles, lower end occasionally has branches. Firm texture, hard to break, fractured surface has a brown outer layer, yellow and black alternating chrysanthemum lines inside. faint odor, slightly astringent taste. Superior medicinal material is thick, firm. Rhizome is sub-cylindrical, slightly curved, uneven length, 0.5~1.5cm diameter. Externally earthy-yellow or grayish-brown, rough, with longitudinal wrinkles, apex has fibrous brown hard hairs, which are remnants of leaf stem vascular bundles. Firm texture, fractured surface is thick fibrous, cortex is brown; xylem has yellow and black alternating chrysanthemum lines. faint odor, slightly astringent taste.

Superior medicinal material is thick and long, externally earthy-brown, firm, neat length.

Bitter, cold.

Clears heat, resolves toxin, expels pus, stops bleeding, eliminates swelling, descends breast milk. Apply to sore and abscess wind, mammary abscess and swelling pain, lack of lactation, scrofula and sore toxin, also apply as expelling ascarid medicine.

'Broom head’: This refers to fibrous hairs at the apex of root and rhizome medicinal materials, giving a shape similar to the head of a broomstick. Yu zhou lou lu has numerous hard, brown fibrous hairs at the apex of the medicinal material. ‘Chrysanthemum lines’: this refers to radial lines seen on the fractured surface of medicinal material. The woody portion of yu zhou lou lu presents with yellowish-black alternating radial lines.