Spicy Smartweed, a name for a traditional Chinese medicinal herb.It is the whole plant of Polygonum lapathifolium L. var. salicifolium Sibth., a species of the genus Polygonum in the Polygonaceae family. It has the effects of detoxifying, strengthening the spleen, dispelling dampness, promoting blood circulation, and treating malaria. It is commonly used for sores and swellings, summer-dampness diarrhea, enteritis and dysentery, malnutrition in children, pain from falls and blows, and malaria.
Pungent Smartweed
Spicy Smartweed, a name for a traditional Chinese medicinal herb.It is the whole plant of Polygonum lapathifolium L. var. salicifolium Sibth., a species of the genus Polygonum in the Polygonaceae family. It has the effects of detoxifying, strengthening the spleen, dispelling dampness, promoting blood circulation, and treating malaria. It is commonly used for sores and swellings, summer-dampness diarrhea, enteritis and dysentery, malnutrition in children, pain from falls and blows, and malaria.
Chinese Name : 辣蓼草
Latin Name : Herba Polygoni Salicifolii
Aliases : Spicy Smartweed, Sorrel-leaved Smartweed, Dry-field Smartweed, Bitter Smartweed, Large-leaved Smartweed, White Spicy Smartweed
Authentic Producing Area : Fujian, Henan, Guangdong, Jiangsu
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent in taste, warm in nature; enters the Spleen and Stomach meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Detoxifies, strengthens the spleen, dispels dampness, promotes blood circulation, and stops malaria.
Indications
Sores and abscesses with swelling and pain; summer-heat-dampness-induced diarrhea; enteritis and dysentery; malnutrition in children; pain from falls and blows; malaria.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoction, 10–20 g.
Chemical Constituents
The whole herb contains compounds such as flavonoids, essential oils, triterpenes, anthraquinones, tannins, and fatty acids. It primarily contains polyphenol, polyphenol-7-methyl ether, 3'-methyl rhamnin, hyperoside, quercetin, quercetin glucoside,quercetin, rutin, kaempferol, polyphenylacetylaldehyde, isopolyphenylacetylaldehyde, gallic acid, catechins, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, and polyphenylacetic acid.
Pharmacological Actions
This product has antibacterial, contraceptive, and anti-schistosomal effects.
Relevant Discussions
*Fujian Materia Medica*: “It dispels dampness and strengthens the spleen, promotes diuresis, and resolves phlegm. It is primarily used to treat enteritis, dysentery, abdominal pain caused by heatstroke, malaria, and malnutrition in children.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For enteritis and dysentery: Take 24 g of powdered Pimpinella acuminata root with boiling water, twice daily. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
2. For abdominal pain due to heatstroke: Take 12 g of fresh Pimpinella acuminata leaves and buds with a pinch of salt; pound or rub them into a paste and take with boiling water. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
3. For pediatric malnutrition: 15–18 g of spicy smartweed and 12 g of barley malt. Decoct in water and take in two divided doses before breakfast and dinner. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
4. For malaria: Equal parts of spicy smartweed leaves and peach leaves. Grind into a powder, mix with wine and water to form pills, and take 3 g each in the morning and evening. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest in summer or fall and air-dry.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
Stem diameter up to approximately 6 mm; surface bears purplish-red spots. The upper surface of the leaf often has a blackish-brown crescent-shaped spot in the center; it is glabrous or sparsely covered with white tomentum, while the lower surface is densely covered with white tomentum and bears glandular dots; the stipule sheath lacks cilia. Panicles with densely arranged flowers; perianth 4-lobed, with glandular dots. Slight odor; pungent and spicy.
Those with abundant leaves, attached flowers, and a strong, pungent flavor are considered superior.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Polygonum aviculare, a plant of the genus Polygonum in the family Polygonaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
An annual herb, 0.5–2.5 m tall. The stem is erect, highly branched, with numerous purple spots on the surface, covered with cottony hairs, and with slightly swollen nodes.Leaves alternate; short-petiolate or nearly sessile; stipule sheaths membranous; leaf blades lanceolate, apex acuminate, base cuneate, entire or slightly undulate, upper surface dark green, sparsely tomentose, lower surface covered with grayish-white cottony hairs.Panicles are terminal or axillary; flowers are small, greenish-white or pink, densely clustered; perianth 4–5-lobed, veined, without glandular dots; stamens usually 6; styles 2. Achenes are ovoid, flattened, slightly concave in the middle of both lateral surfaces, glossy brownish-black, and enclosed within the persistent perianth. Flowering occurs in early summer; fruiting in autumn.
Distribution Area
It is distributed throughout China, from north to south.