Poinsettia: The 'Blood-Stopper' That Grows Close to the Ground

In the summer and autumn seasons, you can often find a small plant with reddish stems and leaves, growing low to the ground along roadsides, field edges, or in cracks between bricks. If you casually break its slender stem, a milky white sap will ooze out, much like milk. This is Poinsettia (local name: Di Jin Cao), an annual herbaceous plant of the genus Euphorbia in the family Euphorbiaceae, distributed throughout China except for Hainan. The most prominent feature of Poinsettia is its prostrate, highly branched stems, with opposite, oblong leaves that have finely serrated edges, often tinged with light red amidst the green. It gets its name 'Di Jin' (地錦) from its 'red stems spreading on the ground,' and is also known as 'Xue Jian Chou' (血見愁), meaning 'blood-stopper,' by the common folk for its ability to 'treat blood-related ailments.' It is tenacious, rooting in rock crevices and wastelands, and its above-ground parts spread widely, helping to conserve soil and water. In traditional medicine, dried Poinsettia is used as an herb. It has a pungent taste and a neutral property, acting on the liver and large intestine meridians. It possesses functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, cooling the blood and stopping bleeding, and resolving dampness and reducing jaundice. Folk medicine often mashes fresh Poinsettia and applies it to wounds to stop bleeding, or decocts it for internal use to treat dysentery, blood in the stool, and damp-heat jaundice. Modern research has found that Poinsettia contains chemical components such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, and terpenoids, exhibiting various biological activities including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hemostatic, and hepatoprotective effects. Quercetin, luteolin, and gallic acid are considered its key active components. However, Poinsettia is not suitable for everyone. Individuals with weak spleen and stomach or pregnant women should use it with caution, and it's best to consult a professional physician before use. This small plant, growing close to the ground, holds medicinal wisdom that should not be underestimated. I think I've seen this before. I remember the white sap being sticky, and I just thought it was a weed. I didn't realize it had a hemostatic effect! 🤔