Pinyin: Qingmazi
Aliases
Qingshi, Qingmazi, Qingma Zhongzi, Dongkuizi.
Source
Family Malvaceae plant *Abutilon theophrasti* Medic.Abutilon theophrastiDried ripe seed of Medic.
Botanical Description
Annual subshrubby herb, up to 1-2 m tall. Stems and branches covered with soft hairs. Leaves alternate; petiole 3-12 cm long, covered with stellate fine soft hairs; stipules caducous; leaf blade cordate, 5-10 cm long, apex long acuminate, base cordate, both surfaces stellate pubescent, margin with fine crenate serrations. Flowers solitary in leaf axils, pedicel 1-3 cm long, pubescent, with a node near the apex; calyx cup-shaped, densely short tomentose, lobes 5, ovate, about 6 mm long; petals yellow, obovate, about 1 cm long; staminal column smooth, glabrous; carpels 15-20, 1-1.5 cm long, apex truncate, with 2 spreading, hairy long awns arranged in a whorl, densely soft pubescent. Capsule hemispherical, about 2 cm in diameter, about 1.2 cm long, mericarps 15-20, coarsely hairy, apex with 2 long awns. Seeds reniform, brown, covered with stellate soft hairs. Flowering period July to August.
Habitat and Distribution
Commonly found along roadsides, in wastelands, and in fields. It is produced throughout China except on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and is also cultivated in various regions of the Northeast.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest the ripe fruit in autumn, dry it in the sun, beat out the seeds, and remove impurities.
Medicinal Properties
This product is triangular-reniform in shape, 3.5-6 mm long, 2.5-4.5 mm wide, and 1-2 mm thick. The surface is gray-black or dark brown, with sparse white pubescence, and a depression containing an elliptical hilum that is light brown with radiating fine striations. The seed coat is hard, with two cotyledons that are folded and overlapping, rich in oil. Odor: faint; Taste: bland.
Chemical Constituents
This product mainly contains oil (58% linoleic acid), amino acids, and other components.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, neutral. Enters the Large Intestine, Small Intestine, and Bladder channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat, resolves toxicity, benefits Dampness, and removes corneal opacities
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct in water, 6-12 g; or taken as powder.
Prescriptions
1. For dysentery with red and white discharge: Qingmazi (Abutilon theophrasti seed) 30 g, stir-fry until fragrant, grind into powder, take 3 g with honey-water, usually effective after one dose. (From *Yangshi Chanru Fang*) 2. For diarrhea: Qingmazi, dry over heat, grind into fine powder. Take 3 g each time, 2 times daily. (From *Jilin Zhongcaoyao*) 3. For urethritis with painful urination: Qingmazi 15 g, decoct in water and take orally. (From *Changbai Shan Zhiwu Yaozhi*) 4. For low back pain, eye disorders, and to blacken beard and hair: Qingmazi (shelled) 1 jin (500 g), Baijiang (Zingiber officinale, dried) 120 g. Grind both into fine powder, mix with steamed dough to form pills the size of wutong seeds. Take 25 pills on an empty stomach with yellow wine, and eat dry food afterward. (From *Lufu Jinfang*) 5. For insufficient lactation: Qingmazi 12 g, Wangbuliuxing (Vaccaria segetalis seed) 15 g, Chuanshanjia (Manis pentadactyla scale) 6 g, decoct in water and take orally. (From *Changbai Shan Zhiwu Yaozhi*)
