Tamarind is a medicine for summer.
According to Oriental medicine, yellow flower tamarind has a sour taste and cold properties. It has the effect of clearing heat, benefiting the lower body, cooling blood, dispersing blood stasis, reducing swelling and detoxifying.
In our country, there are often 3 wild species of sorrel: mountain sorrel (Oxali acetosella L.) with white flowers and pink veins, rose sorrel (Oxilis corymbossa DC) and yellow-flowered sorrel (CMĐHV) (Oxalis corniculata L.). Among the above species, the yellow-flowered plant is the most common, as well as the most commonly used as medicine, so only this species is mentioned here.
Botanical characteristics
CMĐHV is a type of grass, spreading, creeping on the ground, light red stem, slightly hairy. Leaves have long, thin, slightly hairy petioles, consisting of 3 leaflets that are almost smooth, soft, each leaflet has a concave mark on the tip in the shape of an inverted heart.
Flowers grow in clusters of 2-3, sometimes 4, yellow; flower stalks are thin, about 1-2cm long. Capsules are 5-6 times longer than the height of the existing calyx, opening with 5 valves. Seeds are oval, dark brown, flat, knobby, growing in very regular rows.
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| Yellow tamarind flower |
To make medicine, people often use the whole plant or just the leaves. Usually used fresh, rarely dried. The best harvest season is in June - July.
According to Oriental medicine, CMĐHV has a sour taste and cold properties. It has the effect of clearing heat, benefiting the lower body, cooling blood, dispersing blood stasis, reducing swelling and detoxifying.
Note: People with urinary stones should not use CMĐHV, because the oxalate in tamarind can increase the number of stones. Also, do not use too high a dose because oxalate salt is toxic at a dose of 20 - 30g.
Prescriptions containing CMĐHV
Cure high fever, restlessness, thirst:CMĐHV a handful, wash clean, crush, add boiled water to cool, squeeze to get the juice, divide to drink gradually.
Cough due to heat (hot weather):CMĐHV 40g, gotu kola 40g, perilla leaves 20g, and chicken grass 20g. Use all herbs fresh, wash, crush, squeeze to get the juice; add 1 teaspoon of sugar, boil again, divide into 3 doses to drink during the day.
Sore throat:CMĐHV 50g fresh, wash, add a little salt (about 2g); chew and swallow slowly.
Sedative, cure insomnia:CMĐHV 20g, horsetail pine leaves 6g, put in a pot, cover with water and boil, divide into 3 times to drink during the day.
Treatment of high blood pressure:CMĐHV 30g, dried summer grass 10g, yellow chrysanthemum 15g; decoct and drink during the day.
Treatment of jaundice due to heat and dampness (hepatitis):30g fresh CMĐHV, boil with water, divide into 2-3 times to drink during the day. Or use 30g CMĐHV, 30g lean pork, cook into soup to eat.
Treatment of hematuria, heat in the urinary tract (dribbling urination, burning urethra, bloody urine):Fresh CMĐHV, crushed, squeezed to get the juice, mix with honey and drink 3 times a day, a small cup each time (about 50ml).
Treatment of dysentery:Dry CMĐHV, grind into fine powder, drink 3 times a day, each time use 9 - 12g, use boiling water to drink the medicine.
Treatment of urinary and fecal incontinence:CMĐHV, Plantago, a handful of each (about 20g), add a little sugar, crush and squeeze out a cup of juice to drink. If bowel movements or urination are not yet smooth, continue drinking.
This remedy is recorded in the book Nam Duoc Than Hieu by Tue Tinh and the book Thich Nguyen Phuong of China. To treat injuries from beatings, falls, sprains, swelling and pain: heat a large handful of CMĐHV and massage it into the injured area.
Treatment of prickly heat and itching:Take CMĐHV leaves, wash, crush, rub on itchy skin.
According to Health and Life