Measles, urticaria treated with TCM Common Duckweed

What's Common Duckweed (Fu Ping)?
This is a tiny lightweight green floating spermatophyte. Common duckweed habitats are ponds, wetlands, paddy fields, arm of lake, or any other places that have still water bodies. It is better known as Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.)Schleid. [Lemna polyrrhiza L.] or Lemna minor L. in scientific name and Latin name. And other duckweed common name include lesser duckweed, Least Duckweed, spirodela polyrhiza or spirodela polyrhizae, giant duckweed, ducksmeat, herba spirodelae, and more. In TCM this herb refers to its dried whole plant, usually harvested from June to September. Prior to the medical use, it needs to remove impurities and be dried in the sun. Medicinally this herb is produced from swamps across the China, mainly including Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, and other provinces.

Medicinal duckweed is a flat thallus, which is oval or orbicular-ovate, and 2 to 5mm in diameter. Upper surface is light green to gray green and with a small depression on one side and neat or slightly curled edge. Lower surface is purple green to purple brown and with several fibrous roots. It is lightweight and brittle. It has slight odor and thin flavor.

Common uses for duckweed
Duckweed is an aquatic plant in the family Araceae. It grows pretty fast. According to relevant research, its growth rate is about 64 times of maize. What’s more, its fronds contains large amounts of starch, up to 75% of the dry weight in cultivated species or 30% in wild species, which make it one of the best potential bio-energy crops. In addition, its high protein content also makes it become a new source for feed industry. It is more commendable that this floating plant can be grown in wastewater that comes with high that in high nitrogen and phosphorus content. As a result, it is a fine bioremediation species thanks to its ability of absorbing nutrients from sewage. More importantly, it is a really amazing herb that can cure a number of complaints, which now can be justified by the modern pharmacology.

Modern pharmacological actions of duckweed
1. Diuretic effect. The active ingredients of diuresis are potassium acetate and potassium chloride;

2. Cardiovascular effects. Its water extracts showed strengthening effect on the quinine-induced heart failure in frog. Calcium can enhance this effect. Its large dose can make the heart stop in diastole and cause rising of blood pressure by contracting blood vessels;

3. Antipyretic effect. It was proved with a weak antipyretic effect by administering orally with 2g/kg decoction and infusion to feverous rabbit caused by injected with mixed typhoid vaccine;

4. Other effects. Both of its antibacterial and antimalarial experiments were negative. And it killed Culex larvae and pupae in the laboratory and field.