An Introduction to the Benefits and Uses of Blood-Wort and Its Botanical Characteristics

Blood-wort (Teucrium viscidum) is a perennial herb in the genus Teucrium of the mint family (Lamiaceae), named for its outstanding bleeding-stopping effect, and is also commonly called mountain ageratum in folk usage. The plant generally grows several tens of cm tall, with four-angled stems, sticky soft hairs covering the whole plant, and opposite leaves that give off an ageratum-like scent when crushed.

It mostly grows at forest edges, beside streams and on moist grassland in the region south of the Yangtze River, preferring a warm and humid climate, and in summer and autumn it puts out false spike inflorescences with pale red or pale purple flowers. In the genus Teucrium only one side of the corolla develops fully, making it a rather distinctive group within the mint family; when identifying it, the sticky hairs on the stems and leaves and the special aroma can be used together to judge it.

It should be noted that blood-wort is a folk common name, and the plants referred to in different places are not entirely the same. In some areas, the Euphorbiaceae plant humifuse euphorbia (Euphorbia humifusa) is called blood-wort, while elsewhere the name is used for Japanese thistle. Although most of these plants have traditional uses related to stopping bleeding, their sources and medicinal properties differ, so the specific species should be confirmed before use.

In traditional applications, blood-wort is used medicinally as the whole plant, often for supportive care in cases of hematemesis, traumatic bleeding, swelling and pain from falls and blows, and sores and carbuncles, and it can either be pounded and applied externally or decocted in water and taken internally. Related modern research is still rather limited, and practical use should follow a doctor's advice, with pregnant women and people with special constitutions being especially cautious.

At present, blood-wort is mainly a wild resource, and artificial cultivation is relatively rare. It is not demanding about soil and grows better on moist, semi-shaded plots; if you want to introduce it, you can trial-plant a small area according to the local climate, and pay attention to water and fertilizer management to reduce the impact of pests, diseases and pesticide residues.