Wudang Taoist Kungfu Forums

Botanical Name:
Eomecon chionantha (血水草)









Other names:
Chinese bloodroot, Chinese snow poppy, Eastern poppy, Poppy of the dawn, Dawn poppy
Description:
A rare relative of our native bloodroot, only one species of this Chinese native exists. Spreading by underground rhizomes, long reddish petioles host glaucous, nearly succulent leaves that look like large wavy-edged hearts marked by light veining. Four-petaled, nearly transparent white flowers arranged in airy terminal panicles are anchored by prominent yellow stamens. At home in very shady places, let this exotic perennial colonize the ground beneath Kerria japonica ‘Albiflora’.
Species:
E. chionantha ~ E. chionantha is a vigorous, spreading, rhizomatous perennial with heart, kidney or arrow-shaped, leathery, grey-green leaves and upright, branching stems bearing loose panicles of white, poppy-like flowers in late spring to midsummer.
Drug action in TCM:
Bitter and cold in nature, minor toxin. Clear heat, resolve toxin, quicken the blood, stanch bleeding. Externally used for eczema, sore, nameless sores or boils, venomous snake bite, injuries from falls, to be taken orally for treating lumbar muscle strain, tuberculosis, hemoptysis