Snakeberry is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the whole plant of Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke, a member of the Rosaceae family. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood and stopping bleeding, and dispersing blood stasis and reducing swelling.It is primarily used to treat febrile diseases, convulsions, colds, dysentery, jaundice, red eyes, mouth ulcers, sore throat, mumps, boils, venomous snake bites, hemoptysis, metrorrhagia, irregular menstruation, burns and scalds, and swelling and pain from falls or blows.
Snakeberry
Snakeberry is the name of a traditional Chinese medicine. It is the whole plant of Duchesnea indica (Andr.) Focke, a member of the Rosaceae family. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood and stopping bleeding, and dispersing blood stasis and reducing swelling.It is primarily used to treat febrile diseases, convulsions, colds, dysentery, jaundice, red eyes, mouth ulcers, sore throat, mumps, boils, venomous snake bites, hemoptysis, metrorrhagia, irregular menstruation, burns and scalds, and swelling and pain from falls or blows.
Chinese Name : 蛇莓
Latin Name : Herba Duchesneae Indicae
Aliases : Silkworm Berry, Cockscomb Fruit, Wild Bayberry, Snake-Mouth Grass, Snake-Bubble Grass, Snake-Coil Grass, Haha Fruit, Hemp Snake Fruit, Groundberry, Dragon’s Spit Pearl, Nine-Dragon Grass, Three-Horse Wind, Three-Skin Wind, Three-Claw Dragon
Authentic Producing Area : Native to most regions of China
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet and bitter in taste; cold in nature; enters the Liver, Lung, and Large Intestine meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat and detoxifies; cools the blood and stops bleeding; dispels blood stasis and reduces swelling.
Indications
Feverish diseases, convulsions, common cold, dysentery, jaundice, red eyes, mouth sores, sore throat, mumps, boils, venomous snake bites, hemoptysis, metrorrhagia, irregular menstruation, scalds and burns, and swelling and pain from trauma.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal use: Decoct 9–15 g (or 30–60 g of fresh herb) in water; or crush to extract juice and drink. 2. External use: Apply an appropriate amount as a poultice or sprinkle as a powder.
Precautions
Not suitable for individuals with spleen and stomach deficiency-cold.
Chemical Constituents
This herb primarily contains methoxydehydrocholesterol, oligomeric condensed tannins, gallic acid tannins, total protein, total non-structural carbohydrates, gallic acid, hexoses, pentoses,glucuronic acid, protein, protein-tannin polysaccharides, and phenolic compounds. It also contains ursolic acid, geraniolic acid, rosehip glucoside, hippophae glycoside, F,6-methoxy naringin, rhododendron glycoside, β-sitosterol, stearic acid, betulin,snakeberry gallic acid glycosides A and B, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and kaempferol-3-O-acacia disaccharoside.
Pharmacological Actions
This product possesses anticancer, immune-boosting, antibacterial, antihypertensive, androgenic, and histamine-like effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Collected Annotations on the Classic of Materia Medica*: “Effective in treating snake venom from the arrow snail and severe fever in typhoid.”
2. *Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*: “Treats heat in the chest and stomach; effective for those unable to eat due to snake bites; treats lockjaw in children.”
3. *An Inquiry into the Properties of Medicinal Herbs*: “May be used for febrile diseases; treats mania in typhoid, lockjaw, and mouth sores.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. For common cold with fever and cough: 30–60 g of fresh *snakeberry*. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Medicinal Herbs of Shanxi*)
2. For dysentery and enteritis: 15–30 g of the whole *snakeberry* plant. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Commonly Used Folk Herbs of Zhejiang*)
3. For jaundice: 15–30 g of the whole *snakeberry* plant. Decoct in water and take orally.(*Medicinal Herbs of Guangxi*)
4. For swollen and painful eyes or corneal opacities: Take an appropriate amount of fresh snakeberry, mash it into a paste, add a small amount of egg white, mix well, and apply to the eyelids.
5. For sore throat: Grind an appropriate amount of snakeberry into a fine powder; take 6g per dose, mixed with boiling water. (Recipes 4–5 are from *Manual of Medicinal Herbs of Henan*)
6. For mouth sores: Take equal parts fresh snakeberry and purslane leaves, along with a small amount of rice grains; pound them together into a paste and apply to the affected area. (*Fujian Materia Medica*)
7. For mumps: Take 30–60 g of fresh snakeberry, add a pinch of salt, pound into a paste, and apply externally. (*Jiangxi Herbal Manual*)
8. For treating shingles: Pound the fresh whole snakeberry plant into a paste, extract the juice, and apply it externally. (*Commonly Used Folk Herbs of Zhejiang*)
9. For treating mastitis: 30–60 g of fresh snakeberry. Decoct with a mixture of wine and water and take orally. (*Manual of Traditional Chinese Medicinal Herbs of Gansu*)
10. For scrofula: 30–60 g of fresh snakeberry herb; wash thoroughly and decoct for oral administration. (*Commonly Used Chinese Herbs of Shanghai*)
11. For hematemesis and hemoptysis: 30–60 g of fresh snakeberry herb. Pound into a paste, extract 1 cup of juice, and simmer with a small amount of rock sugar before consumption. (*Herbal Medicine of Eastern Fujian*)
Related Compatibility
1. Snakeberry combined with Isatis root: Both herbs have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying. Snakeberry can also disperse nodules and reduce swelling; Isatis root additionally cools the blood and soothes the throat. When combined, these two herbs synergize to achieve the effects of cooling the blood, detoxifying, clearing heat, soothing the throat, and dispersing nodules and reducing swelling. This combination is used for conditions such as heat-toxin-induced sore throat, diphtheria, mumps, and swollen, toxic boils.
2. Snakeberry combined with Dandelion: Both herbs have the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, dispersing nodules, and reducing swelling. Snakeberry can also clear blood heat, while Dandelion excels at resolving abscesses. When combined, these two herbs complement each other, working together to cool the blood, detoxify, disperse nodules, and resolve abscesses. This combination is used for conditions such as carbuncles, abscesses, scrofula, and mumps.
3. Snakeberry combined with Ramie Root: Both herbs have the effects of clearing heat, cooling the blood, and stopping bleeding, but each has its own emphasis. Snakeberry tends to clear blood heat, while Ramie Root focuses on cooling the blood and stopping bleeding. When combined, their efficacy is enhanced. Used for various bleeding disorders caused by uncontrolled blood heat, as well as hematuria and bloody urine.
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 the whole plant from June to November, wash it thoroughly, and either sun-dry it or use it fresh.
Processing Methods
Take the raw herb, remove impurities, rinse thoroughly with running water, moisten slightly, and cut into medium-length sections. Dry, then sift to remove dust and debris.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a cool, dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The whole plant is often twisted into a bundle, covered with white downy hairs, with creeping stems and alternate leaves. The leaves are trifoliate; the petioles of the basal leaves are 6–10 cm long. The leaflets are mostly shriveled; intact ones are obovate, 1.5–4 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, with an oblique base and bluntly toothed margins. The surface is yellowish-green, nearly glabrous on the upper side and sparsely hairy on the lower side.Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils and have long pedicels. The aggregate fruit is brownish-red; the achenes are small, and the calyx is persistent. It has a faint odor and a slightly astringent taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
It is irregularly segmented; the roots are slender, filiform, and yellowish-brown. The root crown is swollen and consists of numerous pubescent petiole and stem remnants. The stem is slender and cylindrical, sometimes flattened, grayish-green or yellowish-brown, with fine longitudinal striations and sparse pubescence; the cross-section is hollow.The leaves are mostly shriveled and fragmented, gray-green or dark green, with coarsely serrated margins and scattered soft hairs on both surfaces. The fruit is oblong-ovate and dark red. It has a faint odor and a slightly astringent taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Snakeberry, a plant of the Rosaceae family.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial herb. The rhizome is short and stout. There are numerous stolons, 30–100 cm long, pubescent, and producing adventitious roots at the nodes. There are several basal leaves; the cauline leaves are alternate, all trifoliate; the petioles are 1–5 cm long and pubescent; the stipules are narrowly ovate to broadly lanceolate, 5–8 mm long;leaflets are petiolate, obovate to rhombo-oblong, 2–3 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, with a blunt apex and bluntly serrate margins; both surfaces are pubescent or the upper surface is glabrous. Flowers are solitary in the leaf axils; 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter; pedicels are 3–6 cm long and pubescent;5 sepals, ovate, 4–6 mm long, acuminate at the apex, sparsely pubescent on the outer surface; 5 epicalyx segments, obovate, 5–8 mm long, longer than the sepals, apex often with 3–5 teeth; 5 petals, obovate, 5–10 mm long, yellow, apex rounded and obtuse; 20–30 stamens;carpels numerous, free; receptacle swollen during fruiting, spongy, bright red, glossy, 10–20 mm in diameter, with long soft hairs on the outside. Achenes ovate, about 1.5 mm long, smooth or with indistinct protrusions, glossy when fresh. Flowering period: June–August; fruiting period: August–October.
Distribution Area
It is distributed throughout most of China.
Growth Habits
It is cold-hardy and thrives in shaded, moist environments, often growing on damp grasslands along ditches. It is not particular about soil type, but prefers fertile, loose, and moist sandy loam.
Propagation Methods
Propagate by seed or division.
Cultivation Techniques
Sowing is done in the fall; seeds can be sown in outdoor seedbeds or in pots indoors. New roots will sprout from the nodes of the creeping stems once they come into contact with soil, forming new plants. Transplanting these young plants constitutes division; plant them with a row and plant spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm.