What Are the Benefits and Effects of Venus Grass?

1. What is Jinxingcao? Jinxingcao plants grow to a height of 15 to 45 centimeters. The rhizome is long and horizontally creeping, densely covered with lanceolate scales. The leaves are distantly arranged; the petiole is 5 to 20 centimeters long, straw-colored; the blade is nearly leathery, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 10 to 25 centimeters long, 2.5 to 4 centimeters wide, tapering to a sharp point at the apex, broadly cuneate or round-cuneate at the base, with soft cartilaginous margins, somewhat wavy, and without notches. The lateral veins are distinct on both sides. The sporangium groups are large and circular, close to the main veins. It grows on stones or tree trunks in shady and damp valleys.

2. Jinxingcao is a medicinal herb with rich medicinal value. It has a bitter taste and is non-toxic, and belongs to cold medicine. It has a certain therapeutic effect on the spleen, small intestine, and large intestine meridians. It has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, and is mainly used to treat swelling and poisoning, gonorrhea, and intestinal wind. If there is excessive internal heat or a strong fiery constitution, Jinxingcao can also be used. However, it should not be used by the elderly and those with cold diarrhea.

3. Usage (1) To treat five poisons and backache, wash Jinxingcao and its roots clean, bake them slowly to dryness, weigh four liang (an ancient unit of measurement), add one qian (another ancient unit of measurement) of licorice, pound and bundle them, and divide into four doses. Each dose is prepared by adding one liter of wine, boiling for a few times, and then adding two to three liters of cold wine, sealing in a bottle, and drinking occasionally. Avoid raw, cold, greasy, and poisonous foods. (2) To treat the outbreak of Dan Shi poison on the back and all kinds of pain and swelling, use one fen (another ancient unit of measurement) of the roots and leaves of Jinxingcao, boil them in a large cup of wine to extract the juice. If wine is not desired, one qian of powdered Jinxingcao can be mixed with fresh water and taken orally until the desired effect is achieved.