https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/A4PeQB2Vq1CW8xtc-5KQOA
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26. Kudzu Root (Chai Ge)
According to herbal sellers, Kudzu root is all wild-harvested, with no cultivated varieties. That means even the regular Kudzu root slices provided by medicine factories are wild, just without any aging.
Overall, it tastes quite good. Although the potency is noticeably thinner (compared to thirty-year-old Kudzu roots), the effects on the back, back of the head, cranial nerves, and the Jiao Sun meridian are still present. Using about 30 grams basically achieves the desired effect.
The effects described in textbooks mix together Chai Ge and Fen Ge; we need to separate them here.
Direct effects of Chai Ge: raises Qi upward, has a certain tonifying effect on Qi and blood, and thereby some dampness-drying function. Indirect effects: releases the exterior and disperses cold, dispels wind and relieves pain, dries dampness and detoxifies, and neutralizes alcohol toxins. Puerarin (a flavonoid) has the effect of dilating blood vessels, effective for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and peripheral vessels, thus it can improve heart and brain function and also lower blood pressure.
Direct effects of Fen Ge: harmonizes the stomach and stops vomiting, benefits the stomach, generates fluids and promotes saliva, also treats diabetic thirst symptoms, but has little significance for the disease itself.
26.1 Kudzu Flowers
Besides harmonizing the stomach and sobering up, they also have some effect in promoting digestion and dissolving food accumulations.
Kudzu flowers + mint can be sold directly as a beverage, with a refreshing and renewing effect.
28. Duckweed
It smells and tastes a little fishy, which inevitably reminds one of a stagnant ditch, hopefully this is overthinking.
The taste itself is quite okay, but the slimy texture makes it unpleasant, as though drinking a mouthful of sewage, adding filth to the body.
It is rarely used, mainly for treating eczema and neurodermatitis, and some people also use it for edema.
It is said that concentrated decoction applied externally can treat hair loss, but I have not tried this; the medicinal odor is relatively turbid, so oral administration is not recommended. If used to treat eczema and neurodermatitis, it can also be applied externally as a concentrated decoction.