White-backed Primrose

White-backed Primrose is a name used in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Primula hypoleuca Hand.-Mazz. [P. forbesii Franch. subsp. hypoleuca (Hand.-Mazz.) W.W. Smith et Forr.], a member of the Primulaceae family. It has the therapeutic effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.It is primarily used to treat coughs caused by lung heat, mouth and tongue ulcers, redness and swelling of the throat, redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes, painful and scanty urination, bruises and swelling from trauma, and rheumatic pain.

Chinese Name : 白背小报春

Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Taste: pungent, slightly sweet; Nature: cool

Benefits & Efficacy

Benefits

Clears heat and detoxifies; promotes blood circulation and relieves pain.

Indications

Cough due to lung heat; mouth and tongue ulcers; redness and swelling of the throat; redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes; painful and scanty urination; bruises and swelling from trauma; and rheumatic arthralgia.

Usage and Dosage

Internal use: Decoct 15–30 g in water, or steep in wine. External use: Apply an appropriate amount of the fresh plant, pounded into a paste.

Applications

Processing & Preparation

Harvesting & Processing

Harvest the whole plant in April; use fresh or sun-dry.

Crude Drug Identification

Botanical Information

Botanical Classification

White-backed Primrose (Primula albifolia), a plant of the Primulaceae family.

Morphological Characteristics

Herb. Entire plant glabrous. Rhizome short, with numerous thick roots; a tuft of leaves emerges from the apex, or occasionally a short stem. Petioles with narrow wings, 1.5–6 cm long, usually slightly longer than the leaf blade;leaf blades are oblong or elliptical, 15–45 mm long and 10–25 mm wide, with a rounded apex, a rounded-truncate or slightly cordate base, and undulate margins with shallow lobes; the lobes are broadly rounded and serrate; the underside is covered with a white powdery coating; the midrib is slightly broad, with 5–6 pairs of lateral veins.One or two flower stalks emerge from the leaf cluster, 10–25 cm tall; umbels in 1–3 whorls, each whorl bearing 4–10 flowers; bracts lanceolate, initially covered with a white powdery coating, becoming nearly powder-free by fruiting; flower stalks slender, 8–24 mm long, more or less covered with small glands;Calyx broadly campanulate, 3.5–4.5 mm long, slightly enlarged at fruiting, covered with a white powder on both surfaces but denser on the outer surface, divided to the middle, lobes triangular; corolla pink, corolla tube 4–6 mm long, throat without annular appendages, corolla rim 8–15 mm in diameter, lobes broadly obovate, apex deeply notched;Long-styled flowers: the point of attachment of the stamens is approximately 2 mm from the base of the corolla tube; the style is about 3 mm long and barely protrudes beyond the calyx; short-styled flowers: the point of attachment of the stamens is slightly above the middle of the corolla tube; the style is about 1 mm long. Flowering period: April.

Distribution Area

Found in Kunming, Dali, and other areas; endemic to Yunnan.

White-backed Primrose is a name used in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant of Primula hypoleuca Hand.-Mazz. [P. forbesii Franch. subsp. hypoleuca (Hand.-Mazz.) W.W. Smith et Forr.], a member of the Primulaceae family. It has the therapeutic effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, as well as promoting blood circulation and relieving pain.It is primarily used to treat coughs caused by lung heat, mouth and tongue ulcers, redness and swelling of the throat, redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes, painful and scanty urination, bruises and swelling from trauma, and rheumatic pain.