Dogtail Grass is the name of a Chinese medicinal herb. This product is the whole plant of Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. [Panicum viride L.], a member of the Poaceae family, also known as dogtail grass. It has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, dispelling wind and improving vision, detoxifying, and killing parasites.It is primarily used to treat wind-heat common cold, jaundice, malnutrition in children, dysentery, painful and difficult urination, red, dry, and painful eyes, red, swollen, and painful eyes, boils and swellings, common warts, and skin sores and ringworm.
Dogtail Grass
Dogtail Grass is the name of a Chinese medicinal herb. This product is the whole plant of Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. [Panicum viride L.], a member of the Poaceae family, also known as dogtail grass. It has the effects of clearing heat and draining dampness, dispelling wind and improving vision, detoxifying, and killing parasites.It is primarily used to treat wind-heat common cold, jaundice, malnutrition in children, dysentery, painful and difficult urination, red, dry, and painful eyes, red, swollen, and painful eyes, boils and swellings, common warts, and skin sores and ringworm.
Chinese Name : 狗尾巴草
Aliases : Dogtail Grass, Brightness Grass, Arhat Grass, Half-Stem Dogtail, Big-Tail Grass, Big-Tail Curve, Hairy Baby, Hairy Dumpling, Hairy Grass
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet and mild in taste; cooling in nature
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat and drains dampness; dispels wind and improves vision; detoxifies; kills parasites.
Indications
Wind-heat common cold, jaundice, pediatric malnutrition, dysentery, painful and scanty urination, red, dry, and painful eyes, red, swollen, and painful eyes, boils and swellings, common warts, and skin sores and ringworm.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoct 6–12 g; fresh material may be used in amounts of up to 30–60 g. External use: Decoct in water for washing or pound into a paste for application.
Precautions
Use with caution in patients with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold.
Chemical Constituents
This herb contains starch.
Pharmacological Actions
An antigen extract (concentration 1:100) prepared from foxtail grass pollen was administered via intradermal injection (0.02 ml) to asthma patients; a positive result was defined as a wheal >5 mm in diameter at the injection site surrounded by erythema. The positive rate was 74.4% (163/219).In 25 patients who tested positive for dogtail grass pollen antigen, dogtail grass pollen was used as the antigen to measure basophil histamine release (HRBT) using the small-volume whole blood method, while serum total IgE levels were simultaneously measured. The results showed an HRBT positivity rate of 88% (22/25 cases), and 20 patients had elevated serum total IgE levels (positivity rate of 80%).This suggests that foxtail grass pollen is an important allergen.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: Treats eye warts and trichiasis; piercing them with the plant causes them to dry up and disappear. For red eyes with curled or inverted eyelashes, evert the eyelid and use one or two stems dipped in water to scrape away the stagnant blood.
2. *Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica*: Treats boils, abscesses, and ringworm, including ringworm on the face.
3. *Chongqing Herbal Medicine*: Treats eye diseases characterized by tearing and blurred vision.
4. *Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines*: Dispels wind to improve vision, clears heat, and promotes urination. Primarily used to treat wind-heat common cold, trachoma, red and painful eyes, jaundice and hepatitis, and difficulty urinating; used externally to treat tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis.
5. *Flora of Medicinal Plants of Zhejiang*: Detoxifies, kills parasites, and relieves itching. Mainly used to treat malnutrition in children, heat-induced dysuria, and toothache.
6. *Pharmacopoeia of Fujian*: The whole plant or inflorescence treats liver heat in children, dysentery, acute jaundice-type infectious hepatitis, conjunctivitis, gonorrhea, and whooping cough; the inflorescence axis treats trachoma and warts.
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For pediatric liver heat: 15–30 g of fresh dogtail grass, 6 g of green-calyx plum, and 15 g of rock sugar. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
2. For pediatric malnutrition: 9–21 g of the whole dogtail grass plant and 100 g of pork liver. Simmer in water; drink the broth and eat the liver. (*Southern Medicine: Chinese Herbal Medicine*)
3. For whooping cough: 30 g of dogtail grass, 9 g of Huangdu, and 15 g of Lianqiancao. Decoct in water and drink the decoction. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
4. For heat-induced dysuria: 30 g of the whole dogtail grass plant. Decoct in rice washing water and drink the decoction. (*Zhejiang Medicinal Plants*)
5. For red, swollen, and painful eyes with photophobia: 31 g of dogtail grass, 31 g of Chinese coriander. Decoct in water and drink the decoction. (Southern Medicinal Herbs: *Chinese Herbal Medicine*)
6. For toothache: 30 g of (dogtail grass) root. Decoct in water, strain out the residue, add 2 eggs, and boil until cooked. Eat the eggs and drink the broth. (*Chronicle of Medicinal Plants of Zhejiang*)
7. For treating warts: Take the inflorescence axis of dogtail grass; cut the tip into a slanted point. After disinfecting with ethanol, pierce the base of the wart in a “cross” pattern. Trim off the portion of the inflorescence axis protruding from the wart, secure with adhesive tape, and the wart will fall off after 7 days. (*Fujian Pharmacopoeia*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest from June to September; sun-dry or use fresh.
Processing Methods
Take the raw herb, remove impurities, wash thoroughly, moisten slightly, cut into sections, dry, and sift out any dust or debris.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a well-ventilated, dry place, protected from moisture.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Processed Slices
Consists of irregular segments comprising a mixture of stems, leaves, and inflorescences. The stem surface is smooth, pale yellowish-green, and hollow when cut. The leaf veins are parallel; the upper surface is slightly rough or lightly covered with short soft hairs. The inflorescence is a panicle. Light in weight and flexible. Slight odor; bland taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Couch grass (Couch grass), a plant of the genus Echinochloa in the family Poaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
An annual herb. Stems are erect or geniculate at the base.Leaf sheaths are loose, with dense, cottony cilia along the margins; the ligule is extremely short, with cilia along the margins; the leaf blade is flat, long-triangular, narrowly lanceolate, or linear-lanceolate, with a long, acuminate apex and a blunt, rounded base that is nearly cuneate or gradually narrowing; it is usually glabrous or sparsely covered with wart-like hairs, with a rough margin.Panicles are dense and cylindrical or slightly loose at the base; erect or slightly pendulous; the main axis is covered with relatively long soft hairs, rough, straight or slightly twisted, usually green or brownish-yellow to purplish-red or purple;2–5 spikelets clustered on the main axis, or more spikelets borne on short branches; elliptical, with a blunt apex, lead-green; the first glume is ovate, about one-third the length of the spikelet, with 3 veins; the second glume is nearly as long as the spikelet, elliptical, with 5–7 veins;The first glume is as long as the spikelet, with 5–7 veins and a blunt apex; its inner glume is short and narrow; the second glume is elliptical, with fine punctate wrinkles, the margins inrolled, and narrow; the scales are wedge-shaped, with a slightly concave apex; the styles are separate at the base. The caryopsis is grayish-white. Flowering and fruiting occur from May to October.
Distribution Area
Distributed throughout China.