What are the effects and functions of Plantago depressa
Plantago depressa, also known as plantain, chechacao, etc., is an annual or biennial herb of the genus Plantago in the family Plantaginaceae. Used medicinally, it has the effects of promoting diuresis, clearing heat, improving eyesight and resolving phlegm, and has therapeutic effects on difficult urination, strangury with turbid urine, leukorrhea, hematuria, jaundice, edema, heat dysentery, diarrhea, epistaxis, red swollen painful eyes, throat obstruction, cough, skin ulcers, etc. Now let us take a look at the effects and functions of Plantago depressa!
The medicinal effects of Plantago depressa
[Nature and flavor] Sweet in flavor, cold in nature.
[Meridian entry] Liver, kidney and bladder meridians.
[Effects] Clears heat and promotes diuresis, cools the blood and resolves toxins; mainly treats heat binding in the bladder, difficult urination, strangury with turbid urine and leukorrhea, summerheat-damp diarrhea and dysentery, epistaxis, hematuria, liver-heat red eyes, sore swollen throat, carbuncle swelling and sore toxin; used for edema with scanty urine, painful heat strangury, summerheat-damp diarrhea and dysentery, phlegm-heat cough, blood ejection and epistaxis, carbuncle swelling and sore toxin.
The pharmacological effects of Plantago depressa
1. Antidepressant effect: Xu et al. applied an acquired helplessness animal model to study the antidepressant effect of the petroleum ether extract of Plantago depressa, and found that the number of escape failures in mice given the Plantago depressa extract was significantly reduced, indicating that Plantago depressa has a significant antidepressant effect.
2. Oxygen free radical scavenging effect: The water decoction of Plantago depressa has a significant scavenging effect on oxygen free radicals. Many pathophysiological phenomena such as aging, tumors, inflammation and cerebral ischemia are closely related to excessive oxygen free radicals. The anti-oxygen free radical pharmacological effect of Plantago depressa can be vigorously developed and utilized.
Related discussions on Plantago depressa
1. "Shennong Bencao Jing": Mainly treats qi strangury, relieves pain, promotes the water passage and urination, and eliminates damp arthralgia.
2. "Yaoxing Lun": Can remove wind toxin, liver wind-heat, toxic wind attacking the eyes, red pain and eye obstruction, head pain with tearing, and remove irritability and heat in the chest and heart.
3. "Rihua Zi Bencao": Unblocks difficult urination with strangury, strengthens yang. Treats spermatorrhea and heart irritability. Directs qi downward.
4. "Leigong Paozhi Yaoxing Jie": Mainly treats dripping strangury and urinary retention, swelling and pain of the penis, damp sores, diarrhea, red and white leukorrhea with turbidity, blood blockage and difficult labor.
5. "Bencao" says that it improves eyesight by clearing liver heat, like drawing fuel from under a cauldron, not because of the effect of draining water.
Clinical applications of Plantago depressa
1. Treatment of bedsores: Liu Zhicheng et al. used compound Plantago depressa ointment to provide nursing care for 15 patients with bedsores. Use of this ointment can reduce the number of dressing changes, benefit wound repair and growth, and alleviate the patients' suffering.
2. Treatment of chronic active hepatitis: Chen Jianping et al. divided patients with chronic active hepatitis into two groups, including 232 cases in the treatment group who orally took Plantago depressa decoction daily, and 116 cases in the control group, who were patients receiving Western medicine treatment at the same hospital during the same period. Efficacy was assessed after 6 months, with follow-up observation for more than 2 years. Results: the total effective rate was 94.2% in the treatment group and 71.7% in the control group, and the difference between the two groups was significant. This indicates that this formula indeed has a unique therapeutic effect in treating chronic active hepatitis.
3. Treatment of postpartum urinary retention: Qing Li et al. took mashed Plantago depressa and applied it to the Qihai or Guanyuan acupoint below the umbilicus in 30 women who had full-term spontaneous delivery to treat postpartum urinary retention. Results showed that 92% of the patients could urinate spontaneously within 40 minutes of acupoint application, with a significant effect and no obvious side effects.
4. Treatment of occult nephritis: The manifestation of occult nephritis is simple hematuria, similar to hematuria in traditional Chinese medicine, mostly caused by downward pouring of damp-heat. Jin Shunying et al. randomly grouped 35 patients with simple hematuria. The treatment group took fresh Plantago depressa juice daily, while the control group rested, prevented infection and received symptomatic treatment. After 8 weeks, the total effective rate in the treatment group reached more than 85%, while changes in urine routine in the control group were not obvious, with only 38.7% effective, showing a significant difference between the two. This indicates that this method has an obvious effect in treating renal hematuria, and the materials are easy to obtain and take, with no toxic or side reactions seen after long-term use.
Medicinal supplementary formulas of Plantago depressa
1. To treat difficult urination: Plantago 500 g, water 3 sheng, decoct to obtain 1.5 sheng, divide into 3 doses.
2. To treat hematuria: Mash and squeeze Plantago, take 5 ge of the juice, and take it on an empty stomach.
3. To treat leukorrhea: Mash 15 g of Plantago root, and take it mixed with glutinous rice washing water.
4. To treat heat dysentery: Mash and squeeze Plantago leaves to obtain one cup of juice, add 1 ge of honey, decoct together for one or two boils, and take it warm in two doses.
5. To treat diarrhea: Plantago 20 g, Tie Mabian 10 g, mash together, and take with cold water.
6. To treat jaundice: Plantago 25 g, Guanyin snail 50 g, add one cup of wine and stew to take.
7. To treat common cold: Appropriate amounts each of Plantago and dried tangerine peel, decoct in water and take.
8. To treat epistaxis: Freshly grind Plantago leaves, mix with water and drink.
9. To treat high blood pressure: 50 g each of Plantago and Houttuynia cordata, decoct in water and take.
10. To treat red swollen painful eyes: Mix natural Plantago juice with powdered mirabilite, apply to the eyelids at bedtime, and wash off early the next morning.
11. To treat pinkeye: Plantago root 15 g, Qingyucao and raw gypsum 10 g each, decoct in water and take.
12. To treat throat obstruction and tonsillitis: Hamayi and Fengweicao. Grind into a paste, add a little each of preserved plum flesh and boiled wine, then grind again and squeeze the juice, and apply to the affected area with a goose feather.