The efficacy and function of tiger thorn

Tiger thorn is a kind of plant with certain medicinal value. It is a kind of evergreen small tree. Its obvious function is to clear away heat. It has a certain therapeutic effect on cough and hemoptysis caused by yin deficiency and fatigue heat. It also has a certain therapeutic effect on the skin disease vitiligo. It can also play a certain therapeutic effect on weak waist and knees, dizziness and vertigo. Let’s take a look at this aspect below.

The efficacy and function of tiger thorn

Clears away heat; benefits the liver and kidneys; eliminates rheumatism. It is mainly used to treat Yin deficiency, fatigue and fever, cough and hemoptysis, rheumatic pain, vitiligo, dizziness, and soreness of the waist and knees.

Plant morphology

Holly is an evergreen small tree or shrub, 3 to 8 meters high. The bark is grayish white and smooth. The leaves are hard leathery, oblong-square, 4-8 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, with 3 hard thorns at the tip, the central thorn is recurved, the base is truncate, and there are 1-2 thorns on each side, with short tips and rounded bases. The surface is dark green and shiny, the back is yellow-green, and both sides are hairless. Dioecious or occasionally polygamous, clustered in the leaf axils of 2-year-old branches; flowers yellow-green, 4-merous; calyx cup-shaped, small; petals flaring outward, obovate to oblong, about 2.5 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide, fused at the base; stamens 4, filaments about 3 mm long; ovary 4-chambered, style very short. The drupe is berry-like, spherical, bright red when ripe, 4 to 8 mm in diameter; it has 4 cores and is bony. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from September to October.

Medicinal properties

The leaves are rectangular or oblong-square, occasionally oblong, 3-8 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. There are three larger hard thorns at the tip, the top one is often recurved, the base is flat or broadly wedge-shaped, and there are sometimes 1 to 3 thorns on each side, with slightly curled edges; long oval leaves often have no thorns. The upper surface is yellow-green or green-brown and shiny, while the lower surface is gray-yellow or gray-green. The leaf veins are pinnate and the petioles are short. Leathery, hard and thick. It has a faint smell and a slightly bitter taste. The leaves are large and green in color.

Additional prescription

Chen Cangqi said: "The wood texture is white like bone, so it is called holly." Its leaves are curled, pointed and have thorns, shaped like animal claws, so it is called cat thorn, holly thorn, and tiger thorn. The leaves often contain star anise, so there are also names such as star anise tea and star anise thorn.

Various Discussions

"Bencao Jingshu": On the merits of the leaves, it can eliminate phlegm and fire, clear away heat and cool blood. Miao Xiyong: The secret recipe is to boil the leaves and drink it, which is very effective in treating phlegm and fire. In fact, all phlegm and fire are caused by Yin deficiency and fire inflammation, which burns the lungs and burns the body fluids. This medicine goes directly into the foot Shaoyin meridian to nourish the Yin Qi, and then the phlegm and fire will disappear naturally, just like removing the firewood from under a pot. It can also dispel wind poison and treat malignant sores. In the past, there was an old prostitute who had suffered from bayberry poisoning for thirty years. A Taoist taught her to take this medicine alone. The sores healed and the color became less, all thanks to its ability to clear away heat and cool the blood. "Compendium of Materia Medica": Holly trees mostly grow in Jiang and Zhejiang areas. The wood is white like bone, hence the name. People in the south use it to make combined instruments, which are very good. "The Book of Songs·Xiaoya" says: There are wolfberries in the South Mountain. Lu Ji said: Mountain wood, its shape is like a castor tree. Also known as holly. This is the reason why white text can be used as a letter board. "Compendium of Materia Medica": The holly tree is like the Ligustrum lucidum, but its texture is very white. The leaves are two or three inches long, green, thick and hard, with five thorns, and never wither. Small white flowers bloom in May. The fruit is similar to that of Ligustrum lucidum and Smilax china. When ripe in September, it is scarlet in color, with a thin skin and sweet taste, and a core with four petals. People collect the bark of the tree and boil it into a paste to stick to birds, which is called "sticky".