Nut grass (Cyperus rotundus L.) or "Xiang-fu" in Chinese language, life throughout the year with a height of 10 to 75 cm. Usually these wild plants growing in gardens, in fields and elsewhere until at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level. This plant is easily recognizable because of brownish-green flowers, located on the tip of stem with three buds helmet clear yellow stamens, forming a bulleted flowers, clustered into a single form of an umbrella.
His trademark is located on the fruits of a large cone-shaped at the base, sometimes curved brown, with a length of 1.5 to 4.5 cm in diameter and 5-10 mm. Ribbon-shaped leaves, shiny color and consist of 40-10 pieces, is at the base of the stem to form rozel roots, with leaf midrib covered with soil. In the old rhizome buds there are many who become brown or black tubers. Brown slightly bitter taste and smell fragrant. rhizome-roots usually accumulate in the form of clumps.
Nut grass contains alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids and the oils evaporate as much as 0.3 to 1%, whose contents vary depending on the growth of local origin. Roots originating from Japan contains cyperol, cyperene I & II, alpha-cyperone, cyperotundone and cyperolone, while originating from China contains patchoulenone and cyperene.
Usually the parts used as medicines from this plant is the tuber (rhizome). Usefulness, among others, as a tonic, abdominal pain medications, drugs to facilitate urination, deworming medicine, drug regulators expedite and menstruation, as an anti-sweat washing water, in the form of the cooking water as a cure for diseases of the mouth (gargle), toothache medicine, and for the ulcer drug. Flying oil contained in these plants can prevent the growth of Staphy / Iococcus sureus, but some organisms can not be prevented Other significant growth with this drug.
Other uses of these plants to cope with chest pain, rib pain, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation and gynecological diseases, injuries hit hard, bruising, itching in the skin, ulcers, bleeding and vaginal discharge, patients with swelling due to fluid retention, and disruption digestive functions such as nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and abdominal pain.