rare chinese

73
Preface Traditional Chinese medical pharmacy goes back to ancient times. Involving more than just the great contributions to the flourishing and prosperity of the Chinese nation, it represents an important chapter to the annuals of Oriental civilization. lts unique theories and miraculous therapeutic effects have fascinated more and more people in the worid. Included in this book are fifty clinically proved, valuable and world-famous traditional Chinese drugs, of which twentyseven are herbal drugs, twenty are animal drugs and three are other categories. The introduction of each drug is composed of the following eleven parts. 1. Name The narnes of drugs are identical with those in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1985). Three narnes are listed for each drug in the English version: the Chinese pinyin (phonetic alphabet), the English name and the Latin name. 2. Other Chinese Names They are Chinese names cornrnonly and habitually used in clinical practice, or applied in prescriptions. 3. Origin Parts of the medicinal rnaterials, the Latin names and the families they belong to are introduced 4. Distribution lt is the introduction to the rnain producing regions of the orthodox drugs. 5. Characteristics The appearances of drugs are mainly depicted with pictures attached, to rnake them convenient for differentiation. 6. Differentiation Common fakes and the simple differentiation rnethods are introduced 7. Preparation Forms for exhibition (e.g., slice, powder, etc.) are illustrated. 8. Nature, Taste and Channel Tropism The nature, taste and channel tropism of the drugs are explained on the basis of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1985) and on other classical literature and books. 9. Actions and Indications Main actions and indications of the drugs are introduced in a concise way. 10. Administration and Dosage Directions of administration and routine dosage are explained. 11. Caution The contraindications and special remarks are emphasized. The drugs presented in this book, as compared with the rich tradicional Chinese pharmacy, are but a drop in the sea. The purpose of this book is to provide a ladder, or a path, which can lead our readers to the treasure-house of tradicional Chinese medicine (TCM). May tradicional Chinese drugs contribute to the health and longevity of the people in the world. July 26, 1989 Dr. Zhang Enqin Editor-in-Chief of the Book Director of the Advanced Studies Department of Shandong TCM College CONTENTS Chapter One Herbal Drugs.......................................................2 Renshen Ginseng Radíx Ginseng .........2 Sanqi N otoginseng Radix Notoginseng.... 12 Daihuang Rhubarb Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 18 Chuanxiong Chuanxiong Rhizome Rhizoma Chuanxiong ............................ 24 Chuanbeimu Sichuan Fritillary Bu!bus FritiIlariae Bulb Cirrhosae................ 28 Taizishen Pseudostellaria Root Radix Pseudostellariae..49 Tianma Gastrodia Tuber . Rhizoma Gastrodiae.... 36 Wujiapi Acanthopanax Bark Cortex Acanthopanacis..40 Wuweizi Magnolia Vine Fruit Fructus Schisandrae.......44 (Schisandra Fruit) Bajitian Morinda Root Radix Morindae Officinalis.................. 48 Danshen Red Sage Root Radix Salviae

Upload: ratamano

Post on 24-Nov-2015

36 views

Category:

Documents


6 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • Preface

    Traditional Chinese medical pharmacy goes back to ancient times. Involving more than just the great contributions to the flourishing and prosperity of the Chinese nation, it represents an important chapter to the annuals of Oriental civilization. lts unique theories and miraculous therapeutic effects have fascinated more and more people in the worid. Included in this book are fifty clinically proved, valuable and world-famous traditional Chinese drugs, of which twentyseven are herbal drugs, twenty are animal drugs and three are other categories. The introduction of each drug is composed of the following eleven parts.

    1. Name The narnes of drugs are identical with those in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1985). Three narnes are listed for each drug in the English version: the Chinese pinyin (phonetic alphabet), the English name and the Latin name.

    2. Other Chinese Names They are Chinese names cornrnonly and habitually used in clinical practice, or applied in prescriptions.

    3. Origin Parts of the medicinal rnaterials, the Latin names and the families they belong to are introduced 4. Distribution lt is the introduction to the rnain producing regions of the orthodox drugs. 5. Characteristics The appearances of drugs are mainly depicted with pictures attached, to rnake them

    convenient for differentiation. 6. Differentiation Common fakes and the simple differentiation rnethods are introduced 7. Preparation Forms for exhibition (e.g., slice, powder, etc.) are illustrated.

    8. Nature, Taste and Channel Tropism The nature, taste and channel tropism of the drugs are explained on the basis of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (1985) and on other classical literature and books.

    9. Actions and Indications Main actions and indications of the drugs are introduced in a concise way. 10. Administration and Dosage Directions of administration and routine dosage are explained. 11. Caution The contraindications and special remarks are emphasized. The drugs presented in this book, as compared with the rich tradicional Chinese pharmacy, are but a drop in the sea. The

    purpose of this book is to provide a ladder, or a path, which can lead our readers to the treasure-house of tradicional Chinese medicine (TCM).

    May tradicional Chinese drugs contribute to the health and longevity of the people in the world.

    July 26, 1989 Dr. Zhang Enqin Editor-in-Chief of the Book Director of the Advanced Studies Department of Shandong TCM College

    CONTENTS Chapter One Herbal Drugs.......................................................2 Renshen Ginseng Radx Ginseng .........2 Sanqi Notoginseng Radix Notoginseng.... 12 Daihuang Rhubarb Radix et Rhizoma Rhei 18 Chuanxiong Chuanxiong Rhizome Rhizoma Chuanxiong

    ............................ 24 Chuanbeimu Sichuan Fritillary Bu!bus FritiIlariae Bulb Cirrhosae................ 28 Taizishen Pseudostellaria Root Radix Pseudostellariae..49 Tianma Gastrodia Tuber . Rhizoma Gastrodiae.... 36 Wujiapi Acanthopanax Bark Cortex Acanthopanacis..40 Wuweizi Magnolia Vine Fruit Fructus Schisandrae.......44 (Schisandra Fruit) Bajitian Morinda Root Radix Morindae Officinalis.................. 48 Danshen Red Sage Root Radix Salviae

  • Miltiorrhizae.................54 Gancao Licorice Root Radix Glycyrrhizae .............58 Longyanrou Longan Aril Arillus Longan............... 62 Baizhu Bighead Atractylodes Rhizoma Atractylodis Rhizome Macrocephalae..........66 Danggui Chinese Angelica Radix Angelicae Root Sinensis....................70 Duzhong Eucommia Bark Cortex Eucommiae..........76 Lingzhi Lucid Ganoderma Ganoderma Lucidum........82

    Heshouwu Fleece-flower Root Radix Polygoni Multiflori....86

    Yanhusuo Corydalis Tuber Rhizoma Corydalis......90 Jinyinhua Honeysuckle Flower Flos Lonicerae........... 94 Houpo Magnolia Bark Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis...................98 Sharen Amomum Fruit Fructus Amomi ...........102

    Gouqizi Wolfberry Fruit Fructus Lycii............110 Huangqi Astragalus Root Radix Astragali.........112 Huanglian Coptis Root Rhizoma Coptidis ........116 Huangbai Phellodendron Bark Cortex Phellodendri.....122

    Yiner White Jellyfungus Tremella.................. 126 Chapter Two Animal Drugs Mabao Horse Bezoar Caculus Equi . ..........130 Niuhuang Cow Bezoar Calculus Bovis........134 Quanxie Scorpion Scorpio...................140 Guiban Tortoise Plastron Plastrum Testudinis... 142 Hugu Tiger Bone Os Tigris ................... 150 Jineijin Chicken's Gizzardskin Endothelium Corneum

    Gigeriae Galli.............158 Jinqian Multibanded Krait Bungarus Parvus.....160 Baihuashe Zhenzhu Pearl Margarita ................164 Hamayou Forest Frogs Oviductus Ranae........170 Oviduct Chuanshanjia Pangolin Scales Squama Manitis........174 Haigoushen Ursine Seal's Penis Peni et Testes and Testes Gallorhini.................178 Lingyangjiao Antelope's Horn Cornu Saigae Tataricae.............180 Lurong Pilose Antler Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum...............188 Gejie Gecko (Red-spotted Gecko................196 House Lizard) Wugong ........................................................................ Centipede Scolopendra..............202Xiongdan Bear Gall Fel Ursi........................206 Jiangcan Batryticated Bombyx Batryticatus....212 Silkworm Chansu Toad Venom Venenum Bufonis .... 216 Shexiang Musk Moschus.................... 222 Biejia Fresh-water Turtle Carapax Trionycis..........228 Shell Chapter Three Other Kinds of Drugs.................................... 234 Dongchongxiacao Chinese Caterpillar Cordyceps........234

  • Fungus Ejiao Donkey-hide Gelatin Colla Corii Asini... 238 Hupo Amber Succinum.. ................244

    Chapter One

    Herbal Drugs

    Renshen

    Ginseng

    Radix Ginseng

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Bang chui,Ye shan shen, Jilin shen, Hong shen and Ren shen xu ORIGIN

    It is the dried root of Panax ginseng C.A. Mey, Araliaceae. Wild ones are called wild mountain ginseng,, while cultivated ones are called garden ginseng. DISTRIBUTION Wild mountain ginseng are mainly produced in Changbai and other mountains in Jilin Province. Garden ginseng are mainly produced in Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang provinces. CHARACTERISTICS

    l.Garden ginseng: Mainly, there are two kinds: dried raw ginseng and steamed red ginseng. (1) Dried raw ginseng

    The main root is conical or spindle in shape, 6-9 cm in length and 1-2 cm in diameter. The upper part is connected to the thin rhizome which is 2-5.5 cm in length. There are 4-6 convex stalk marks which are arranged in alternate order. Winter sprouts can often be seen beside the convex stalk marks at the top of the rhizome. While at the lower part of the rhizome, there are 2-4 tributary roots and a few thin offroots which are 8-12 cm in length. There are irregular vertical wrinkles and thin cross striations on the surface which is light brown in colour. Cross striations of the main root are thin and close, and the striations form into circles. The tributary roots have few long and transverse lenticels. The dried root is hard in texture, with its cross section being yellowish-white in colour. There are many radial crevices on the root bark, on which some yellowish-brown spots are scattered. The root is peculiarly fragrant in smell, and a little sweet and bitter in taste (See Fig. 1-1).

    (2) Steamed red ginseng It is usually 6-17 cm long in all. The main root is 3-10 cm in length, with its surface being transparent and reddishbrown in colour. Opaque dark brown spots can occasionally be found and vertical furrows, wrinkles and marks of small roots are all over. Annular furrows can be seen in the upper part, while there are 2-3 cross twisted tributary roots in the lower part. There are marks of stalk and 1-2 complete or broken adventitious roots on the rhizome. Steamed red ginseng is hard and fragile in text ure. Its cross section is smooth and cutin-like (See Fig. 1-2).

    2. Dried raw wild mountain ginseng The rnain root is as long as the rhizome or even shorter. lt is usually 2-10 cm in length, lambdoid, rhomboid, or cylindrical in shape. Its surface is greyish-yellow in colour and has vertical furrows. The top of the main root has close and deep annular transverse striations and the lower part often has two tributary roots. Its fibrous roots are Iong, thin, not twisty, and have distinct verrucous processes. The rhizome is long and thin, and has dense stalk marks at the upper part. The adventitious root is relatively thick and date pit-like in shape (See Fig. 1-3). DIFFERENTIATION 1. Wild cowpea (Vigna vexillata (L.) Benth.) Dried root of Vigna vexillata (L.)Benth. assumes the shape of a cylinder or a long spindle and has no or a few tributary roots. It is 10-20 cm in length and 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter. At the top of the root is the mark of herbaceous stalk. It has no rhizome part (while ginseng has). Those roots, the corks of which remain on the surface, are yellowish-brown and with vertical furrows and transverse lenticel-like scars on the surface; while those, the corks of which are removed and the roots steamed or boiled, are greyish-brown and slightly transparent, and have remarkable vertical furrows and very thin fibres stretching out like soft fur. The root is hard in texture, not easy to break. The cross section of the non-steamed or non-boiled root is fibroid and with starch; while that of steamed or boiled ones is cutin-like and with crevices in the

  • centre. It is slightly stinking or sometimes beanstench in smell and light in taste. The bark of the root is orange in colour, and turns into reddish-brown after steamed or boiled. The steamed or boiled root is rather similar to the steamed or boiled red ginseng.

    2. Talinum Paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaerth. Dried root of the Talinum Paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaerth. takes the shape of a cone or a long spindle,

    some have tributary roots, some have none. The root is 7-15 cm in length and 0.7-1.7 cm in diameter. At the top is the remainder of the xylum mark of stalk. The surface of the root, with its corks not removed, is greyish-black and covered with vertical furrows and protruding spot-like traces of fibrous roots. The surface of the root, with its corks removed, root steamed or boiled, is greyish-yellow and translucent. Spot-like root traces and vertical furrows are clearly seen on the surface and longitudinal vascular bundles dimly found inside. The root is hard in nature, not easy to break. The cross section of the raw root is smooth, while that of the steamed or boiled is cutin-like, with a large cavity in the centre. It is slightly stinking in smell and weak in taste, leaving a slight feeling of mucosity in tlle mouth. Peeled and then soaked in boiling water, it turns into reddishbrown, rather similar to red ginseng.

    3.Huashan ginseng (Physochlaina infundibularis Kuang) It refers to the dried root of Physochlaina infundibularis Kuang, traditionally called Reshen (warm ginseng) and Huashan Renshen (Huashan ginseng). lt takes the shape of a cone or a cylinder, with a clear main root and fewer tribuatry roots. Often there is a short rhizome at the top. lt is 10-20 cm in length and 1-3.5 cm in diameter. The surface with corks still remaining, is brown and has transverse light-coloured lenticel-like scars. The area where corks come off is yellowish-white in colour. There are fine transverse annular furrows at the top of the root. The surface of processed Huashan ginseng is yellowish-brown, translucent, with spot-like fibrous root traces and dim longitudinal vascular bundles. It is hard, in texture. Cross section of the processed root is whitish in colour and has radial fissures, while that of the non-processed ones is cutin-like. It is faint in smell, sweet and a little bitter in taste.

    4. Lactuca indica L. lt refers to the dried root of Lactuca indica L. The root assumes the shape of a cone, often with tributary roots branching at the upper area. It is 5-15 cm in length and 0.7-1.7 cm in diameter. Disc-shaped

    sprouts or trace of sprouts are usually found at the top. lts surface is greyish-yellow or greyish-brown in colour, with fine wrinkles and transverse spot-like root traces, while the surface of the steamed and boiled one is yellowish-brown and translucent. lt is hard in texture and easy to break. The cross section is comparatively

    smooth and cambium can be dimly seen, which assumes an irregular annular form. Occasionally, there are radial fissures. It is weak in smell and a little sweet first but bitter then after in taste. Among other counterfeits are dried roots of Phytolacca acinosa Roxb., Mirabilis jalapa L., Hyoscyamus niger L., Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC., Campanumoea javanica Bl. Var. Japonica Makino, etc.

    The main characteristics of the counterfeits are: they have no convex stalk marks in the top area of the root, instead, they have traces of flbrous roots in the upper part. Besides, the root bark is rougher, there are no annular furrows and fragrant smell. The tastes of sweetness and bitterness are different from that of ginseng. PREPARATION

    Dried raw ginseng: remove the stalk and cut into thin slices. Steamed red ginseng: remove the stalk and cut into, thin slices.

    Dried raw wild mountain ginseng: remove the stalk and grind into powder or pieces. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    It is sweet and gently bitter in taste, slightly warm in nature, its therapeutical action is related to the channels of the spleen and lung. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Invigorating the primodial qi.

  • It is used for the symptoms of shortness of breath, mental fatigue, faint and indistinct pulse and prostration due to severe or chronic illnesses, profuse bleeding and excessive vomiting or diarrhea.

    2. Tonifying the spleen and lung. The drug is prescribes for the symptoms of poor appetite, loose stool, magersucht and lassitude due to

    deficiency of the spleen-qi, dyspnea and spontaneous perspiration due to deficiency of the lung and kidney. 3. Promoting the production of body fluid to quench thirst.

    It is used for the treatment of thirst due to impairment of body fluid and diabetes. 4. Tranquilizing the mind and invigorating wisdom. It is used for the treatment of insomnia, amnesia, palpitation or severe palpitation due to

    deficiency of the heart-qi ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    5-10 grams of ginseng are decocted solitarily with slow fire. Decoctions of ginseng and other medicinal substances are usually mixed together for internar use; or, 1-2 grams of powder are taken orally, 2-3 times each day. To treat patients with prostration, the dosage may increase to 15-30 grams for decoction, which is to he taken in several separate doses.

    CAUTION Those with sufficient vital-qi, excess syndrorne and heat syndrome are contraindicated. Black false hellebore, faeces trogopterorum or Chinese honey locust should be avoided to be used together with ginseng. Ginseng efficacy may be reduced if one continues to drink tea or have radish during the period of ginseng administration.

    Sanqi

    Notoginseng

    Radix Notoginseng

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES Jin bu huan, Shen san qi and Han san qi ORIGIN It is the dried root of Panax notoginseng (Burk.) F. H. Chen, Araliaceae. DISTRIBUTION Great quantities are brought from Yunnan Province. Artificial cultivation is the main source of the medicine at present. CHARACTERISTICS The main root is 1-6 cm long and 1-4 cm in diameter, taking the shape somewhat like a spindle or a circular cone.

    There is a stem trace on the top of the root surrounded by tumour-like projections, and circular marks of the broken branch roots can be seen on its sides. The surface of the root is bright and greyish-brown tinged with green, with horizontal lenticels, unconnected longitudinal wrinkles and some remaining greyish-yellow corks. The root is firm in texture, its bark often gets apart from its xylem if it is smashed. The cross section looks greyish-green, yellowish-green or greyish-white. The colour of the xylem in the centre is darker and cutin-like with radial grains. The root tastes a little bitter at first and turns sweet afterwards (See Fig. 2). DIFFERENTIATION

    1.Dried rhizome of Curcuma wenchowensis Liao Yao Mss., Zingiberaceae. lt is often artificially prepared by a process of carving, taking the shape of an ellipse, a circular cone or

    a spindle. lt is yellowish-brown in colour, 3-6 cm long and 2-3 cm in diameter. There are no stem marks on its top; the artificially carved wrinkles and tumour-like projections make it right the true notoginseng in

  • appearance. Its body is heavy and firm, the cross section looks dark brown or yellowish-green and waxy. It smells somewhat pungent and tastes slightly bitter and acrid.

    2. Dried tuberous root of Tacca plantaginea (Hance) Prenth., Taccaceae. Also named shui tian qi, it is 2-4 cm in length and 1-1.5 cm in diameter, looking quasi-spheroidal or

    elliptical and somewhat curved. Its surface is greyish-brown, with tough wrinkles and small-sized dotted projections showing traces of the fibrous roots. On its top, there are usually remaining leaf beds. The root gives out very little smell and tastes bitter.

    3. Dried rhizome of Panax japonicus C.A. Mey, Araliaceae. lt is also called zhu gen qi, with a length of 5-22 cm and a diameter of 0.8-2.5 cm. The rhizome takes

    the shape or a slightly curved oblate cylinder, resembling a bamboo shoot with segments. Its surface is rough, greyish-brown or yellowish-brown in colour, and with close dense joints, the space between which is 0-8-2 cm. Above each joint there is a round stalk trace that deeply caves in. lt is hard and brittle in texture and easy to be broken. The cross section is relatively smooth, with a colour of yellowish-white or light yellow. Also can be seen from the cross section a number of dotted light yellow marks of the fibrovascular bundle in circular arrangement. The rhizome smells faintly aromatic and tastes bitter and a little sweet. PREPARATION

    Notoginseng powder. It is the fine powder prepared through a process of cleaning, drying and grinding of the crude root. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    It is sweet and slightly bitter in taste and warm in nature. lts therapeutic action is related to the channels of the liver and stomach. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Arresting bleeding and removing blood stasis. The root is effective for various kinds of internal and external hemorrhage. With its virtue in arresting

    bleeding while removing blood stasis, it is especially suitable for patients with both bleeding and blood stasis.

    2. Relieving swelling and pains. It is often prescribed to treat traumatism, pain caused by ecchymoma, and carbuncle, swelling and

    other skin and external diseases. The root can also be exhibited for coronary heart diseases, angina pectoris and bites of venomous

    snakes. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    It is commonly adrninistered 3-10 grams daily, preferably in form of powder or pills. When it is exhibited as an ingredient of a recipe, it is better to be ground and swallowed along wth the decoction of other ingredients, 1-3 grams daily. Take optimum amount when applied externally.

    CAUTION For pateints suffering from deficiency of yin with dry mouth due to hemorrhage, it should be used in

    combination with drugs that can nourish yin and can remove heat from the blood.

    Daihuang

    Rhubarb

    Radix et Rhizoma Rhei

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Jiang jun, Jiu jun, Shu jun, Chuan jun, Sheng dai huang, Jiu dai huang, Shu dai huang and Dai huang tan. ORIGIN

  • It is the dried root and rhizome of Rheum palmatum L., Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Reg. or Rheum officinale Baill, Polygonaceae. DISTRIBUTION

    Rheum palmatum L. is rnainly produced in Qinghai. Rheum tanguticum Maxim. ex Balf is mainly produced in Gansu. Rheum Officinale Baill. is mainly produced in Sichuan. CHARACTERISTICS

    It assumes the shape of a cylinder, a cone, an ellipse or an irregular lump, 3-17 cm in length, and 3-10 cm in diameter. After the periderm is removed, the surface is yellowish-brown or reddish-brown, with whitish retcular veins and asteroid dots scattered. The periderm is brown in colour, with restiform holes,and coarse furrows. It is hard in texture, occasionally, the centre is soft and loose in some. The cross section is light reddish-brown or yellowish-brown in colour and granular in outlook. Pith of the rhizome is broader; with asteroid dots annulary arranged or scattered. The xylem of the root is well-developed, with radial veins and evident stratiform annulations and with no asteria. lt is fragrant in smell, bitter and slightly puckery in taste. It sticks to the teeth and gives a sensation of sand grain when being chewed (See Fig. 3). DIFFERENTIATION

    Among the main counterfeits of rhubarb are those of Sect. Rheum. They are dried root and rhizome of Rheum franzenbachii Milnt, dried root and rhizome of Rheum hotaoense C. Y. Cheng et C. T. Kao, dried root and rhizome of Rheum wittrochii Lundstr and dried rhizome of Rheum emodi Wall. Their rnain characteristics are as follows:

    l. They are usually cylinder-like or cone-like in shape, some are artificially cut vertically and transversely into irregular strips and lumps. Generally, these counterfeits are 4-8 cm in length, and 1-4 cm in diameter. The outer skin is brown and most of which has been removed. The surface is yellowish-brown in colour. The cross section is orange red or yellowish-brown in colour. The xylem is broader and radiation veins are fine and close. There are no asteria (different natured vascular bundles) in the cross section of the rhizome. The smell is not delicately fragrant but turbid. The taste is first puckery and then bitter.

    2. Make some drops of rhubarb extract on a sheet of filter paper, dilute the extract with thin alcohol and observe under an ultraviolet lamp. The genuine rhubarb extract gives brown or reddish-brown fluorescent rings and that of the counterfeits gives a blueish purple fluorescence.

    Among other counterfeits are dried root and rhizome of Rumex obtusifolius L., Rumex chalepensis Mill and dried root of Rumex japonicus Houtt. PREPARATION

    Raw rhubarb Clean, cut into thick slices or lumps and d ry.

    Liquor-moistened rhubarb Moisten the raw rhubarb slices with liquor and thenroast. Liquor-stewed rhubarb Put liquor and raw rhubarb slices in a container and put the container in a bigger container in which proper amount of water is poured, heat the bigger container. Roasted rhubarb Stir the raw rhubarb slices while it is roasted, cool it down when it becomes black outside and dark brown inside. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    lt is bitter in taste and cold in nature. lts therapeutical action is related to the channels of the spleen, stomach, large intestine, liver and pericardium. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS l. Purging away pathogenic heat and relaxing the bowls. It is used for the treatment of constipation due to heat of excess type, abdominal pain due to indigestion, uncomfortableness due to diarrhoea and dysentery. 2. Removing pathogenic heat from the blood and toxic material from the body.

  • It is used for the treatment of hematemesis and epistaxis due to blood-heat, and conjuntival congestion, pharyngodynia, gingival swelling and pain and other symptoms caused by pathogenic fire in the upper part of the body. It is also prescribed for the treatment of skin and external diseases due to noxious heat as well as burn, acute appendicitis and abdominal pains. 3. Removing blood stasis and restoring menstrual flow.

    The drug is used for the treatment of amenorrhea due to blood stasis and traumatic injuries.Besides, it can also be used to treat hemorrhage of the upper digestive tract, jaundice and stranguria.

    Raw rhubarb has stronger efficacy n relieving constipation by purgation. Liquor-moistened rhubarb is less stronger but efficacious in clearing away heat of excess type in the upper-jiao. Liquor-stewed rhubarb has a mild laxative effect. lt can reduce some side effects such as abdominal pain and increases its function in promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis. Roasted rhubarb has a very weak laxative effect and is effective in arresting bleeding. Therefore it can be applied to treat hemafecia with accumulation in the large intestine. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    For internal use, 3-30 grams each day. Do not decoct too long if used for purgation. For external use, make proper amount of powder into paste and then apply the paste to the affected area. CAUTION Women in pregnancy, during menstrual and lactation periods should not use it, or use it with care.

    Chuanxiong

    Chuanxi ong Rhizome Rhizoma Chuanxiong

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Xiong qiong and Fu xiong ORIGIN Medicinal chuanxiong rhizome is the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., Umbelliferae. DISTRIBUTION It is mainly produced in Sichuan Province and also seen in Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi and Hubei provinces. Most of them are cultivated. CHARACTERISTICS

    Chuanxiong rhizome is an irregularly tuberous lump like a fist, and 2-7 cm in diameter. lts surface is yellowish-brown in color, coarse and wrinkly, and has many parallel bulgy, wheel-like nodes. There is a circular concave stem trace at its top, and there are many root traces at its lower end. lt is hard in texture and not easy to break, The cross section is yellowish-white or pale yellow in color, and has many little yellowish-brown oil dots scattered about. lt has a strong specific fragrance and a pungent and bitter taste. When chewed, it produces a slightly tingling sensation in the mouth first and a sweet sensation thereafter (See ]Fig. 4). PREPARATION

    Raw chuanxiong rhizome is cleaned, moistened, sliced and dried. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    It is pungent in taste and warm in nature. lts therapeutical action is related to the channels of the liver, gallbladder and pericardium. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    1. Promoting blood and qi circulation. It is usually prescribed for patients with irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, retention of

    placenta, dystocia, etc. The drug serves as one of the key medicinal herbs in the treatment of woman diseases. However, it can not be used for long. It is also prescribed for patients with stagnant swelling

  • caused by injury, hypochondriac pain due to depressed qi, carbuncles and boil. In recent years, it is applied to the treatment of coronary heart disease and angina pectoris.

    2. Dispelling pathogenic wind and relieving pain. The herb is often prescribed for patients with headache, body pain and arthritis. This is a nice medicine for headache and usualy used together with other materia medica to treat headache, migraine and overall headache caused by pathogenic wind and cold, or headache due to pathogenic wind-heat. lt is also applied in the treatment of arthralgia due to wind-cold dampness, muscular constricture and pain of the limbs. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE 3-9 grams of the herb are decocted in water for oral use, take one dose daily. CAUTION

    lt is contraindicated in patients with menorrhagia and headache caused by excessive fire due to yin deficiency.

    Chuanbeimu

    Sichuan Fritillary Bulb

    Bulbus Fritillariae Cirrhosae OTHER CHINESE NAMES Jian bei and Chuan bei ORIGIN

    Medicinal Sichuan fritillary bulbs are the dried bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don., Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K.C. Hsia, Fritillaria przewalskii Maxim. and Fritillaria delavayi Franch, Liliaceae. The bulbs of the above-mentioned first three are called "Songbei" or "Qingbei". And the last one is called "Lubei". DISTRIBUTION

    Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don. is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region. Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K. C. Hsia is mainly produced in Sichuan Province. Fritillaria przewalskii Maxim. is mainly produced in Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces. Fritillaria delavayi Franch. is mainly produced in Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region. CHARACTERISTICS

    The shapes of the tendril-leaved fritillary bulbs vary with their distribution (See Fig. 5). Songbei lt is conical or spherical in shape. The base of the bulb is wde and the top is thin and sharp, wth a

    diameter of 3-9 mm. Its outside layer consists of two scale leaves, which are different in size and closed up at the top. There are also one or two little scale leaves inside. The outside scale leaves, rolling inward, are obtuse or slightly sharp at the top and flat or wide in the base. The surface of the leaves is smooth, white in color and powdery in outlook. It is hard but brittle in texture and the cross section is white in color. It is faint in odor and slightly bitter in taste. Qingbei It is oblate or conical in shape, larger than Songbei, 0.4-1.4 cm in length and 0.4-1.6 cm in diameter. The outside two scale leaves are similar in size, concave and closed side to side, with an even opening at the top. Lubei

  • It is a prolonged circular cone, 0.7-2.5 cm in length and 0-5-2.5 cm in diameter, with some yellowish-brown stains on the surface. The outside two scale leaves are similar in size, closed side to side, forming an uneven opening at the top of the cone. DIFFERENTIATION Dried bulbs of Tulipa edulis Baker and Iphigenia indica Kunth. et Benth., or dried tuber of Bolbostemma paniculatum (Maxim.) Feang. are the common fakes. The bulb of Iphigenia indica Kunth., et Benth., has severe toxicity, while the bulb of Tulipa edulis Baker has weak toxicity. The efficacy of Bolbostemma paniculatum (Maxim.) Feang. differs from the genuine Sichuan fritillary bulb. So, it is utterly harmful that these fakes are used as genuine medicine.

    The appearances of these fakes evidently differ from the real medicine. The chief difference is that these fakes do not divide, while the genuine Sichuan fritillary bulbs (Songbei, Qingbei and Lubei) split into two parts. PREPARATION Sichuan fritillary bulb is rid of the fibrous roots and coarse skins, and dried. Pound it upon use. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    It is bitter and sweet in taste and slightly cold in nature. Its therapeutical action is related to the channels of the lung and heart. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS l. Clearing away heat and moistening the lung; relieving cough and reducing sputum. lt is mainly used in the treatment of cough due to heatphlegm, irritating dry cough due to retention of pathogenic heat in the lung, dry cough without phlegm, cough due to yin deficiency and phlegm with blood. 2. Clearing away heat and resolving mass.

    It is used in the treatment of scrofula and subcutaneous nodule and acute mastitis in the inicial stage. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    3-9 grams of the medicine are decocted, take the decoction daily. If the powder is prescribed, 1-2 grams are taken each time. CAUTION

    lt is contraindicated in patients with productive cough due to cold-dampness. Besides, it can not be used together with Radix Aconiti.

    Taizishen Pseudostellaria Root

    Radix Pseudostellariae

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Hai er shen and Tong shen ORIGIN lt is the dried tubrous root of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax ex Pax et

    Hoffm.,Caryophyllaceae. DISTRIBUTION It is mainly produced in the east, the middle, the north and the northwest of China. CHARACTERISTICS Pseudostellaria root takes the shape of a long and thin spindle or a long and thin stick, slightly curved, with a length of 3-10 cm and a diameter of 0.2-0.6 cm. Stalk marks can be seen on the top. The surface of the root is yellowish-white and fairly smooth, with negligible longitudinal wrinkles and traces of fibrous roots at the concavities. The root is hard and crisp in texture. The cross section is even and cutin-like, light yellowish-white in colour; or looks powdery, whitish in colour. The medicine has a faint smell and a slightly sweet taste (See Fig. 6). DIFFERENTIATION

  • l. Dried tuberous root of Melandrium tatarinowii (Regel.)Y.W. Tsui var. albifforum (Franch.) Z. Cheng, Caryophyllaceae.

    The root takes the shape similar to that of pseudostellaria root, the main difference lies in that the former has several warty projected bud bases on its top. On the surface, there are apparent longitudinal wrinkles or corrugations and black horizontal dents in which there are projected traces of fine roots. The medicine tastes slightly sweet and bitter. 2. Dried tuberous root of Disporum sessile D. Don., Liliaceae. The plant has a cluster of roots growing together. A single root is shaped similar to pseudostellaria root and the main difference is that there are knotty stalk bases on the top. lts surface is greyish-yellow with fine and dense longitudinal wrinkles. On the cross section, a thin yellowish-white wooden core can be seen. PREPARATION Pseudostellaria root: The crude root is carefully cleaned and dried NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM The medicine is sweet and slightly bitter in taste and neutral in nature. Its therapeutic action is related to the channels of the spleen and lung. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS Replenishing qi to invigorate the spleen and promoting the production of body fluid and nourishing the lung, it is used for fatigue and poor appetite due to hypofunction of the spleen, asthenia, spontaneous perspiration and thirst caused by insufficiency of qi and yin during convalescence, and unproductive cough due to dryness of the lung. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE To be decoted for oral use, 9-30 grams daily. CAUTION Because the tonifying efficacy of the medicine is relatively slow-acting, large dosage and persistent administration are needed to achieve marked effectiveness, and because of its tendency to tonify and nourish yin and qi, it is better to be used in patients with qi deficiency accompanied by insufficiency of yin fluid.

    Tianma Gastrodia Tuber

    Rhizoma Gastrodiae

    OTHER CHINESE NAME Ming tian ma

    ORIGIN It is the dried rhizome of Gastrodia elata Bl., Orchidaceae.

    DISTRIBUTION It is rnainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Other producing regions include

    North-east China and North China. CHARACTERISTICS

    lt is long and elliptical in shape, shrunk, crooked and slightly flat, usually 3-15 cm in length, 1.5-6 cm in width and 0.5-2 cm in thickness. At one end of the tuber, there is a reddish-brown withered bud or a remaining stem. At the other end of the tuber, there is an umbilcate scar. Gastrodia tuber is usually peeled, the surface of the drug is yellowish-white or yellowish-brown in color and has longitudinal wrinkles and some spotted segmental annulations. It is hard and semitransparent, and not easy to be broken. lts cross section is smooth, cutin-like and has rosin-like lustre. Sometimes, it is hollow in some. It is peculiar in odour, sweet and slightly pungent in taste (See Fig. 7). DIFFERENTIATION The common fakes of gastrodia tuber are the roots of Mirabilis jalapa L. and Dahlia pinnata Cav., or the tuber of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Generally, these fakes are also spindlelike and slightly

  • crooked in shape, however, they have no spotted segmentar annulations and longitudinal wrinkles on the surface. In addition, the cross section has no resin-like lustre. PREPARATION Get rid of the fibrous roots and peel the raw gastrodia tuber, then steep it in hot water or steam it till it becomes soft, cut it into slices and dry them. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM It is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. lts therapeutic action is related to the liver channel. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS l. Calming the endopathic wind and relieving convulsion and spasm. lt is prescribes for patients with symptoms caused by up-stirring of liver-wind marked by convulsion. lt is commonly used, in compatibility with other materia medica, to treat patients with the above-mentioned symptoms, no matter they are caused by syndromes of cold type or heat type. 2. Calming the liver and suppressing liver-yang. This medicine is used in the treatment of such symptoms as vertigo and headache caused by the hyperactivity of liver-yang. It can also be used in the treatment of vertigo due to the up-stirring of the wind-phlegm syndrome. 3. Rernoving obstruction in the channels to relieve pain. It is applied in the treatment of arthralgia due to the wind, cold and dampness, or in the treatment of lassitude and insensibleness of the limbs caused by deficiency of the liver and kidney. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    Be decocted for oral use, 3-9 grams daily. If the powder is administered, 1-1.5 grams each time. CAUTION

    Care should be taken when prescribing for patients with deficiency of yin.

    Wujiapi

    Acanthopanax Bark Cortex Acanthopanacis

    OTHER CHINESE NAME Nan wu jia pi

    ORIGIN lt is the dried bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus W.W Smith, Araliaceae.

    DISTRIBUTION lt is mainly produced in Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Anhui, Zhejiang and Hebei provinces.

    CHARACTERISTICS The bark takes the shape of an irregular reel, 5-15 cm long, about 0.2 cm thick and 0.4-1.4 cm in

    diameter. The outer surface is greyish-brown with slightly twisted longitudinal wrinkles and horizontal lenticels. The inner surface is light yellow or greyish-yellow with fine longitudinal grains. lt is light in weight, brittle in texture and is easy to be broken. The cross section looks uneven, greyish-white in colour. The drug smells a bit fragrant and tastes bitter and a bit hot (See Fig. 8). DIFFERENTIATION Confusions about medicinal acanthopanax bark are commonly seen. Besides genuine products, root-barks or stalkbarks of some plants belonging to the same genus may be passed off as acanthopanax bark in administration. In most parts of North China, dried root bark of Periploca sepium Bunge., Asclepiadaceae is applied for medical purposes by the name of xiang jia pi or North wu jia pi. Actually, it is taken as a separate herbal medicine by the name of xiang jia qi (Chinese silkvine root bark, Cortex periplocae Radicis) in "Chinese Pharmacopeia, 1985 ed." Prolonged and excessive administration of this medicine may result in drug poisoning. However it is effective for edema caused by heart diseases

  • and has a cardiotonic action, and can be used differentially. There are several aspects characterizing Chinese silkvine root bark, as are described as follows.

    It is in the shape of a trough (some are in irregular pieces), 3-10 cm in length, 0.2-0.4 cm in thickness and 1-2 cm in diameter. The outer surface is greyish-brown or yellowish-brown, with soft corks, commonly looking scaly and easy to be taken off; the inner surface is light yellow or light yellowish-brown and relatively smooth, with fine longitudinal grains. It is light in weight, brittle in texture and casy to be broken. The cross section looks uneven and yellowish-white in colour. The bark possesses a peculiar fragrance but tastes bitter. PREPARATION

    The rude barks are cleaned, sliced into thick pieces and dried. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM It is acrid and bitter in taste, warm in nature and therapeutically related to the channels of the liver and kidney. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    With the functions of dispelling wind and dampness and strengthening the bones and muscles, it is administered in such condition as numbness and pains due to pathogenic wind dampness, muscular constructure of the extremities, lassitude in the loins and knees, retardation of walking in children, general weakness and fatigue, edema and beriberi. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    To be decocted for oral use, 4.5-9 grams daily. lt can also be taken in form of liquor infusion. CAUTION

    Acanthopanax bark is contraindicated in patients with hyperactivity of fire due to yin deficiency.

    Wuweizi Magnolia Vine Fruit (Schisandra Fruit)

    Fructus Schisandrae

    OTHER CHINESE NAME Bei wu wei zi

    ORIGIN Medicinal magnolia vine fruit is the mature fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. or

    Schisandra sphenanthera Rehd. et Wils., Magnoliaceae. Habitually, the former is called "Beiwuweizi" (northern magnolia vine fruit) and the latter is called "Nanwuweizi" (southern magnolia vine fruit). DISTRIBUTION

    Beiwuweizi is mainly produced in Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Hebei provinces. Nanwuweizi is mainly produced in Hubei, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces. CHARACTERISTICS

    Beiwuweizi lt is irregularly round or oblate in shape and 5-8 mm in diameter. The surface of the fruit is red or dark

    red in color, wrinkly and glossy, and the pulp is very soft, faint in smell and sour in taste. There are one or two yellowish-brown kidney-shaped seeds which, after pounded, are slightly fragrant in odor, pungent and faintly bitter in taste.

    Nanwuweizi lt is smaller in size, thinner in pulp and reddish-brown or dark brown in surface, having no lustre (See

    Fig. 9). PREPARATION

    Raw magnolia vine frit Get rid of the impurities and dry. Vinegared m,agnolia vine fruit

    Raw magnolia vine fruits are steamed with vinegar and dried thereafter.

  • NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM It is sour and sweet in taste and warm in nature. Its therapeutic action is related to the channels of the lung, heart and kidney. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    1. Astringing the lung and nourishing the kidney. It is usually prescribed for patients with persistent cough and asthma of insufficiency type. 2. Astringing seminal emission and diarrhea. lt is used in the treatment of spermatorrhoea, protracted diarrhea, enuresis and frequent micturition. lt is also prescribed for patients with diarrhea before dawn due to cold of insufficiency type of the spleen and kidney.

    3. Producing the body fluid and arresting sweating. It is used in the treatment of spontaneous perspiration, night sweat, thirst due to impairment of body

    fluid, palpitation and insomnia. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    Generally, 3-9 grams of the fruits are decocted, take the decoction daily. Pound them upon decocting. lf it is used in the treatment of astringing the lung and relieving cough, the dosage may be less (1.5-3 grams), and if it is applied for the purpose of nourishing or supplementing yin, the dosage may be larger (6-9 grams). CAUTION

    lt should be used with care for patients with pathogenic factors attacking the exterior of the body or with heat of excess type.

    Bajitian Morinda Root

    Radix Morindae Officinalis

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES Ba ji and Ba ji rou

    ORIGIN Medicinal morinda root is the dried root of Morinda officinalis How, Rubiaceae.

    DISTRIBUTION It is mainly produced in Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian.

    CHARACTERISTICS Medicinal morinda root is cylinder-shaped (with oblate circumference of the section) and slightly

    curved. They are different in size. The diameter of the root is usually 0.5-2 cm. The surface, with vertical wrinkles and transverse crackles, is yellowish-grey or dark grey. In some roots, the bark is transversely cracked and the xylem is exposed. The bark is thicker, violet or light violet in colour, and easy to separate from the xylem. The xylem, with a diameter of 1-5 mm, is hard and yellowish-brown or whitish-yellow in colour. Morinda root is odorless, sweet and slightly puckery in taste (See Fig. 10).

    DIFFERENTIATION l. Dried root or root bark of Morinda umbellata L., Rubiaceae.

    The dried root of Morinda umbellata L. is cylinder-shaped, slightly curved, and different in size. The diameter of the root is usually 5-15 mm. The surface is usually yellowish-grey or greyish-brown, with a little violet redness in some. Still in some roots, the bark is cracked and the xylem is exposed, however, the root does not look pearl-chain shaped. It looks rough and has many vertical wrinkles or transverse lines on the surface. The bark is thinner (usually 1-4 mm), yellowish-grey, yellowish-brown or greyish-violet in colour, and rather easy to separate from the xylem. The xylem is thicker (3-9 mm in diameter), radiation-shaped in the transverse section, and yellowish-brown in colour. The dried root is hard and tough, odorless, and slightly sweet in taste.

  • 2. Dried root or root bark of Morinda shuanghuaensis C.Y. Chen et M. S. Huang, Rubiaceae. The root, shorter or longer, is cylinder-shaped (5-25 mm in diameter) and slightly curved. The surface,

    covered with vertical wrinkles and transverse crackles, is rough, greyish-brown or dark brown in colour, The bark is cracked and the xylem is exposed in some roots but the whole root presents no pearl-chain shape. The bark, brown or violet-brown, is thinner (1-2 mm thick in transverse sectiori) and generally easy to separate from the xylem. The xylem, with radiation in the transverse section, is thicker (4-14 mm), hard and tough. The dried root is odorless and a little sweet in taste. There are roots of other plants, e.g., Schisandra propinqua (Wall.) Baill. var. sinensis Oliv. and Damnacanthus officinarum Huang, (Rubiaceae.) which are the fakes for morinda root. Generally speaking, the colour of the surface, ratio of the bark to the xylem, extent of bark breakage and grains of xylem are the main indexes to differentiate the false froim the genuine. Sometimes, microscope is needed in differentiation. PREPARATION 1.Morinda root: Raw morinda root is deprived of impurities and dried. 2.Morinda root bark: Raw morinda root is cleaned, steamed and deprived of xylems when it is still hot. Cut it into segments and dry them. 3.Salted morinda root: Cleaned morinda root is moistened with salt water, steamed, deprived of xylems when it is still hot. Cut it into segments and dry them. 4.Licoriced morinda root: licorice root (Gtyyrrhiza) is ground and then decocted. Cleaned morinda root is moistened with the decoction of licorice roots, steamed, deprived of xylems when it is still hot. Cut into segments and dry them. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    Morinda root is sweet in taste, pungent in flavour and slightly warm in nature. Its therapeutic action is related to the channels of the kidney and liver. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Reinforcing the kidney and supporting yang. It is effective in the treatment of impotence, frequent micturition, sterility due to coldness in the uterus,

    irregular menstruation, cold and pain in the lower abdomen, etc. 2. Expelling wind and removing dampness.

    It is effective in the treatment of lumbago , leg pain and lassitude. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    To be decocted for oral use, 3-9 grams a day. CAUTION

    Morinda root is contraindicated in patients with dryness of mouth and tongue, dribbling urination and constipation caused by hyperactivity of fire due to yin deficiency.

    Danshen Red Sage Root

    Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES Zi dan shen and Xue dan shen

    ORIGIN The drug is the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., Labiatae. DISTRIBUTION

    It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hebei and Shandong provinces. CHARACTERISTICS

  • Red sage root is short and thick, and in some, stalk bases can be seen on the top. The plant Salvia miltiorrhiza has several roots that are in the shape of a slightly curved long cylinder, and some of which have branches and fine fibrous roots. The root is 10-20 cm in length and 0.3-1 cm in diameter. Its surface is rough, brownish-red or dark brownish-red in colour with longitudinal wrinkles. The outer skin of the maternal root is loose, usually purple brown, with scales easy to be stripped. The root is hard and fragile. Its cross section is loose with fissures or looks smooth and dense; the bark looks brownish-red, the xylem greyish-yellow or purple brown and the fibrovascular bundle, yellowish-white in radial arrangement. The root has a faint smell and a slight bitter and puckery taste. The artificially cultivated red sage root is thicker, 0.5-1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is reddish-brown with longitudinal wrinkles; the phloem clings tightly and is not easy to be flayed. lt is solid in texture. The cross section looks comparatively even and a little cutin-like (See Fig. 11). PREPARATION Red Sage Root: The crude root is cleaned and cut into thick slices before dried.

    Liquored Red Sage Root: Slices of red sage root are moistened with liquor and cauterized thereafter. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM Red sage root is bitter in taste and slightly cold in nature. The therapeutic action is related to the channels of the heart and liver. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis. It is used to cure stasis due to blood-heat, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, mass in the abdomen, postpartum lochiorrhea and other syndromes. lt can also be administered for treatment of angina pectoris in coronary heart disease, hypochondriac pain due to stagnation of the liver-qi, and stomachache due to blood stasis and sluggish flow of qi.

    2. Relieving restlessness and tranquilizing the mind. The drug is used to cure impairment of ying (the vessels in which blood and qi are lodged) during the

    course of febrile diseases, vexation and insomnia. Liquor infusion of red sage root taken before retiring to bed can cure neurasthenia.

    3. Subduing swelling and relieving pain. It is used to subdue swelling and relieve pain in carbuncles, sores and other skin and external diseases,

    swelling and pain of the joints and muscles due to arthritis of heat type, etc. The drug can be administered for the treatment of thromboangiitis obliterans and hypertension.

    ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE To be decocted for oral use, 9-15 grams daily. The dosage can be increased to 30-60 grams for

    patients with angiitis and arthritis of heat type. CAUTION Red sage root is not suitable for patients with only deficiency but no stasis, or with deficiency accompanied by cold, or with tendency to bleed.

    It should not be administered together with black false hellebore.

    Gancao Licorice Root

    Radix Glycyrrhizae OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Guo lao, Sheng gan cao, Mi gan cao and Zhi gan cao ORIGIN lt is the dried root and rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat. or Glycyrrhiza glabra L.,Leguminosae. DISTRIBUTION

    lt is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia and Gansu. Shaanxi, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Qinghai and Xinjiang are secondary to the main producing provinces.

  • CHARACTERISTICS Licorice root is cylinder-shaped, 25-100 cm in length and 0.6-3.5 cm in diameter. The root periphloem

    varies in tightness. Root surface is reddish-brown or greyish-brown and covered with marked vertical wrinkles, furrows, lenticels and sparse rootlet traces. The cross section of the root reveals itself to be slightly fibroid, yellowish-white in colour, powdery, clear in stratiform annules and radialized cracks are found in some. The rhizome is cylinder-shaped, with bud traces on the surface and with a pith in the centre of the cross section. lt is weak in smell and peculiarly sweet in taste (See Fig. 12). PREPARATION

    Sliced Licorice Root The root is cleaned, cut into thick slices and dried.

    Honeyed Licorice Root The dried slices are stirred and roasted while honey is added. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM It is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Its therapeutic action is related to the channels of the heart, lung, spleen and stomach.a ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    1. Tonifying the spleen and moistening the lung. It is efficacious in the treatment of syndromes due to deficiency of qi in the spleen and stomach and cough with dyspnea.

    2. Supplementing qi and restoring pulse. It is prescribed to treat insufficiency of blood and deficiency of qi, manifested as spontaneous sweating, palpitation, and knotted and intermittent pulses. 3. Relieving spasm and pain. It is applied in the treatment of stomachache, abdominal pain and spasm and pain of muscles.

    4. Clearing away heat and toxic substances.It is often used to treat pyogenic infections, e.g. carbuncles, deep-rooted carbuncles, furuncles, multiple abscesses, scrofula, ulcer, sore thorat, etc. It is also efficacious in the treatment of pesticides poisoning and food poisoning. 5. Coordinating the actions of various ingredients in a prescription. In a prescription, many medicinal matters are mixed together. Radix Glycyrrhizae has the function of reducing or relieving deviation or toxicity of other medicinal matters in a prescription.

    Raw Radix Glycyrrhizae has stronger actions in purging intense heat, detoxicating, moistening the lung and relieving cough. And it is often prescribed in the treatment of sore throat, food poisoning and in relieving poisonous action of any drug. Honeyed Radix Glycyrrlizae is sweet in taste and warm in nature, and has a better action in

    supplementing qi and relieving spasm and pain. lt is often used in the treatment of anorexia, abdominal pain and loose stool due to weakess of the spleen and stomach, fever caused by overexertion and fatigue, cough due to consumptive lung diseases, palpitation and intermittent pulse, epilepsy induced by terror and spasm of muscles.

    ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    1.5-9 grams are decocted, take the decoction daily. CAUTION

    lt is usually not prescribed for patients with retention of dampness manifested as fullness sensation in the chest and vomiting. Long-time administration or overdosage may result in side effects, e.g. edema and hypertention. The symptoms of side effects may disappear gradually after the drug withdrawal.

    It is imcompatible with Radix Euphorbiae Pekinensis, Radix Knoxiae, Flose Genkwa, Radix Euphorbiae Kansui and sargassum, do not prescribe these drugs together.

  • Longyanrou Longan Aril

    Arillus Longan OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Gui yuan rou and Yuan rou ORIGIN

    lt is the dried pseudo-carp of Euphoria longan (Lour.) Steud., Sapindaceae. DISTRIBUTION

    lt is mainly produced in Fujian, Guangdong, Sichuan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    CHARACTERISTICS The drug is in form of longitudinally ruptured irregular pieces, and often, several pieces adhere each

    other. A single piece is about 1.5 cm long, 2-4 cm wide and 0.1 cm thick. It is semitransparent, brown in colour. One side of it is rugose and uneven while the other side is bright with fine longitudinal creases. The aril is supple and moist in texture and gives out a faintly aromatic smell and sweet taste (See Fig. 13). PREPARATION The crude aril is cleaned. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    The aril is sweet in taste and warm in nature. lts therapeutic action is related to the channels of the heart and spleen. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    Having the efficacy of tonifying the heart and spleen and nourishing the blood to calm the mind, longan aril is an effective tonic usually administered for insufficiency of qi and blood due to impairment of the heart and spleen resulting from overstrain, manifested as palpitation, amnesia and insomnia. Applied individually, it can be decocted or steeped in hot water to be taken orally to cure deficiency of qi and blood in the old and the weak during their convalescence. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    Longan aril is administered 10-15 grams daily, or in a larger dosage, 30 grams. It can be prepared into decoction, fluid extract, liquor infusion or pills. CAUTION

    Longan aril is contraindicated in patients with abdominal distention due to retention of dampness or retention of fluid, phlegm or fire.

    Baizhu

    Bighead Atractylodes Rhizome Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Yu zhu, Dong zhu, Chao bai zhu, Jiao bai zhu and Tu bai zhu

    ORIGIN lt is the dried root and rhizome of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz., Compositae.

    DISTRIBUTION lt is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces.

    CHARACTERISTICS Dried rhizome of bighead atractylodes is an irregular-shaped pumpy mass that is usually 3-13 cm in

    length and 1.5-7 cm in diameter. lts surface looks greyish-yellow or greyish-brown with tuberculate processes and disjointed longitudinal wrinkles and grooves. There are traces of fibrous roots and residual

  • stalk radicals and buds on its top. It is hard in texture and not easy to be broken. The cross section looks uneven, in a colour range from yellowish-white to pale brown, with spotty brownish-yellow oil cavities. The cross section of the oven-dried rhizome is cutin-like with fissures, the colour being relatively darker. The rhizome smells aromatic, tastes sweet and slightly acrid. It is a little sticky when chewed (See Fig. 14). PREPARATION

    Bighead Atractylodes Rhizome: Clean the crude rhizome. Cut it into thick slices and dry them. Soil-stir-roasted Bighead Atractylodes Rhizome: They are slices of bighead atractylodes rhizome stir-

    roasted with fine powder of the dried soil of kitchen range. Bran-stir-roasted Bighead Atractylodes Rhizome: Slices of bighead atractylodes rhizome are stir-roasted with bran. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    lt is sweet and bitter in taste and warm in nature. Its therapeutic action is related to the channels of the spleen and stomach. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Invigorating qi and strengthening the spleen. As an important medicine to invigorate qi and strengthen the spleen, it is used in inappetence and

    diarrhoea, abdominal distention, lassitude and asthenia and other symptoms caused by insufficiency of the spleen-qi resulting in dysfunction of the spleen in transport.

    2. Eliminating dampness to alleviate water retention. It is used in syndromes as phlegm retention and edema due to retention of water within the body

    resulting from dysfunction of the spleen in water transport and caused by insufficiency of the spleen-qi. Bighead atractylodes rhizome is an effective medicine in treating phlegm retention and edema, sticking

    itself out both in reinforcing qi to strengthen the spleen and in eliminating dampness to alleviate water retention.

    3. Suppressing sweating and preventing abortion. It is used in spontaneous perspiration due to lowered superficial resistance against diseases and

    threatened abortion brought on by deficiency of the spleen-qi. lt is advisable to use the raw rhizome in eliminating dampness and water retention and the soil-stir-

    roasted rhizome to inforce the spleen and alleviate diarrhoea. The bran-stir-roasted is suitable for replenishing qi and strengthening the spleen to relieve dryness. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    To be decocted in water for oral use, 5-15 grams daily. CAUTION Bighead atractylodes rhizome is only indicated in damp syndromes of middle-jiao. As it often impairs yin in the process of dampness elimination, it should not be administered in patients with internal heat due to deficiency of yin or with thirst due to dryness brought on by loss of body fluid.

    Danggui Chinese Angelica Root Radix Angelicae Sinensis

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES Quan dang gui, Dang gui shen, Dang gui wei, Jiu dang gui and Tu dang gui

    ORIGIN

  • It is the dried root of Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels., Umbelliferae. DISTRIBUTION

    lt is mainly produced in Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Guizhou and Hubei provinces. CHARACTERISTICS The dried root is in a shape similar to a cylinder, 15-25 cm long, and has 3-5 or more branch roots at the lower part. Its surface is tinged from yellowish-brown deep to brown, with long longitudinal grains and horizontal, long lenticels. The head of the root has a diameter of 1.5-4cm, the top is round and obtuse, with annular veins and purple or yellowish-green remnants of stem and leaf sheaths. The surface of the main root is concavo-convex; the branch roots, generally having a diameter of 0.3-1 cm, are thick at the upper part and thin at the lower and are mostly twisted, with a few traces of fibrous roots. It is flexible in texture; the cross section is yellowishwhite and light yellowish-brown. The bark is thick, with crevices and many brown dotted secretory cavities. The colour of the xylem is lighter, showing yellowish-brown stratiform circles. The drug emits strong fragrance and tastes sweet, acrid and a little bitter (See Fig. 15). DIFFERENTIATION 1. Dried root of Levisticum officinale Koch., Umbelliferae.

    Cylinder-shaped, the root varies in length, in a diameter of 0.7-2 cm. Some have branch roots. Its surface looks greyish-brown and, distributed on it are longitudinal grains and horizontal, long lenticel-like scars. It is flexible in texture. The cross section is yellowish-white or light yellowish-brown. lt gives out a faint smell and tastes slightly sweet but tingles the tongue.

    2. Dried root of Angelica dahurica (Fisch. ex Hoffm.) Benth et Hook. f., Umbelliferae Also named Northeast da huo, it is in shape of an irregular circular cone. lts main root is rather short, only 1-2 cm, with a diameter of 4-6 cm. There are a number of branch roots that are more than 20 cm in length and 0.4-1 cm in diameter. The surface is brownish-yellow or dark brownish-yellow. lt is widened and shrunk, possessing no fragrance as that in Chinese angelica root. lt has an acrid taste which tingles the tongue.

    3. Dried root of Peucedanum decursivum Maxim., Umbelliferae. Ye dang gui is its another name. lts main root is in a shape similar to an irregular cone, 3-6 cm in length, 1. 8-2 cm in diameter, having a dark brown surface with longitudinal grains. On its top, there are traces of leafstalk bases; on the lower part exist several branch roots, 6-9 cm in length and 0-5-0.8 cm in diameter. On the surface of the branch roots are longitudinal grains and horizontal, projected lenticel-like scars. The root is hard or flexible in texture, liable to be bro.ken. Seeing from the cross section, it is dark brown at the bark and yellowish-brown at the xylem. No fragrance as that in Chinese angelica root can be smelled while a slight acridness can be tasted.

    4. Dried root of Angelica pubescens Maxim. f. biserrata shan et Yuan, Umbelliferae Its main root is short and thick and looks cylindric. At the lower part there are 2-3 or more branch

    roots, 10-30 cm in length and l.5-3 cm in diameter. The head part of the main root is inflated, with horizontal grains around and remnants of the leafstalks on its top. The surface of the root is greyish-brown or dark brown, covered with longitudinal wrinkles and projected horizontal lenticels and slightly projected fine root marks. The root is hard, but will turn soft when moistened. A brown ring can be observed on the cross section; the bark looks greyish-white, presenting a number of sporadic oil spots in a colour ranging from yellowish-brown to brown and the xylem looks greyish-yellow or yellowish-brown. The root possesses a peculiar fragrance and a taste of bitterness and acridness that tingles the tongue a bit. PREPARATION

    l. Chinese angelica root. It refers to the thin slices of the crude Chinese angelica root prepared through a process of cleaning,

    slicing and drying. 2. Liquored Chinese angelica root. It refers to the slices of Chinese angelica root moistened with liquor and cauterized afterwards.

    NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

  • Chinese angelica root is sweet and acrid in taste, warm in nature and therapeutically related to the channels of the liver, heart and spleen. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Replenishing blood and regulating menstruation. lt is efflcacious in the treatment of flaccidity and pale complexion, vertigo, palpitation, irregular menstruation, amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea due to blood deficiency. 2. Promoting blood circulation to stop pain.

    lt is efficacious for such conditions as traumatic injury, carbuncle, celluliti, sore, ulcer and other skin and external diseases, arthralgia due to pathogenic wind-dampness, and abdominal pain due to stagnation of blood during menstruation and delivery.

    3. Loosing the bowels to relieve constipation. It is efficacious for constipation due to the dryness of bowels and blood deficiency.

    The raw Chinese angelica root (slices) is more eligible for enriching the blood and loosing the bowels, while the liquored Chinese angelica root is more eligible for promoting blood circulation and restoring menstrual flow. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    A daily dosage of 5-15 grams is administered for internal application in form of a decoction. CAUTION

    Chinese angelica root is contraindicated in patients with abdominal distention due to exuberant dampness and diarrhoea.

    Duzhong

    Eucommia Bark Cortex Eucommiae

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Chuang du zhong, Mian du zhong, Hou du zhong, Yan du zhong and Chao du zhong. ORIGIN

    Medicinal eucommia bark is the dried bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., Eucommiaceae. DISTRIBUTION

    It is mainly produced in Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. CHARACTERISTICS Medicinal eucommia barks are flakes, 3-7 mm thick and different in size; some are flat in shape, some slightly rolled up inwardly (two sides). The outer surface is light brown or greyish-brown, with marked wrinkles or longitudinal crackles. Some eucommia barks are thinner with a coarse outer layer, under which there are many oblique square lenticels. The inner surface is smooth and dark violet in color. It is crisp in texture and easy to break. The broken section is connected by silver-white, elastic, fine glue silks. lt is faint in smell, slightly bitter in taste, and gives a sensation of colloid, when chewed (See Fig. 16). DIFFERENTIATION

    1. Trachelospermum axillare Hk.f. The dried barks of the stem and root of Trachelospermum axillare Hk.f. of the oleander family, are

    more or less similar to that of eucommia. They are mostly rolled up, longer or shorter (some are irregular flakes), and 2-5 mm thick. The outer surface is greyish-brown in colour or with greyish-yellow stripes, it has markedly projecting transverse or round lenticels and transverse crackles. The inner surface is

    greyish- brown or whitish-vellow in colour and has transverse fine crackles too. It is hard and crisp in texture.

    The section is granular. When broken, there appear fewer white silks which have no elasticity and are very

    easy

  • to break. It is faint in odour and slightly bitter in taste. 2. Euonymus bungeanus Maxim.

    It is dried bark of winterberry euonymus, winged euonymus family. The outer surface is grey or greyish-brown in colour, while the inner surface is pale yellow. The white gluesilks at the broken section are sparse and crisp, which begin to break when pulled to 2 mm long. It is faint in odour and slightly sweet in taste.

    3. Euonymus yunnancnsis Franch. It is the dried bark of yunnan winged euonymus, winge euonymus family. Its outer surface is orange yellow or yellowish-brown in colour, while the inner surface is light yellow. At the broken section there are white, elastic silks. The taste is bitter.

    4. Euonymus vagans Wall. lt is the dried bark of Euonymus vagans Wall, the winged euonymus family. The outer surface is grey, and has markedly transverse wrinkles. It is crisp in texture, and easy to break. Elastic white silks are usually noticed at the newly broken sections. There are too many counterfeits to list here. They are generally differentiated from the genuine in the following aspects: surface color, glue-silks (number and elasticity), shapes of lenticels, odor, taste, etc. PREPARATION

    Dried Eucommia Bark Clean the crude bark, cut it into pieces or strips and dry them.

    Salted Eucommia Bark Pieces or strips of dried eucommia bark are moistened with salt-water and stir-roasted until they become black and the silks break. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    lt is sweet in taste and warm in nature. Its therapeutic action is related to the channels of the liver and kidney. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    1. Nourishing the liver and kidney and strengthening the bones and muscles. It is efficacious in the treatment of deficiency of the liver-yin and kidney-yin manifestad as soreness and weakness of the loins and knees; deficiency and coldness in the liver and kidney marked by impotence, frequent micturition, etc.

    2. Miscarriage prevention. lt is efficacious in nourishing the kidney and preventing abortion, usually prescribed in the treatment of threatened abortion and habitual abortion.

    3. Calming and suppressing liver-yang. lt is efficacious in the treatment of dizziness and vertigo due to hyperactivity of liver-yang. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    Be decocted for oral use, 6-9 grams daily. CAUTION

    Eucommia bark is a drug, warm and recuperative in nature. Special care should be taken in prescribing it for patients with excessive fire due to deficiency of yin.

    Lingzhi Lucid Ganoderma

    Ganoderma Lucidum OTHER CHINESE NAME

    Ling zhi cao ORIGIN

  • Lucid ganoderma is the whole plant of Ganoderma lucidum (Leyss. ex Fr.) Karst. or Ganoderma japonicum (Fr.) Lloyd., Polyporaceae. DISTRIBUTION

    Red lucid ganoderma is produced in East China, Southwest China, Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces. Violet lucid ganoderma is produced in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Fujian and Guangdong provinces. CHARACTERISTICS

    Red lucid ganoderma Consisting of a pileus and a stipe, it can grow as high and wide as 12-20 cm. The shape of the pileus is semicircular or kidney-like. lt is corky, having a hard, glossy, reddish-brown outer layer shell with ring-like arrises and radial wrinkles. The edge is thin and slightly rolled inward. The pileus surface of the reverse side (the side facing carth) is white and pale brown, consisting of numerous tubules within which spores exist. The stipe, reddish-brown in color, grows laterally and is about 4 cm in diameter (See Fig.17). Violet lucid ganoderma

    Its shape is similar to that of red lucid ganoderma, but skin of pileus and stine is violetish-black or black in color, the pileus surface of the reverse side is rust-brown (See Fig. 17). PREPARATION Wash lucid ganoderma before cutting it into thick slices. Get the slices dried. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    It is sweet in taste and neutral in nature and acts on the channels of the kidney, lung, liver, heart and spleen. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    l. Tonifying the lung and kidney. It is prescribed for patients with symptoms caused by deficiency of both the lung and kidney, including

    cough and asthma which become worse on exertion, shortness of breath and fatigue. 2. Tonifying the liver and kidney.

    It is usually used in the treatment of symptoms caused by deficiency in both the liver and kidney, such as tinnitus, deafness and lassitude of the loins and knees.

    3. Tranquilizing the mind by nourishing the heart. It is used in the treatment of patients with palpitation, insomnia and amnesia due to insufficiency of the heart-qi and deficiency of the heart-blood.

    4. Strengthening the spleen and stomach to improve digestion. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE Be decocted in water for oral use, 3-10 grams daily. It can also be made into forms of tincture or powder for internal use. CAUTION

    lt is contraindicated in patients with exopathic diseases at their onset.

    Heshouwu Fleece-flower Root

    Radix Polygoni Multiflori OTHER CI-IINESE NAMES

    Shou wu, Sheng shou wu and Zhi shou wu ORIGIN

    It is the dried tuberous root of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb., Polygonaceae. DISTRIBUTION

    It is mainly produced in Henan, Hubei, Guizhou, Sichuan, Jiangsu provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. CHARACTERISTICS

  • Fleece-flower root varies in size and is in shape of a mass or an irregular spindle. Its surface looks reddish-brown or deep reddish-brown with uneven shrunk creases and shallow ruts as well as long, horizontal lenticels and traces of fine roots. It is heavy proportionally, firm and not easy to be broken. The section is light yellowish-brown or light reddish-brown in colour and looks powdery. At the cortex there are 4-11 ring-like allotype vascular bundles, forming decorative patterns of cloudy floss. Seeing from the section, the central part is comparatively large and sometimes looks wooden. The root smells faintly and tastes a little bitter with some sweet and puckery flavour (See Fig. 18). DIFFERENTIATION 1. Dried tuberous root of Pteroxygonum giraldii Damm. et Diels., Polygonaceae

    Also called Hong yao zi and Qiao mai qi, it is different in size and looks brown from the surface. It is usually in form of thick slice, about 10 cm in diameter and 1.5 cm in thickness. The section of the fresh tuberous root looks whitish; it looks pink after it has been dried. lt presents no decorative patterns of cloudy floss. lt has no smell but tastes bitter and extremely puckery. 2. Dried tuberous root of Polygonum cillinerve (Nakai) Ohwi., Polygonaceae.

    Also called Xue san qi, Zhu sha lian and Huang yao zi, it is hard in texture and elliptical in shape with brown epidermis. The cross section is uneven and in colour of loess, and sometimes shows indistinct pattern of clouds and yellow fibrous veins. It smells slightly fragrant and tastes slightly bitter. PREPARATION

    l. Fleece-flower root. It is in form of thick slices for decoction, prepared through processes of cleaning, slicing and drying.

    2. Processed flecce-flower root. It refers to slices of fleece-flower root mixed with black soyabean (Glyoine mas, Leguminosae)

    decoction and steamed. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM Bitter, sweet and puckery in taste, warm in nature, it is therapeutically related to the channels of the liver, heart and kidney. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS 1. Fleece-flower root is efficacious in the treatment of toxicosis, inflammation and constipation. It is mainly used in the treatment of abscess, scrofula, sores and carbuncle, rubella, constipation and hyperlipemia.

    2. Processed fleece-flower root has the function of invigorating the liver and kidney, replenishing vital essence and blood, nourishing the hair and strengthening the bones and muscles. lt is usually used to treat such conditions as deficiency of blood with pale complexion, dizziness and tinnitus, early whitening of beard and hair, weakness in loins and knees, numbness of the extremities, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, excess leukorrhea, weakness due to lingering malaria, and hyperlipemia. Frequent administration of the drug alone can cure dyszoospermia. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    To be decocted for oral use, 10-30 grams daily. CAUTION

    The drug is not suitable for patients with loose stools or with much damp-phlegm.

    Yanhusuo CORYDALIS TUBE

    Rhizoma Corydalis

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES Xuan hu, Yuan hu and Cu yuan hu

    ORIGIN It is the dried tuber of Corydalis turtschaninovii Bess. yanhusuo Y.H. Chou et C.C. Hsu,

    Papaveraceae.

  • DISTRIBUTION lt is mainly produced in Zhejiang Province and also seen in Hebei and Shandong provinces and the

    Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. CHARACTERISTICS

    Corydalis tuber is in a shape of an irregular oblate spheroid with a diameter of 0.5-1.5 cm. lts surface is yellow or yellowish-brown with irregular reticulate wrinkles. There are stalk marks somewhat sunk on its top and swells can be seen at its bottom. lt is hard and crisp in texture. The cross section is yellow and cutin-like with waxen luster. The tuber has a faint smell and a bitter taste (See Fig. 19). PREPARATION

    Corydalis tuber: It is cleaned and cut into thick slices, then dried or pounded into pieces. Vinegared corydalis tuber: The selected and cleaned corydalis tubers are moistened and steamed with

    vinegar, and then thickly sliced and dried or pounded into pieces. NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM

    Acrid and bitter in taste and warm in nature, it is therapeutically related to the channels of the liver, spleen and heart. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    Having the efficacies of promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis and promoting circulation of qi to relieve pain, the drug is prescribed for alleviation of pain in the gastric cavity, abdomen and hypochondrium due to stagnation of blood and qi, dysmenorrhea due to blood stasis, mass in the abdomen, and abdominal pain due to blood stasis after delivery. It can also be used for hernial pain, general pain (pain all over) due to stagnation of blood and qi, and traumatic injury. Corydalis tuber is specialized in promoting circulation of blood. The raw drug is mainly used for chest pain caused by stagnation of the heart blood, amenorrhea due to blood stasis, pain and tenderness in the lower abdomen, etc. Vinegared corydalis tuber is liable to release its active principles when decocted and is able to guide the drug into the liver, strengthening its effectiveness in alleviating pain. So it is often used for hypochondriac pain due to stagnation of the liver-qi, stomachache due to stagnation of the stornach-qi, hernial pain, etc. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    To be decocted for oral use, 3-9 grams daily; l.5-3 grams each time when the powder is taken orally. CAUTION:

    Corydalis tuber is not suitable for patients with pain of deficiency type and with no stagnation; or patients with bleeding due to blood-heat and with preceded menstrual cycle.

    Jinyinhua

    HONEYSUCKLE FLOWER Flos Lonicerae

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Ren dong hua, Shuang hua and Er hua ORIGIN

    Medicinal honeysuckle flower refers to the dried flowerbuds or newly blossoming flowers of Lonicera japonica Thunb., Lonicera hypoglauca Miq., Lonicera confusa DC. and Lonicera dasystyla Rehd., Caprifolia ceae. DISTRIBUTION

    It is mainly produced in Shandong and Henan, provinces. CHARACTERISTICS

    Lonicera japonica Thunb. The flower is long, club-shaped and slightly crooked, usually 2-3 cm in length. The upper part is thicker

    (about 3 mm in diameter) and the lower part thinner (about 1.5mm). Its surface is yellow or yellowish-

  • brown in colour, and covered with short naps. At the base of each flower, there is a small green calyx, which has five lobes at the upper part. The lobe is triangular in shape and has villi, about 2 mm long. The corolla of the blooming flower is tubular in shape, labiatiflorous at the upper part. There are five yellow stamina attached to the wall and only one pistil, with its ovary having no villi. It is delicately fragrant in smell, weak and slightly bitter in taste (See Fig. 20).

    Lonicera hypoglauca Miq. lt is 2.5-4.5 cm in length, and 0.8-2 mm in diameter. Its surface is yellowish-white or yellowish-brown in colour, with no or with sparse naps. The calyx, covered with no naps in the middle and lower part, has

    five lobes in the upper part, and each lobe is long and triangular in shape and covered with naps. The lower labia of the corolla in a blooming flower is reversed. Its style has no villi. Lonicera confusa DC. It is 1.6-3.5 cm in length and 0.5-2 mm in diameter. The middle part of the calyx and the corolla are densely covered with greyish-white naps. The ovary has naps too. Lonicera dasystyla Rehd.

    It is 2.5-4 cm in length and 1-2.5 mm in diameter. Its surface is light yellow and slightly purplish and covered with no naps. The lobe of the calyx is short and triangular in shape. The upper labia of the corolla in a blooming flower is irregular, the lower half of the style is densely covered with longer villi. PREPARATION

    Honeysuckle flower Clean and dry.

    NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM It is sweet in taste and cold in nature. lts therapeutic action is related to the channels of the lung, heart

    and stomach. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    1. Removing heat and toxic substance. It is prescribes for the paitents with wind-heat syndrome due to affection by exopathogens, with incipient epidemic febrile diseases, manifested as fever and slight adversion to wind-cold. It has the action of removing heat and toxic substances and is efficacious in expelling wind-heat, and usually applied in the treatment of boils, carbuncles and sore throat.

    2. Removing heat from the blood and arresting dysentery. It is used for dysentery due to toxic heat, and loose stool with pus and blood.

    Frequent administration of its decoction is effective in removing toxic substance, removing heat from the blood and arresting dysentery. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE

    6-15 grams are decocted, take the decoction daily. Proper amount is applied for external use. CAUTION Larger dosage is usually prescribed for the treatment of boils due to toxic heat. Smaller dosage is prescribed for the treatment of fever due to epidemic febrile diseases.

    Houpo MAGNOLIA BARK

    Cortex Magnoliae Officinalis OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Chuan po, Zhi chuan po and Jiang hou po ORIGIN

    Medicinal magnolia bark is the dried stalk bark, root bark and branch bark of Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils or Magnolia officinalis Rehd. et Wils. var. biloba Rehd. et Wils., Magnoliaceae.

    DISTRIBUTION

  • It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Sichuan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Jiangxi provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    CHARACTERISTICS Dried stalk bark

    lt is simply called " Tong po" (tube magnolia bark) for it is usually in form of a tube or a double-tube object that is 30-35 cm long and 0.2-0.7 cm thick. The stalk bark which is near the root has a popular name "Xue tong po" (boot magnolia bark) because it looks like a loudspeaker, the thicker end being 13-25 cm long and 0.3-0.8 cm thick. The surface of the bark is greyish-brown or dark greyish-brown. lt looks rough, with marked elliptical lenticels and longitudinal wrinkles and, in some, with scales which are easy to be taken off. The inner surface under the rough skin is yellowish-brown. The reverse side of the stalk bark is purplish-brown or dark purplish-brown and smooth, with fine, dense longitudinal wrinkles and oil marks when scratched. The bark is firm in texture and not easy to be broken. The cross section looks granular and oily, the outer layer looking greyish-brown and the inner, purplish-brown or brown and, in some, bright oily specks can be seen. It smells fragrant and tastes acrid, hot and a bit bitter (See Fig. 21).

    Dried root bark (gen po) It is in shape of a single tube or in irregular pieces, some are curved. It is hard in texture and relatively

    easy to break down. The cross section looks fibrous. Dried branch bark (zhi po)

    It is tube-shaped, 10-20 cm long and 0.1-0.2 cm thick, crisp and easy to be broken. The cross section looks fibrous. DIFFERENTIATION

    The main counterfeit of magnolia bark is commolnly called "Da pao tong", which is the dried trunk bark of Schefflera hypoleuce (Kurz) Hams., Araliaceae. lt is tube-shaped, about 70 cm long and 0. 4 cm thick. The surface looks greyish-brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and greyish-white corks and brown, dotted lenticels which are 1 mm or leas in diameter. The surface of the reverse side is brownish-black and smooth, with fine longitudinal grains, but not oily at all when scratched. "Da pao tong" is hard in texture and not easy to be broken. The cross section looks fibrous with a range of white dotted fibrovascular bundles in the middle, It tastes a little bitter, and acrid when prepared with ginger juice. PREPARATION

    Magnolia bark: Clean the crude bark, cut it into slices and pieces, and dry them. Ginger-cauterized magnolia bark: Magnolia bark strips are moistened with ginger juice and cauterized.

    NATURE, TASTE AND CHANNEL TROPISM The medicine is bitter and acrid in taste and warm in nature. lts therapeutic action is related to the channels of the spleen, stomach, lung and large intestine. ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

    With the efficacies of promoting circulation of qi, removing dampness, eliminating food stagnancy and relieving asthma, magnolia bark is administered for incoordination between the spleen and stomach manifested as fullness in the epigastrium and abdomen caused by retention of dampness, food, stagnancy and stagnation of qi. As an important drug in relieving fullness or distention, it is stressed in treatment of distention of excess type and symptoms such as cough, dyspnea and abundant expectoration. Ginger-cauterized magnolia bark can eliminate irritation to the throat and can strengthen the effectiveness in relief of epigastric distention and regulation of the stomach. ADMINISTRATION AND DOSAGE To be decocted for oral use, 3-10 grams daily. CAUTION

    Magnolia bark tends to be warm and dry in nature and has stronger efficacy in promoting the circulation of qi. It should be used carefully in patients with interior heat and loss of body fluid and with deficiency of the spleen-qi and stomach-qi.

    Sharen

  • AMOMUM FRUIT Fructus Amomi

    OTHER CHINESE NAMES

    Suo sha ren Yang chun sha and Chun sha ren ORIGIN

    Medicinal amomum fruit is the dried ripe fruit of Amomum villosun Lour. or Amomum longiligulare T.L. Wu, Zingiberaceae.

    DISTRIBUTION It is mainly produced in Guandong and Hainan provinces. A small quantity is produced in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. CHARACTERISTICS

    Fruit of Amomum villosum Lour.: It takes the shape of an ellipse or an ovum, l.5-2 cm in length and 1-1.5 cm in diameter, with three

    inconspicuous ridges. The surface of the fruit is brown, with closely rooted thorn-like projections on its body. There are remains of perianth on its top, and often a fruit stem on the base end. The peel of the fruit is thin and soft. The seeds muster into a mass with three blunt ridges, and white diaphrams separate the mass into three cavities, in each of which there are 6-15 seeds. The seed is in the shape of an irregular polyhedron with a diameter of 2-3 mm; its surface, coated with membranous arils, is brownish-red or dark brown with fine wrinkles. The seed is firm in texture and the endosperm is greyish-white. The fruit has a strong aromatic flavour and a pungent, cool and slightly bitter taste (See Fig. 22).

    Fruit of Amomum longiligulare. L. Wu.: lt is in the shape of a long ellipse or an ovum, l.5-2 cm in length and 0.8-1.2 cm in diameter with three

    apparent arrises.