What is the difference between Achyranthes aspera and Achyranthes bidentata? A quick guide to tell them apart
Achyranthes aspera is a medicinal herb found in most parts of China. The whole plant is usually harvested in summer and autumn, washed clean, and used fresh or dried as medicine. So what is the difference between Achyranthes aspera and Achyranthes bidentata?
1. What is the difference between Achyranthes aspera and Achyranthes bidentata?
Achyranthes aspera is tuniuxi (Achyranthes aspera), the whole plant of the amaranth family species rough-haired Achyranthes. The plant grows 20-120cm tall, with slender roots and four-angled stems covered in soft hairs. The long leaves are opposite, broadly ovate-obovate or elliptic-oblong. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, promoting diuresis and treating strangury, and clearing heat and relieving exterior symptoms.
2. What are the effects and functions of Achyranthes aspera?
1. Clearing heat and relieving exterior symptoms
Achyranthes aspera has the effect of clearing heat and relieving exterior symptoms, and has a good therapeutic effect on exogenous fever, summer-heat headache, persistent fever, sore throat, and boils and carbuncles.
2. Promoting diuresis and treating strangury
Achyranthes aspera has the effect of promoting diuresis and treating strangury, and is suitable for damp-heat pouring downward, heat strangury with painful urination, edema, and damp-heat leukorrhea. In addition, “Lingnan Caoyao Lu” records: Achyranthes aspera “reduces fever, promotes urination. (Treats) closed-mouth dysentery, malaria.” 3. Promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis Achyranthes aspera has the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and can be used for amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, traumatic injuries, rheumatic joint pain and other conditions. With appropriate combination, it can also treat cold bi syndrome; combined with qi-tonifying and blood-moving medicines, it is often used for qi deficiency and blood stasis, obstructed meridians and collaterals, and hemiplegia with loss of speech.
3. Nutritional value
The seeds, roots, stems and leaves of Achyranthes aspera contain ecdysterone, with the highest content in the seeds. Achyranthes aspera saponin A and Achyranthes aspera saponin B were also isolated from the seeds. Achyranthes aspera saponin C and Achyranthes aspera saponin D were isolated from the unripe fruit. The seed components contain protein, ether extract, hydrocarbons, fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and amino acids. The branches contain 36,47-dihydroxyhentriacontan-4-one and tritriacontanol, among others. It also contains achyranthes aspera alkaloid.
(1) Using the test tube dilution method, the tincture of this product at 1:32 has an inhibitory effect on Corynebacterium diphtheriae and hemolytic streptococcus, and at 1:16 on Staphylococcus aureus; 1ml of the 10% tincture of this product mixed with one minimal lethal dose of diphtheria toxin in a test tube for half an hour, then injected into guinea pigs intradermally, has a certain degree of protective effect. The above effects of the decoction are weaker than those of the tincture.
(2) Achyranthes aspera alkaloid at a concentration of 0.5mg/ml can make the frog rectus abdominis muscle contract in vitro, and this is not blocked by tubocurarine; in dogs it lowers blood pressure and heart rate, dilates blood vessels, and increases respiratory rate and amplitude; 0.5mg/kg administered intragastrically to rats has diuretic and laxative effects; it has a slight antipyretic effect on rats.
(3) The saponin mixture isolated from the seeds can enhance the contractile force of isolated frog hearts, guinea pig hearts and rabbit hearts; when cardiac papillary muscle fails, the use of this saponin to enhance myocardial contractility acts faster than digitalis, but the effect lasts for a shorter time.