Herb: Ji Xue Teng


Latin name: Millettia reticulata


Synonyms: Callerya reticulata


Family: Leguminosae



Medicinal use of Ji Xue Teng:

Ji Xue Teng is classified in Chinese herbalism as a plant that invigorates the blood. It is used mainly to treat menstrual problems, relieving pain and normalizing an irregular or absent cycle. The roots and the vines are emmenagogue and stomachic. A decoction is used in the treatment of stomach aches, breathlessness, anaemia in women, menstrual irregularities, vaginal discharge (bloody discharge and leucorrhoea), numbness and paralysis, backache and pain in the knees, seminal emission, gonorrhoea and stomach ache. The plant is used as a tonic to induce the growth of red blood cells. The plant contains the antitumour compound rotenone.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Climber

Height:
5 m
(16 feet)

Flowering:
June to
August

Habitat of the herb:

Damp shady places. Thickets on slopes and in valleys at elevations of 100 - 950 metres.

Other uses of Ji Xue Teng:

The plant contains rotenone, which is used as an insecticide.

Propagation of the herb:

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow in a greenhouse in spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering in spring. Cuttings of half-ripe wood with the leaves removed, July/August in moist sand in a frame.

Cultivation of Ji Xue Teng:

Damp shady places. Thickets on slopes and in valleys at elevations of 100 - 950 metres.

Known hazards of Millettia reticulata:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.