In Russia (Siberia) and the northern provinces and southwestern regions of China, at an altitude of 2600-4200 meters above sea level, on the sunny slopes, grows a gray-green plant that, at first glance, looks like some kind of thick rhizome, clumped weed.
Every May, these "weeds" grow match-head-like red bone blossoms at the top of their stems, competing to bloom pink-white florets, mostly 20-30 flowers, forming a spherical inflorescence. Although each flower is not large, it is clustered and clustered into pieces, which is very spectacular to look at!
With a gorgeous appearance, the cattle and sheep in the pastoral area never eat; with strong vitality, they grow on the edge of the dividing line between the vast desert and the grassland.
This plant is the wolf poison flower.
Wolf venom ( scientific name : stellera chamaejasme linn . ) is a perennial herb of the genus Lupus in the family Rubiaceae. Its roots, stems and leaves are more toxic, hardy and drought tolerant, and the reproductive ability is strong, and the surrounding herbs are difficult to fight. Therefore, wolf venom is also regarded in some areas as a warning of the decline of "grassland biodiversity" and needs to be properly removed to prevent grassland degradation.
The three main functions of wolf poison
1. Pharmacological value
According to the records in the Chinese Medicine Code, the wolf poison root is used in medicine, which has the functions of coughing up phlegm, eliminating accumulation and relieving pain, and external application can cure scabies. Wolf poison flower also has the effect of warming the sun and removing edema.
However, in the "Benjing Fengyuan" once recorded the wolf poison flower: "bitter, cold, there is a great poison", it is said that when the ancient war broke out, the wolf venom juice was also applied to the blade. Therefore, you must not use wolf poison, especially the toxicity of its roots is very large! Medication should be taken as directed by a physician.
2. Used in the manufacture of paper
During the Tang Dynasty, when Princess Wencheng entered Tibet and kissed, she also brought the papermaking process of the Tang Dynasty with her. However, due to the lack of raw materials such as bamboo and straw in the Central Plains, the craftsmen eventually chose the rhizome of the wolf poison flower that grows on the desert and grassland.
It is rumored that many papermakers at that time were damaged by skin ulceration due to inadequate protection. The paper made of wolf poison rhizome is moisture-proof and anti-corrosion, and can also prevent insects and ants from biting, even after a hundred years of wind and frost, it can be well preserved.
Today, the Derge Printing Institute in western Sichuan has a developed process of making wolf poison paper. People here are convinced that only scriptures printed on wolf poison paper can withstand the confrontation of time.
A scripture recorded on wolf poison paper
3. Control of insect pests
After the discovery of paper insect moths made of lupus toxin rhizomes, in recent years, some scholars have begun to discuss the role of wolf venom extract in pest control.
Research records show that some compounds in Ruixiang wolf venom can be used for the control of aphids, mites, green worms and other pests.
●Zhang Ethanhong et al. have shown that Ruixiang wolf poison root extract, petroleum ether, chloroform extract has good haptocin activity against truncated leaf mites, diplodont leaf mites and pea aphids.
●Zhang Xuemei et al. found that the flavonoid chromosterone lupus chromosterone isolated from the extract of Ruixiang wolf venom root acetate has acaricidal activity. And its preparation is safe, standardized use of no damage to the skin, human body.
In 2012, after extensive testing, a biotechnology company in Gansu province developed a plant-derived insecticide prepared by extracting lupus toxin, the active ingredient, with Ruixiang lupus venom as the main raw material.
The product is currently the only one in the world and at home, registered in the cruciferous vegetables to control vegetables, a wide spectrum of insecticidal, for the cabbage insects, twill moths, small cabbage moths, leaf curl moths, corn borer, rice borer, aphids, red spiders, whiteflies, spotted flies and other pests have a touch killing and stomach poisoning effect.
In terms of safety, high concentrations of lupus toxin are highly toxic to fish, birds, silkworms, and bees. Therefore, it should be used away from the river pond, and the honey source plant should not be used during the flowering period. Rats acute oral and percutaneous ld50 are greater than 5000mg/kg, which is a micro-toxic product. Standardized use, non-toxic and harmless to the human body.
◆ From the perspective of nature conservation, extracting insecticidal ingredients from the rhizome of Ruixiang wolf poison is not only to prepare an effective pesticide for pest control.
◆ Harvest raw materials, need to uproot the growth and spread of wolf venom in the northwest region, to a certain extent, reduce the encroachment of wolf venom on the territory of other high-quality grass species, maintain the ecological diversity of the grassland, and do our part to prevent land desertification!
The current implementation of gb-t19630-2019 "organic products production, processing, labeling and management system requirements" allowed to use in the input appendix is temporarily free of lupuxin, organic planting friends must consult the certification agency for the unit, green planting can be used with confidence Oh ~