Mostly crumpled and rolled, sometimes broken. When whole, long-elliptical to oblong-oblanceolate, 5~20 cm long, 2~6 cm wide, upper surface dark grayish-green, sometimes small deeper coloured prominences present; apex obtuse, margin entire or slightly undulate, base attenuate and decurrent into the petiole appearing wing-shaped; petioles 4~10 cm long, pale brownish-yellow. Texture fragile. Odour, slight; taste, slightly sour, bitter and astringent.

High fever with impairment of consciousness and skin eruptions in epidemic diseases; jaundice; acute dysentery; mumps; inflammation of the throat, erysipelas, carbuncle.

1.Reducing intense heat and removing virulent factors or toxic materials:

For the treatment of pestilence or seasonal febrile diseases with high fever and headache or sore throat, aphtha, pyogenic skin infection, erysipelas, etc., due to virulent heat, it can be used singly or with Gypsum Fibrosum, Radix Scutellariae, Radix Scrophulariae, and Flos Lonicerae, Fructus Gardeniae, etc.

2.Eliminating intense heat in the blood and relieving eruptions:

It can be used to treat eruptions due to virulent heat or spitting blood and epistaxis due to blood-heat in combination with Cornu Rhinoceri, Fructus Gardeniae, etc. At present, it is often used for the treatment of the infection of the upper respiratory tract, influenza, etc., marked by fever, congestion of the throat, swelling of the tonsils; it can also be used to treat epidemic cephalitis, epidemic mumps, viral hepatitis, viral pneumonia, etc., effectively; besides, it is an indispensable drug for eliminating virulent heat or removing toxic materials.