01
Directly to the point
[Name] Xiao Ye Lei Gong Gen (Small Leaf Thunder God Root), Shen Ye Tian Hu Sui (Kidney Leaf Coriander), Tou Gu Cao (Bone-Penetrating Herb)
[Taxonomy] Angiosperms, Dicotyledons, Apiales, Apiaceae, Coriandreae, Coriandrum
[Geographical Distribution] Tropical and temperate regions, primarily found in East China, Central South, and Southwest regions, commonly seen in Guangdong and Guangxi.
[Properties and Channels] Pungent, bitter, and cool in nature. Enters the Liver (Gan) and Kidney (Shen) meridians.
[Effects and Applications] Clears heat and detoxifies, reduces swelling and alleviates pain, promotes urination. Mainly used for treating jaundice, herpes zoster, carbuncles, edema, sore throat, eye disorders, and trauma. (In fact, its effects extend beyond these, requiring further exploration by knowledgeable individuals; the following discusses its use in alleviating pesticide poisoning.)
[Contraindications] Due to its cold nature, it should be avoided by those with spleen and stomach deficiency or insufficient Yang energy. Use with caution for those allergic to this herb.
02
Experience from an Elder in the Farm
The elder claims to be a local from Luoding. After her father participated in the liberation work in Hainan, he responded to the national call to cultivate and develop state farms, allowing her to accompany him. Through her involvement in production, she learned various experiences that could solve practical problems, mostly related to farm work and life.
She mentioned that farm workers inevitably encounter accidents while using pesticides. For instance, a colleague had a crack in the sprayer’s water tank, causing pesticide to seep onto their clothes. The worker, unaware, continued working without changing clothes, leading to pesticide poisoning. There are also family members of farm workers who, due to family conflicts or despair, have ingested pesticides; how to detoxify them; and how to prevent antibiotic poisoning, which can lead to leukemia, etc.
If someone is allergic to antibiotics, the aftereffects are often overlooked. After a period of hospital treatment, patients may feel better and choose to be discharged. However, the toxins remain, and patients often feel fatigued for a long time. Over time, many may develop cancer or leukemia. So how does she usually prevent this? By boiling the heads of grinding grass and the ear holes of pig ears (ear canal) into a soup and drinking it several times, one can prevent the aforementioned conditions. Even in cases of antibiotic allergies where hospitals have given up, this method can still be a last resort; family members on the farm have used it and indeed found it life-saving, extending their lives by over a decade.
How does she know all this? It’s quite legendary. She has raised dogs and cows. If animals accidentally come into contact with pesticides and show signs of poisoning, such as contact dermatitis from herbicides, they will find certain grasses to rub against or eat, which helps the ulcerated areas heal and eventually regrow new skin tissue, leading to recovery.
Thus, during her time working on the farm, when encountering colleagues poisoned by pesticides or family members who ingested pesticides out of despair, no matter what methods were tried, they could not recover, with their throats rotting to the cardia, and doctors advising them to go home and await their fate. The elder, feeling compassion, had children collect Xiao Ye Lei Gong Gen, wash it, crush it, extract the juice, and by the next day, the swelling would subside, allowing the patient to drink a little porridge. After the patient finished the porridge, she would use a cotton swab to scrape off the necrotic skin and then apply the crushed herbal juice, which was ingested as well.
Often, within a week, significant improvements could be seen, and within a month, the patient could almost take care of themselves. As for whether they could speak as fluently as before, that remains uncertain.
Xiao Ye Lei Gong Gen can also be used to make lean meat soup, which is beneficial for improving constitution and eliminating residual toxins.
For those not taking it internally, if they are exposed to herbicides or pesticides that cause rapid plant decay and severe skin reactions, it is necessary to use the juice externally while also taking it internally to eliminate residual toxins.
The elder believes that using this herb as a base and adjusting with various other herbs can detoxify different poisons. Due to dialectical differences, some details may be hard to translate, such as what poisons can be detoxified with the addition of Di Dan Tou (Ground Beetle Head) or Ban Bian Lian (Half-Side Lotus), which are more detailed, but she cannot recall the names of the pesticides. She wrote some notes on paper, but when she took out her clothes after work, that paper was lost.
It’s a pity that her years of experience were lost like this.
[Note] The above is merely a sharing of the elder’s experiences. In case of similar situations, seek medical attention immediately; life is paramount, and delays are unacceptable. The above methods are for reference and learning only. In wilderness situations or when in dire straits with no other options, learning this folk method may save one’s life. Let’s encourage each other!