The wild grass in the mountains is commonly known as "Wuqiangtou" (Black Spearhead), growing where snakes appear, and snakes fear it at the sight of it.

Nowadays, most areas are quite hot in summer, but in some regions of southern China, summers are rather hot and humid, such as in the mountainous areas of Sichuan, western Hubei, Guizhou, and Yunnan, and thus when summer arrives in these areas, there are especially many mosquitoes, insects, snakes, and ants.

For farmer friends in the mountains, "live off the mountain if you live by the mountain, live off the water if you live by the water." No matter how hot and humid the summer is, they still cannot do without the mountains. Many farmer friends in mountainous areas often go up the mountain to collect dead branches, chop firewood, and look for some wild foods from the mountains (such as wild mushrooms, wild fruits, wild vegetables, etc.). Before going up the mountain in summer, farmer friends all wear long sleeves and long pants. The reason for this is, first, that the mountains are generally quite cool, and second, that there are many mosquitoes, insects, snakes, and ants in the mountains, so this can prevent being bitten.

However, in the mountains there are always times of negligence, and sometimes a single careless moment makes it easy to get bitten. Therefore, for some experienced farmer friends, when going up the mountain, they always first go to places where snakes appear and look for some herbal medicine to apply on their bodies. Below, the author introduces just such a wild grass. It likes to grow in places where snakes appear, and snakes fear it at the sight of it.

This wild grass is "Aixiao Shegencao" (Dwarf Snake Root Grass), but in the author's hometown, farmer friends in the mountains like to call it "Wuqiangtou" (Black Spearhead). According to the old farmer friends in the village, this wild grass is specifically used against the bite of a kind of black snake, and thus people call it this among the folk.

Aixiao Shegencao is also called "Lü Shegencao" (Green Snake Root Grass). It generally grows on moist soil under forest in the mountains or on rocks by the water. The whole plant is relatively short, generally only about 10-odd cm in height. The stem and branches are both slightly fleshy, gray or grayish-yellow when dry, with faint longitudinal wrinkles. The leaves are ovate, lanceolate, elliptical, or oblong. Its flowering period is from April to August, and the flowers are small white flowers. It is still quite easy to identify.

So what specific effects does Aixiao Shegencao have?

According to the "Fujian Materia Medica," the whole plant of Aixiao Shegencao can be used as medicine. It has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, and can be used for high fever, whooping cough, wound infection, carbuncles, deep-rooted boils, venomous snake bites, and so on.

According to the old farmer friends in the village, this kind of black snake in the mountains is actually not very venomous, but the snake's teeth are very sharp, and after being bitten it still needs to be treated, otherwise it will become infected. If you are accidentally bitten and see this wild grass nearby, you can mash it and apply it to the affected area as an emergency measure, and after returning, still go to the hospital for treatment.

Of course, although this Aixiao Shegencao has the effect of neutralizing snake venom, it is not omnipotent. After being bitten by a snake in the mountains, it can only be used as an emergency measure, so do not think that mashing it and applying it to the affected area means you can rest easy. After returning, you still need to go to the hospital for a checkup to avoid problems.

Dear friends, do you know "Aixiao Shegencao"? Do you have other methods to prevent snake bites? You are welcome to leave comments to exchange and share!