Red Cloud Grass, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Ardisia maclurei Merr. (family Ardisiae). It is distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other regions. It has the effects of cooling the blood and stopping bleeding, as well as clearing heat and detoxifying. It is primarily used to treat hematemesis, hematochezia, hemoptysis, and boils.
Red Cloud Grass
Red Cloud Grass, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Ardisia maclurei Merr. (family Ardisiae). It is distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other regions. It has the effects of cooling the blood and stopping bleeding, as well as clearing heat and detoxifying. It is primarily used to treat hematemesis, hematochezia, hemoptysis, and boils.
Chinese Name : 红云草
Aliases : Red-haired Vine, False Banyan, Creeping Banyan, Red Carpet Vine
Authentic Producing Area : Guangdong, Guangxi
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Bitter in taste, cool in nature
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Cools the blood and stops bleeding; clears heat and detoxifies.
Indications
Mainly used to treat hematemesis, melena, hemoptysis, and boils.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoction, 10–15 g.
Precautions
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 issue a herbal prescription.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines*: “Stops bleeding, clears heat, and detoxifies. Mainly used to treat hematemesis, melena, boils, and abscesses.”
2. *Concise Compendium of Guangxi Ethnic Medicines*: “Decocted and taken orally to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, rheumatic pain, bruises and contusions with bruising and swelling, irregular menstruation, and hepatitis; decocted with an egg or stir-fried until charred and then boiled with an egg to treat irregular menstruation, cough, and hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis; simmered with chicken to treat postpartum weakness.”
Applications
Notes
Another plant in the same genus, Jiujielong, bears a similar appearance to this species.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest in spring or fall; wash, cut into sections, and sun-dry.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The stem is slender and cylindrical, with rust-colored, long, soft hairs on the surface. The leaves are curled or shed; intact leaves are elliptical, up to 6 cm long and about 4 cm wide, with a pointed apex and a heart-shaped base. Both surfaces are covered with fine hairs, which are denser along the midrib. The leaf margin has irregular, sparse serrations and is densely ciliate; the petiole is hairy. The texture is papery. It has a faint odor and a bitter, astringent taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
A plant of the family Rubiaceae, specifically *Rubia cordifolia*.
Morphological Characteristics
A subshrub, 4–15 m tall, with creeping stems; stems densely covered with rust-colored, long, soft hairs when young. Leaves alternate; rarely nearly whorled; petioles 0.5–2.5 cm long, covered with sparse, rust-colored soft hairs;leaf blades are stiffly papery, elliptic or obovate, 4–6 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide, with an acute or obtuse apex, a cordate base, irregular coarse teeth and cilia along the margin, and sparsely pubescent on both surfaces, particularly along the midrib; lateral veins number about 6 pairs, extending to the tips of the teeth.Subumbellate inflorescences, nearly terminal, covered with rust-colored long soft hairs, bearing 3–6 flowers; each plant has 1–2 inflorescences; pedicels 3–6 mm long; sepals lanceolate, ciliate, without glandular dots;petals are pale purple or red, ovate, about 4 mm long; stamens are slightly shorter than the petals, with ovate anthers that are acuminate at the apex and sagittate at the base; the pistil is nearly as long as the petals. The fruit is globose, about 6 mm in diameter, and dark red. Flowering occurs from May to June, and fruiting from December to January of the following year, rarely extending to March.
Distribution Area
Distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other areas.