Name of Herb: Radix Trichosanthis (Trichosanthin)
Alias: Pollen, Trichosanthes root
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Variety source: This product is the dried root tuber of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim or Trichosanthes japanica Regel. Excavated in autumn and winter, used the fresh root or cut into sections, pieces, slices and dried for use. Growth in most parts of China.
Nature and flavor, meridian entry:
Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold. Enter lung and stomach meridian.
Efficacy and Indications:
Clear heat and generate fluid, clear lungs and moisturize to clear dryness, detoxify and eliminate carbuncle. Used for fever and thirst, and drink more. It is sweet and cold, good for clearing stomach heat and nourishing stomach Yin, and has the effect of promoting body fluid and quenching thirst.
It is used for fever, dried mouth and thirst, often combined with Rhizoma Phragmitis (reed root) and Radix Ophiopogonis (Ophiopogon japonicus). Used for Yin deficiency and internal heat, thirst and more drinking, often combined with Rhizoma Phragmitis and Rhizoma Dioscoreae.
Used for lung heat and dried cough. It can clear lung heat and moisturize lung to clear dryness. Used for dry heat injures the lungs, dried cough and less phlegm, blood in sputum, etc. Often combined with Radix Asparagi, Radix Ophiopogonis and Radix Rehmanniae, such as Zi Zao Drink.
Used for carbuncle swelling and sore. This product has the effects of clearing away heat, detoxifying, reducing swelling and to get rid of pus. It is used for the first sore, flaming heat toxin, make it dissipate when the pus is nto formed, and the pus has become ulcerated and can get rid of pus. It is often used combined with Flos Lonicerae (honeysuckle), Radix Angelicae Dahuricae (angelica dahurica), and Squama Manis, such as Xian Fang Huo Ming Drink.
Pay attention to taboos:
Pregnant women should not take it, in contrast with Radix Aconiti.
Spleen-stomach deficiency, cold, and slippery stools, should not take it.
Modern Pharmacology:
This product contains trichosanthin, saponins, starch, etc.
Trichosanthin is an effective ingredient for mid-term labor induction and treatment of malignant hydatidiform mole and choriocarcinoma. It directly acts on the placental trophoblast cells to cause degeneration and necrosis, and reduces the chorionic gonadotropin below the critical level of threatened abortion, leading to the death of the fetus and delivery.
Sometimes it can cause allergic reactions.
High doses can cause degeneration and necrosis of liver and kidney cells.
Has a certain anti-cancer effect.
It has a strong inhibitory effect on hemolytic streptococcus, pneumococcus and diphtheria bacillus.
In recent years, it has been discovered that trichosanthin has an inhibitory effect on HIV, which can improve the body’s immunity and prolong the survival time of AIDS patients.
Processing: Pick out impurities, separate the large and small pieces, soak in water for about 60%, remove, moisten until the internal and external humidity is same, slice and dry; or wash with water, remove, and dry until extremely dry, and mash into small pieces.
Storage: Store in a dry place.
