Vaccaria hispanica
Encyclopedia
Vaccaria is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the pink family
containing the single species Vaccaria hispanica. It is known by several common names including cowherb, cowcockle, and cow soapwort. Its subspecies were previously treated as separate species. It is used medicinally in Chinese medicine
and acupuncture
. It is native to Eurasia but can be found in many other regions as an introduced species
and a common weed
.
It is an annual herb with blue-gray, waxy herbage and pale pink flowers.
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
containing the single species Vaccaria hispanica. It is known by several common names including cowherb, cowcockle, and cow soapwort. Its subspecies were previously treated as separate species. It is used medicinally in Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to a broad range of medicine practices sharing common theoretical concepts which have been developed in China and are based on a tradition of more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage , exercise , and dietary therapy...
and acupuncture
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a type of alternative medicine that treats patients by insertion and manipulation of solid, generally thin needles in the body....
. It is native to Eurasia but can be found in many other regions as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
and a common weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
.
It is an annual herb with blue-gray, waxy herbage and pale pink flowers.