What Plant Is Gelsemium? Understanding Its Benefits and Effects in One Article

Believe that readers who have read Mr. Jin Yong's "The Return of the Condor Heroes" all remember that the Gelsemium found by the Indian master cured Yang Guo by fighting poison with poison! What the editor wants to talk about today is exactly this Gelsemium! Gelsemium poisoning incidents have occurred more than once. In 2013, a case of accidental Gelsemium poisoning occurred in the Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of Yunshan City, Yunnan Province. So what exactly is Gelsemium? What are the benefits and effects of Gelsemium? Is Gelsemium edible? What happens if animals eat it?

What exactly is Gelsemium?

Gelsemium, also called large tea medicine, contains the highly toxic gelsemine. It is named Gelsemium because after taking it the intestines turn black and stick together, and the person dies from unrelenting abdominal pain. Gelsemium is not a single grass but a general name for a group of plants. Such as langdu, aconite, and Tripterygium wilfordii, among which the most famous is Gelsemium elegans of the genus Gelsemium in the family Loganiaceae, and the Gelsemium used in the poisoning case by Huang in Guangdong this time was also Gelsemium elegans.

How severe is the poison of Gelsemium? How is it treated?

Gelsemium has been famous since ancient times, but it does not actually twist and cut the intestines. Rather, because the gelsemine it contains can inhibit the victim's central nervous system, causing the poisoned person to have weak limbs, slurred speech, double vision, vomiting and diarrhea, and unbearable abdominal pain, ultimately dying of respiratory paralysis 4-7 hours after poisoning.

The general detoxification method is gastric lavage, taking charcoal ash, then using alkaline water and an emetic; after gastric lavage, urgently decocting mung beans, honeysuckle, and licorice and taking it can detoxify. In addition, if these are not available, you can give the victim some goose blood, duck blood, or sheep blood, which will have a slight slowing effect.

In what environment does Gelsemium grow?

Gelsemium generally has low requirements for the environment and is distributed in various southern provinces of our country such as Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, and others. It generally grows by roadsides and in hillside grass, is a vine plant, and has relatively strong vitality. In addition, special attention must be paid to distinguishing Gelsemium elegans, whose form is very similar to honeysuckle and whose growing environment is also similar. Most people poisoned by accidental ingestion mistook Gelsemium elegans for honeysuckle.

Is Gelsemium edible? What happens if animals eat it?

Gelsemium tastes bitter, and the whole plant can be used as medicine. It is generally used in dietary therapy for skin diseases, rheumatic bone pain, bruises, snake bites, and so on. However, it must be processed before use.

Among animals, it is commonly seen in folk practice to feed Gelsemium to pigs, which is said to kill parasites in the pigs' bodies, and also to prevent and treat intestinal diseases and increase appetite. So pigs can eat Gelsemium, but generally salt cannot be added. Other livestock such as cattle and sheep can also use it.

The benefits and effects of Gelsemium

1. The whole Gelsemium plant can be used as medicine; the whole plant is a treasure. Spring is a good season for collecting Gelsemium. In medicinal nature, Gelsemium is bitter, pungent, and warm, and highly toxic. It is generally only used externally, and internal use is contraindicated; it is mainly used to treat skin diseases, rheumatic bone pain, bruises, hemorrhoids, snake bites, and so on.

2. Mix Gelsemium leaves with pig feed and feed it to pigs, which serves to fight parasites, prevent and treat asthma and intestinal diseases, and increase appetite. Pigs fed with Gelsemium grow quickly, are pink and rosy, and have glossy coats.

3. Combine the roots of Gelsemium with nux vomica and soak them in medicinal liquor for external use to treat bruises and rheumatic bone pain.

4. Gelsemium can be used to treat stubborn tinea: take 30 grams each of the inner bark of Gelsemium, wild radish root, and rock sugar, mash them, add vinegar, and apply to the affected area.

5. Mashing fresh Gelsemium leaves and applying them externally can treat sores, swelling, and toxic conditions, as well as scabies and tinea.