Reed is a very common plant, and many people have visited reed marshes for recreation, where the scenery is particularly beautiful and the air is exceptionally fresh. However, few people know the answer to the question: what are the functions of the root of the reed, where it grows? In fact, the reed root has six functions, and it is especially suitable for people with bad breath because it can treat it!
1. Treating Bad Breath
The reed root is cool in nature and can clear heat and purge fire. It has a significant effect on bad breath from deficiency fire. The reed root can be used with raw rehmannia root and licorice root. The reed root can make the decoction more palatable and enhance its effectiveness.
2. Anti-cancer
In recent years, the discovery that asparagine in reed root can effectively inhibit the growth and spread of cancer cells and normalize cell growth has made the value of reed root multiply.
3. Lung Heat Cough, Lung Abscess with Purulent Sputum
The reed root clears and drains lung heat, and also promotes urination, allowing heat toxins to be expelled through urine. Therefore, it can treat thick phlegm from lung heat cough and purulent or bloody sputum from lung abscess.
4. Clearing Heat and Generating Fluids
The reed root can clear lung heat and resolve phlegm, used for lung heat cough with thick, difficult-to-expectorate phlegm caused by wind-heat attacking the lungs. The reed root is sweet, which can generate fluids, and cold in nature, which can clear heat. It can be used for those with severe heat damaging fluids and causing thirst. Using fresh reed root juice has an even greater effect of clearing heat and generating fluids.
5. Treating Dryness of the Mouth and Eyes
For treating dry mouth and eyes in Sjögren's syndrome, adding reed root to a compound prescription can help stimulate saliva secretion and improve symptoms of a dry mouth and throat. The reed root seems to be more effective than dendrobium in this regard. Fresh reed root is better than dried, and it is best used with raw rehmannia root and ophiopogon root.
6. The Effects of Reed Root Water
If you notice that the tip of your tongue is significantly redder than the rest of your tongue, it means you have lung heat. You can drink water boiled with reed root to clear it. You can also use the functions and effects of reed root to treat diseases in daily life; reed root water is a great secret recipe for clearing heat.