Echinops gmelinii Turcz.
Aliases：Cì Jiǎ Gài (literally "Spiny Armor Cover"), È Bèi Huǒ Cǎo (literally "Evil‑Back Fire Grass"), Huǒ Róng Cǎo (literally "Fire Down Grass"), Cì Tóu (literally "Spiny Head"), and Shā Lán Cì Tóu (literally "Sand‑Blue Spiny Head"). (These are all alternative names for Shā Lòu Lú, i.e., the whole herb or root of Echinops gmelinii / Gmelin Globethistle.)
Shālòulú is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the dried whole herb or root of Echinops gmelinii Turcz., a plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. It is recorded in Zhongguo Shamodi Diqu Yaoyong Zhiwu (Medicinal Plants in Desert Areas of China).
Efficacy & Actions
Whole herb (Shaloulu): Stops bleeding and prevents miscarriage. Root (Shaloulu Root): Clears heat, removes toxicity, promotes lactation, and expels pus.
Indications
Whole herb (Shaloulu): Mainly used for threatened miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage. Root: Commonly used for sores, carbuncles and painful swellings, insufficient lactation, mastitis, tuberculous lymphadenitis, parotitis, hemorrhoids and fistulas, and other conditions.
Usage & Dosage
Whole herb: 6–15 g. Root: 6–12 g.
Selected Formulas
For insufficient lactation with breast distension and pain (empirical formula) Take 15g each of Shalancitou (Echinops gmelinii), Gualou (Trichosanthes kirilowii fruit), Pugongying (Taraxacum mongolicum), and Tubeimu (Bolbostemma paniculatum). Decoct in water and drink. For early-stage carbuncles and furuncles with redness, swelling, heat, and pain (empirical formula) Take 15g each of Shalancitou and Lianqiao (Forsythia suspensa), and 10g each of Dahuang (Rheum palmatum) and raw Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis). Decoct in water and drink.
Medicinal Parts
It is the dried whole herb or root of Echinops gmelinii Turcz., a plant belonging to the family Asteraceae.
Selection & Storage
Store in a cool, dry place, protected from moisture and insects.
