Trichosanthes Root
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Heat Clearing Herbs to Clear Heat and Purge Fire
Trichosanthes Root
Latin:
Radix Trichosanthes
Origin:
As the dried root of Trichosanthis kirilowii Maxim. or Trichosanthis japonicu Regel, a perennial herbaceous vine, of the Cucurbitaceae family, this herb is distributed everywhere in the south and north of China. It is picked and dug in autumn and winter and used when fresh or after being cut into sections, pieces or slices and dried in the sun.
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Also known as Chinese Cucumber.
Properties:
Sweet and slightly bitter in flavor, slightly cold in nature, it is related to the lung and stomach channels.
Functions:
Clears away heat, promotes the production of yin (body fluids), clears away lung-heat, moisturizes the lungs, removes toxic substances and relieves boils.
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Applications:
1. Used for febrile diseases with excessive thirst and diabetes with profuse drinking :
Being sweet and cold, this herb is good at clearing heat from the stomach and replenishing yin into the stomach to promote the production of body fluids to quench thirst. It is often used together with common reed rhizome, ophiopogon root (Radix Ophiopogonis), etc., for febrile diseases with the impairment of body fluids and excessive thirst with mouth dryness.
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Also, it is often used in combination with kudzu vine root (Radix Puerariae), yam, etc., e.g., Yu Ye Tang, for interior heat due to yin deficiency and diabetes with profuse drinking.
2. Used for dry coughs due to lung-heat:
This herb can clear heat from the lungs and moisturize them. It is often used together with lucid asparagus root (Radix Asparagi), ophiopogon root (Radix Ophiopogonis), fresh rehmannia, etc., e.g., Zi Zao Yin, for such ailments as dry coughing due to lung-heat, e.g., impairment of the lungs due to pathogenic dryness-heat, dry coughing with scant sputum, sputum with blood, etc.
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Used for carbuncles and other skin and external diseases. This herb can clear away heat, remove toxic substances, subdue swelling and promote pus discharge. When it is used for initial attacks of skin and external diseases due to exuberant toxic heat, the symptoms should be eliminated before pus appears, but after any pus appears, the sores should be broken to discharge it. It is often used together with honeysuckle flower (Flos Lonicerae), dahurian angelica root (Radix Angelicae), pangolin scales, e.g., Xianfang Huoming Yin.
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Dosage and Administration:
10-15 g.
Decoct the ingredients for drinking.
Cautions on Use:
This herb should be avoided by pregnant women and it is against aconite root (Radix Aconiti).
Reference Materials:
'Shen Nong's Herbal Classic' :
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"It is indicated for diabetes, fever and high fever with excessive thirst. It makes good any deficiency, calms the spleen and stomach and reactivates circulation and secretion."
'Ri Huazi's Compilation of Materia Medica' :
"It induces diuresis, discharges pus, relieves pyogenic infections, promotes tissue and muscle regeneration and removes blood stasis caused by traumatic injury. It treats seasonal ailments due to exuberant heat, acute mastitis, lumbodorsal carbuncles, sores and boils and hemorrhoids complicated by anal fistula."
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Toxic or Side Effects:
Modern Researches:
This herb contains trichosanthin, saponin, starch, etc.
Trichosanthin is an effective ingredient for inducing labor in mid-pregnancy and for the treatment of malignant moles and choriocarcinoma (malignant tumour of trophoblast, the extra embryonic layer of epithelium that forms around the mammalian blastocyst and attaches the embryo to the uterus wall).
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It acts directly on the cells of the trophoblast of the placenta, resulting in their denaturing and necrosis, causing chorionic gonadotropin to fall below the critical level for threatened abortion and leading to the death and labour of the fetus. Sometimes, it can lead to allergic reactions. A high dose can result in the denaturing and necrosis of liver and kidney cells. It has a certain anticancer effect and rather powerful inhibitory effect on hemolytic streptococcus, Diplococcus pneumoniae and Bacillus diphtheriae.
Recently it has been found that trichosanthin can inhibit AIDS virus by improving the immunity of the body and extending the survival time of the patient., 百拇医药