Night blindness treated with TCM Eriocaulon

What is Eriocaulon (Pipewort, Gu Jing Cao)?
Commonly known as pipeworts, Eriocaulon actually refers to a genus that has approximately four hundreds species. All plants under Eriocaulon genus are monocotyledonous flowering plants belonging to the family Eriocaulaceae. Medicinally it mainly means the dried pipewort scapus and inflorescence of Eriocaulon buergerianum Koern. And the other two species, Eriocaulon sieboldianum Sieb. et Zucc. ex Steud. and Eriocaulon saxangulara L., are used medicinally as well. Other common names include Eriocauli Flos, Eriocaulon buergerianum flower, Eriocaulon buergerianum, Eriocaulon sexangulare flower Pipewort scapus., Inflorscence or Pipewort Scapus, Flos Eriocauli, and more. The medicinal parts, the inflorescence and buds, are usually harvested during autumn. And then it should be dried in the sun, cut into sections, and uses raw.

It is an annual herb. Fibrous roots are soft and dense. Basal leaves are in the shape of long, lanceolate strip. Capitulum is hemispherical and with closely layered bracts at the bottom. Bracts are yellowish green and the upper edge is covered with dense white short hair. The top of inflorescence is gray. Stems are slender, yellowish green, glossy, slightly twisted, in varying lengths, and with a few ridges. Capsule is 3-lobed. In china it is mainly produced in Suzhou, Yixing, Liyang, Zhejiang Wuxing, Huzhou, Xiangxiang, Hubei Huanggang, Xianning, Xiaogan and other places.

Eriocaulon health benefits
Main chemical constituent contained in E. buergerianum are plentiful naphthopyranones and flavonols, and with a small quantity of xanthones and flavones. However, it doesn’t justify its health benefits associated with eyes. And let’s see what its pharmacology said about this eye herb.

Modern Eriocaulon pharmacological actions
1. Its water extract, in the ratio of 1:6, in vitro has varying degrees of inhibition to a variety of microsporums;
2. Its decoction also has inhibition to pseudomonas aeruginosa, streptococcus pneumoniae, and escherichia coli.