Che Qian Cao

Herba Plantaginis (Cheqiancao) Plantain Herb Plantain Herb is the dried herb of Plantago asiatica L. or Plantago depressa Willd. (Fam. Plantagi-naceae). The drug is collected in summer, removed from soil, and dried in the sun. Description Herb of Plantago asiatica Roots fascicled, fibrous. Leaves basal, long petioled; lamina crumpled, when whole, ovate-elliptical or broadly ovate, 6-13 cm long, 2.5-8 cm wide; externally greyish-green or blackish-green, with 5-7 distinct arched veins; obtuse or acute at the apex, broadly cuneate at the base, margin entire or irregularly sinuate-dentate. Spikes several, with a long scape. Capsules circumscissile, calyx persistent. Odour, slightly aromatic; taste, slightly bitter. Herb of Plantago depressa Main roots straight and long. Lamina relatively narrow, long-elliptical or elliptical-lanceolate, 5-14 cm long, 2-3 cm wide. Identification Surface view of leaf: Herb of Plantago asiatica The epidermal cells of both surfaces subrectangular, the upper ep