Common Chinese Materia Medica: Volume 9 (Common Chinese Materia Medica, 9) 9811659192, 9789811659195

Citation preview

Common Chinese Materia Medica Volume 9 Huagu Ye Chuyuan Li Wencai Ye Feiyan Zeng Editors

123

Common Chinese Materia Medica

Huagu Ye • Chuyuan Li • Wencai Ye Feiyan Zeng Editors

Common Chinese Materia Medica Volume 9

Editors Huagu Ye South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Chuyuan Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited Guangzhou, China

Wencai Ye Coll Pharm Jinan Univ Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

Feiyan Zeng South China Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

ISBN 978-981-16-5919-5    ISBN 978-981-16-5920-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1 Jointly published with Chemical Industry Press The print edition is not for sale in China (Mainland). Customers from China (Mainland) please order the print book from: Chemical Industry Press. © Chemical Industry Press 2021, corrected publication 2022 B&R Book Program This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publishers, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publishers nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publishers remain neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore

Participating Units

SOUTH CHINA BOTANICAL GARDEN, THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES GUANGZHOU PHARMACEUTICAL HOLDINGS LIMITED JINAN UNIVERSITY Honorary Editor-in-chief: Changxiao Liu Associate Honorary Editor-in-chief: Hai Ren Editor-in-Chief: Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng Associate Editor-in-Chief: Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, Jianrong Li Editorial Board Members: Ling Ma, Faguo Wang, Guoping Wang, Jun Wang, Xiyong Wang, Linke Yin, Ye Lu, Wencai Ye, Huagu Ye, Yushi Ye, Yun Ye, Mingliang Shen, Shaozhi Fu, Lin Fu, Guohua Bai, Jibin Zhu, Qiang Zhu, Jian Quan, Fangfang Liu, Xiaofeng Liu, Mei Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Shangchuan Sun, Shiquan Ling, Xiaojie Li, Shuyuan Li, Shiyu Li, Ruliang Li, Chengwen Li, Zexian Li, Jianrong Li, Haitao Li, Cehong Li, Chuyuan Li, Yi Yang, Xiaoling Yu, Bo Xiao, Haiyan Gu, Bin Zou, Fengqiu Zhang, Shupeng Zhang, Qiuying Zhang, Xiaoqi Zhang, Huiye Zhang, Yushun Chen, Hongyuan Chen, Haishan Chen, Xiaojing Fan, Chunlin Fan, Sirong Yi, Shimin Duan, Xinsheng Qin, Han Jia, Lei Xu, Jing Xia, Zhihai Huang, Ya Huang, Xiujuan Tang, Ning Kang, Song Lu, Feiyan Zeng, Jingjin Cai, Kaiyun Guan, Wenbo Liao, Xueying Wei, Yujie Liao, Liyun Nie, Xueying Wei, Minghui Cai

v

Preface

Traditional Chinese medicine, a generic term for all medicines used by Chinese ethnic groups, including Han and minority races, reflects the Chinese nation’s understanding of life, health, and diseases. Also, it is a pharmaceutical system that has a long tradition of unique theories and technical methods. Traditional Chinese medicine is the cream of the crop of the Chinese culture, which has played a very important role in the reproduction and prosperity of the Chinese nation for thousands of years. With the research and development of traditional Chinese medical resources, many folk drugs are also added into the inventory of traditional Chinese medicine, making it encompass microbes, plants, animals, and minerals used for the prevention and treatment of diseases on the basis of Chinese traditional medical theories as well as other substances processed from them. Either produced in China or foreign lands, medications commonly used in traditional medical therapies and circulated in the market of medicinal materials are collectively called traditional Chinese medicine, but those folk medicines which are not expansively acknowledged are commonly referred to as herbal medicines. In recent years, owing to the changes in health concepts and medical models, the effects of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of common, frequent, chronic, and major diseases have been progressively acknowledged and accepted by the international community. At present, Chinese medicines have spread to 183 countries and regions. The discovery of artemisinin by Professor Youyou Tu, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is a good indicator of the outstanding contribution made by traditional Chinese medicine to human health. Traditional Chinese medications are time-honored, widely distributed, tremendously diverse, and complex in origins. These factors, coupled with the uneven quality of medical works in history, as well as different conventions in drug use, contributed to the common phenomena that several drugs are namesakes and the same drug is given many names. What adds to the complication is that novel drug varieties are emerging, resulting in contentions among professionals and unassured qualities of traditional Chinese medications.

vii

viii

Preface

In an effort to fully demonstrate the growing environment and attributes of the original plants and animals contained in this series of books, systematically introduce their origins, and clarify main differences between approximate species and the easily confused species, compilers visited places throughout China, against unimaginable hardships. A large number of unedited color pictures were taken in plant habitats, which vividly reflected the original appearance of the plants in different growing periods. Thousands of high-resolution pictures of commonly used traditional Chinese medications were taken, which remarkably and scientifically presented distinguishing features of medicinal materials. Experts in the application of Chinese herbal medicines have scoured a colossal number of materials to carefully codify exhaustive information related to the medicines, including the alias, sources, morphology, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, use and dosages, caution in use, and prescription samples and notes. This series of books is arranged in a systematic way—from algae, fungi, ferns, gymnosperms, angiosperms, resins, and animals to minerals. For the convenience of readers, the book will be published in 10 volumes. This book series seeks to describe the habitat distributions and historical evolution of traditional Chinese medicine from a global perspective. In combination with contemporary scientific research results, this book series provides reference for the protection and scientific use of traditional Chinese medical resources. Due to reasons like the large assortment of traditional Chinese medications and the editors’ knowledge limitations, errors and incompleteness are inevitable. We welcome critical remarks from readers in the medical arena both at home and abroad. Editorial committee of Common Chinese Materia Medica (I–X). Guangzhou, China August, 2019  

Huagu Ye Chuyuan Li Wencai Ye Feiyan Zeng

Abstract

This volume contains 287 species of medicinal plants of 30 families, such as Alisma orientale of Alismaceae; Commelina communis of Commelinaceae; Eriocaulon buergerianum of Eriocaulaceae; Alpinia galanga, Alpinia hainanensis, Alpinia officinarum, Alpinia oxyphylla, Amomum compactum, Amomum kravanh, Amomum villosum, Amomum villosum var. xanthioides, Amomum longiligulare, Amomum tsao-ko, Costus speciosus, Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma kwangsiensis, Kaempferia galanga, Zingiber officinale of Zingiberaceae; Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Asparagus cochinchinensis, Disporum cantoniense, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Fritillaria delavayi, Fritillaria unibracteata, Lilium brownii, Liriope muscari, Ophiopogon japonicus, Polygonatum kingianum, Polygonatum sibiricum, Polygonatum odoratum of Liliaceae; Paris polyphylla of Trilliaceae; Smilax glabra and Smilax riparia of Smilacaceae; Acorus calamus, Acorus tatarinowii, Aglaonema modestum, Alocasia macrorrhiza, Arisaema amurense, Homalomena occulta, Lasia spinosa, Pinellia pedatisecta, Pinellia ternata, Pistia stratiotes, Typhonium giganteum of Araceae; Sparganium stoloniferum of Sparganiaceae; Typha angustifolia of Typhaceae; Allium chinense, Allium sativum, Allium tuberosum of Amaryllidaceae; Crocus sativus, Belamcanda chinensis of Iridaceae; Dioscorea opposita of Dioscoreaceae; Areca catechu of Palmae; Bletilla striata, Dendrobium aduncum, Dendrobium loddigesii, Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium officinale, Gastrodia elata of Orchidaceae; Juncus effusus of Juncaceae; Cyperus rotundus of Cyperaceae; Coix lacryma-jobi var. ma-yuen of Gramineae.

ix

Contents

1

Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae, Commelinaceae, Eriocaulaceae, and Musaceae��    1 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

2

 Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������   67 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

3

Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae������������������������������������������������������  209 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

4

 Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  373 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

5

Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae��������������������������������������������������������  429 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

6

 Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae, and Amaryllidaceae����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  507 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

7

 Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae, Palmae, Pandanaceae, and Hypoxidaceae ������������������������  551 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

xi

xii

Contents

8

Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae������������������������������������������������  623 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

9

 Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  671 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

10 Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae��������������������������������������������������������  703 Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li Correction to: Common Chinese Materia Medica – Volume 9. . . . . . . . . . . . C1 Huagu Ye

Chapter 1

Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae, Commelinaceae, Eriocaulaceae, and Musaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 1.1  F  amily: Hydrocharitaceae 1.1.1  Ottelia acuminata 1.2  Family: Alismataceae 1.2.1  Alisma orientale [1] 1.3  Family: Alismataceae 1.3.1  Alisma plantago-aquatica 1.4  Family: Alismataceae 1.4.1  Sagittaria guyanensis subsp. lappula 1.5  Family: Alismataceae 1.5.1  Sagittaria pygmaea 1.6  Family: Alismataceae 1.6.1  Sagittaria trifolia [2]

 3  3  5  5  9  9  11  11  12  12  14  14

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_1

1

2 1.7  F  amily: Potamogetonaceae 1.7.1  Potamogeton crispus 1.8  Family: Potamogetonaceae 1.8.1  Potamogeton distinctus [3] 1.9  Family: Potamogetonaceae 1.9.1  Potamogeton natans 1.10  Family: Commelinaceae 1.10.1  Amischotolype hispida 1.11  Family: Commelinaceae 1.11.1  Commelina benghalensis 1.12  Family: Commelinaceae 1.12.1  Commelina communis 1.13  Family: Commelinaceae 1.13.1  Commelina diffusa 1.14  Family: Commelinaceae 1.14.1  Commelina paludosa 1.15  Family: Commelinaceae 1.15.1  Cyanotis vaga 1.16  Family: Commelinaceae 1.16.1  Floscopa scandens 1.17  Family: Commelinaceae 1.17.1  Murdannia bracteata 1.18  Family: Commelinaceae 1.18.1  Murdannia edulis 1.19  Family: Commelinaceae 1.19.1  Murdannia loriformis 1.20  Family: Commelinaceae 1.20.1  Murdannia triquetra 1.21  Family: Commelinaceae 1.21.1  Pollia japonica 1.22  Family: Commelinaceae 1.22.1  Pollia miranda 1.23  Family: Commelinaceae 1.23.1  Setcreasea purpurea 1.24  Family: Commelinaceae 1.24.1  Streptolirion volubile 1.25  Family: Commelinaceae 1.25.1  Tradescantia spathacea 1.26  Family: Commelinaceae 1.26.1  Tradescantia zebrina 1.27  Family: Eriocaulaceae 1.27.1  Eriocaulon buergerianum 1.28  Family: Eriocaulaceae 1.28.1  Eriocaulon cinereum 1.29  Family: Eriocaulaceae 1.29.1  Eriocaulon sexangulare 1.30  Family: Musaceae 1.30.1  Musa basjoo References

H. Ye et al.  17  17  19  19  21  21  23  23  25  25  27  27  30  30  32  32  34  34  35  35  38  38  39  39  41  41  43  43  45  45  47  47  48  48  50  50  52  52  55  55  56  56  59  59  61  61  63  63  66

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

3

This chapter introduces 29 species of medicinal plants in 6 families, mainly including Ottelia acuminate of Hydrocharitaceae; Alisma orientale, Alisma plantago-­ aquatica, Sagittaria guyanensis, and Sagittaria trifolia of Alismataceae; Potamogeton crispus, Potamogeton distinctus, and Potamogeton natans of Potamogetonaceae; Amischotolype hispida, Commelina benghalensis, Commelina communis, Commelina diffusa, Cyanotis vaga, Floscopa scandens, Murdannia bracteata, Pollia japonica, Pollia miranda, Setcreasea purpurea, Streptolirion volubile, Tradescantia spathacea, and Tradescantia zebrina of Commelinaceae; Eriocaulon buergerianum, Eriocaulon cinereum, and Eriocaulon sexangulare of Eriocaulaceae; and Musa basjoo of Musaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

1.1 Family: Hydrocharitaceae 1.1.1 Ottelia acuminata Chinese Name(s): hai cai hua, shui bai cai, hai hua cai, shui qing cai Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Ottelia acuminata (Ottelia acuminata (Gagnep.) Dandy.) Morphology: The plants are herbs, submerged; the stems are cormlike; the leaves are all basal, linear, long elliptic, lanceolate, ovate, and broadly cordate. The petioles vary according to depth of water, usually with fleshy spines on petioles and along abaxial veins. The flowers are solitary, dioecious. The spathes are unwinged, 2–6-angled. The male spathes include 40–50 male flowers; there are 3 sepals, lanceolate, 8–15 mm long and 2–4 mm wide; there are 3 petals, white, basally yellow or dark yellow, obcordate, 1–3.5 cm long, and 1.5–4 cm wide. There are 9–12 stamens, yellow; there are 3 staminodes, linear, yellow. The female spathes include 2–3 female flowers; the pedicels are short; the calyxes and petals are similar to those of male flowers; there are 3 styles, orangish yellow, 2-cleft to base, lobes being linear, 0.9–1.4 cm long. The ovaries are sterile, triangular-cylindric, with 3 staminodes, linear, yellow, 3–5  mm long. The fruits are triangular-cylindric, fusiform, 6–8 cm long, conspicuously fleshy spiny and verrucose on ridges. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows on lakes, ponds, ditches, and paddy fields. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in spring and summer and used when fresh or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property.

4

H. Ye et al.

Functions: Clearing heat and relieving coughing, promoting diuresis, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to heat in the lungs, strangury, dysuria, edema, etc. Use and Dosage: 20–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

5

1.2 Family: Alismataceae 1.2.1 Alisma orientale [1] Chinese Name(s): ze xie, wen xie, min xie Source: This medicine is made of the rhizome of Alisma orientale (Alisma orientale (Sam.) Juzep.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, aquatic, or of marshes. The tubers are 1–2 cm in diam. There are numerous leaves; the emergent leaves are broadly lanceolate, elliptic, 3.5–11.5 cm long and 1.3–6.8 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally suborbicular or shallowly cordate, 5–7-veined; the petioles are 3.2–34  cm long, rather than stout, gradually broader toward base, margins being narrowly membranous. The scapes are 35–90 cm tall or taller. The inflorescences are 20–70 cm long, in 3–9 whorls of 3–9 branches. The flowers are bisexual, ca. 6 mm in diam. The pedicels are unequal in length, (0.5–)1–2.5 cm long. The outer whorl of petals are ovate, 2–2.5 mm long and ca. 1.5 mm wide, margins being narrowly membranous, 5–7-veined; the inner whorl of petals are suborbicular, larger than the outer one, white, pale red, rarely yellowish green, margins being undulate. The carpels are irregularly arranged; the styles are ca. 0.5 mm long, erect; the stigmas are ca. 1/5 as long as styles. The filaments are 1–1.2 mm long, basally ca. 0.3 mm wide, gradually narrower upward; the anthers are yellowish green or yellow, 0.5–0.6 mm long, and ca. 0.3–0.4 mm wide. The receptacles are uneven when fruiting, ca. 0.4 mm tall. The achenes are ellipsoid, 1.5–2  mm long and 1–1.2  mm wide, abaxially 1–2-grooved, adaxially raised from beak, membranous winged; the lateral pericarps are papery, translucent; the beaks of fruits are ca. 0.5  mm long, exserted from adaxial-­lateral parts over middle. The seeds are purplish red, ca. 1.1 mm long, and ca. 0.8 mm wide. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to September.

6

H. Ye et al.

Habitat: It grows on lakes, ponds, ditches, and marshes or is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, as well as in Russia, Japan, Mongolia, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in winter when the stems and leaves begin to wither. After the stems and leaves are removed, the rhizomes are washed and baked on fire for 5–6 days. After the fibrous roots and rough skin are removed, they are dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is subspherical or oblong-ovate, 2–8  cm long and 2–6 cm in diameter, yellowish white or yellowish brown on the surface, with irregular annular grooves, many protuberant fibrous root marks, and with verrucous bud marks. It is solid, yellowish white in cross section, silty, with many pores and scattered brown tendons. It is slightly fragrant, and slightly bitter in taste. The products large, solid, pruinose, yellow, and white inside and outside are better in quality Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the kidneys and bladder. Functions: Promoting diuresis, clearing dampness and heat, and purging kidney fire; it’s often used for treatment of dysuria, edema and distention, strangury, diarrhea, and leucorrhea. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use Prescription Example(s): Prescription Example(s): edema, dysuria: Alisma orientale, Atractylodes macrocephala 12 g each, Plantago 9 g, poria peel 15 g, watermelon peel 24 g, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

7

8

H. Ye et al.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

9

1.3 Family: Alismataceae 1.3.1 Alisma plantago-aquatica Chinese Name(s): dong fang ze xie Source: This medicine is made of the carmus of Alisma plantago-aquatica (Alisma plantago-aquatica Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial and aquatic. The tubers are 1–3.5 cm in diam. There are often numerous leaves. The submerged leaves are linear or lanceolate. The emerged leaves are broadly lanceolate, elliptic to ovate, 2–11 cm long and 1.3–7 cm wide, apically acuminate, rarely acute, basally broadly cuneate, shallowly cordate, often 5-veined; the petioles are 1.5–30 cm long, basally gradually wider, margins being membranous. The scapes are 78–100 cm tall; the inflorescences are 15–50 cm long, in 3–8 whorls of 3–9 branches. The flowers are bisexual; the pedicels are 1–3.5 cm long. The outer whorls of petals are broadly ovate, 2.5–3.5 mm long and 2–3  mm wide, often 7-veined, margins being membranous; the inner whorls of petals are suborbicular, much larger than the outer ones, margins being irregularly and sparsely dentate, white, pink, or pale purple. There are 17–23 carpels, regularly arranged; the styles are erect, 7–15 mm long, and longer than carpels; the stigmas are short, ca. 1/9–1/5 as long as styles. The filaments are 1.5–1.7 mm long, basally ca. 0.5 mm wide; the anthers are ca. 1 mm long, ellipsoid, yellow or pale green. The receptacles are flattened convex, ca. 0.3 mm tall, suborbicular. The achenes are ellipsoid, or nearly oblong, ca. 2.5  mm long and ca. 1.5  mm wide, abaxially shallowly 1–2-grooved, the lower parts being flattened; the beaks of fruits are exserted from adaxial lateral parts, raised on beaks basally, membranous. The seeds are purplish brown, raised. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows on marshes or is cultivated.

10

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Xinjiang, as well as in Russia, Japan, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Acquisition and Processing: The carmus are dug up in winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat, excreting dampness, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of nephritis, edema, pyelonephritis, enteritis, diarrhea, and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 3–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use Prescription Example(s): edema, dysuria: Alisma orientale, Atractylodes macrocephala 12 g each, Plantago 9 g, poria peel 15 g, watermelon peel 24 g, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

11

1.4 Family: Alismataceae 1.4.1 Sagittaria guyanensis subsp. lappula Chinese Name(s): guan guo cao, tian lian ou, tu zi wan, jia leng jiao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Sagittaria guyanensis subsp. lappula (Sagittaria guyanensis H. B. K. subsp. lappula (D. Don) Bojin). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, aquatic, and floating. The leaves are submerged or floating. The submerged leaves are linear, linear-lanceolate, or petiole-­ like. The floating leaves are broadly ovate, elliptic, or suborbicular, basally deeply cleft to deeply cordate. The leaf blades are 1.5–10.5  cm long and 1–9  cm wide, apically obtuse-orbicular, slightly tipped at ends. There are 4–8 veins spreading forward, and the other 3–6 veins are spreading backward. The petioles are 15–50 cm long. The scapes are erect, above water, 5–60 cm tall, sometimes shorter than petioles. The inflorescences are racemose, 2–20 cm long, in 1–6 whorls of (2–)3 flowers. There are 3 bracts, more or less connate at base, membranous or herbaceous. The flowers are bisexual or unisexual, and the one borne in the lower 1–3 whorls of inflorescences is often bisexual; the pedicels are short and thick, 1–1.5  cm long, more or less reflexed after anthesis. There are numerous carpels, free, 2 lateral surfaces being compressed; the styles are exserted from adaxial-lateral parts, obliquely ascending. The female flowers have numerous whorls, in upper part of inflorescences; the pedicels are slender, 2–5 cm long. The perianths of bisexual flowers and female flowers are subequal in size, and the inner whorls of perianths are slightly larger than the outer ones; the outer whorls of perianths are broadly ovate, ca. 5–9 mm long and 3–8 mm wide, or larger, persistent, wrapping lower part of fruits after anthesis; the inner whorls of perianths are white, basally pale yellow, rarely with purple spots at base, obovate, caducous. There are 6 to numerous stamens; the filaments are unequal in length, often 2–3(–4) mm long. The anthers are 1–2(–3) mm long and 1–1.5 mm wide, ellipsoid, yellow. The achenes are compressed laterally; the pericarps are thickly papery, obovoid or ellipsoid, 2–3  mm long and 1.5–2.5 mm wide, with short petiole at base, cristate denticulate on adaxial-lateral parts. The beaks of fruits are obliquely exserted from adaxial-lateral parts. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to November. Habitat: It grows on ponds and shallow water area of lakes, marshes, fields, and ditches. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China, as well as in Nepal, India, Vietnam, Malaysia and tropical regions of Africa. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and dampness, detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to heat in the lungs, and dysentery due to damp-heat.

12

H. Ye et al.

Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

1.5 Family: Alismataceae 1.5.1 Sagittaria pygmaea Chinese Name(s): ai ci gu, ya she cao, shui chong cao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Sagittaria pygmaea (Sagittaria pygmaea Miq.). Morphology: The herbs are annual, rarely perennial, paludose, or submerged, sometimes with short rhizomes. The stolons are short and thin, rootlike, often unexpanded on buds at ends. The new plants are often germinated in the current year, and rarely go through the winter. The leaves are linear, rarely lanceolate, 2–30 cm long

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

13

and 0.2–1  cm wide, smooth, apically acuminate, or slightly obtuse, sheathing at base, often with horizontal veins. The scapes are 5–35 cm tall, erect, often emerged. The inflorescences are racemose, 2–10  cm long, in 2(–3) whorls. The bracts are 2–3 mm long and ca. 2 mm wide, elliptic, membranous. The flowers are unisexual; the outer whorl of perianths are green, obovate, 5–7 mm long and 3–5 mm wide, striate, persistent; the inner whorl of perianths are white, 1–1.5  cm long and 1–1.6 cm wide, orbicular or oblate. There is 1 female flower, solitary, or in 1 whorl of 2 male flowers; the carpels are numerous, compressed on 2 lateral surfaces, densely packed, globose; the styles are exserted from adaxial-lateral parts, upward. The male flowers are pedicellate, with numerous stamens; the length and width are variable in different anthesis, often 1–2 mm long and 0.5–1 mm wide; the anthers are long ellipsoid, ca. 1–1.5 mm long. The achenes are compressed laterally, winged, nearly obovoid, 3–5 mm long and 2.5–3.5 mm wide, abaxially cristate, with a broad wing and an adaxial beak 1–1.5 mm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to November. Habitat: It grows on shallow water areas of ponds, lakes, marshes, ditches, and fields. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Vietnam, Thailand, North Korea, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting blood circulation; it’s often used for treatment of nameless swelling and poisoning, snakebite, strangury, scald, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

14

H. Ye et al.

1.6 Family: Alismataceae 1.6.1 Sagittaria trifolia [2] Chinese Name(s): ye ci gu, ci gu Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Sagittaria trifolia (Sagittaria trifolia Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, aquatic, or paludose. The rhizomes are horizontal, rather stout, may be dilated at ends. The emerged leaves are sagittate, and the leaf blades are highly varied in length and width; the apical lobes are often

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

15

shorter than the lateral ones, ca. 1:1.2–1:1.5 in ratio; sometimes the lateral lobes are longer, and constricted between apical lobes and lateral ones. The petioles are gradually wider at base, sheathlike, margins being membranous, with horizontal veins, or inconspicuous. The scapes are erect, emerged, 20–70 cm tall or taller, often stout. The inflorescences are racemes or panicles, 5–20 cm long, sometimes longer, with 1–2 branches, in numerous whorls of 2–3 flowers. There are 3 bracts, more or less connate at base, apically acute. The flowers are unisexual. The perianths are reflexed; the outer whorls of perianths are elliptic or broadly ovate, 3–5  mm long and 2.5–3.5 mm wide. The inner whorls of perianths are white or pale yellow, 6–10 mm long and 5–7  mm wide, constricted at base; the female flowers are often in 1–3 whorls; the pedicels are short and thickened; there are numerous carpels, compressed laterally; the styles are obliquely upward adaxially. There are numerous whorls of male flowers; the pedicels are obliquely lifted, 0.5–1.5 cm long; there are numerous stamens; the anthers are yellow, 1–1.5 mm long; the filaments are unequal in length, ca. 0.5–3 mm long, often shorter in out whorls, and longer inward. The achenes are compressed laterally, ca. 4  mm long and ca. 3  mm wide, obovoid, winged, more or less irregular on wings abaxially. The beaks of fruits are short, obliquely ascending from adaxial-lateral part. The seeds are brown. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows in lakes, ponds, marshes, ditches, and paddy fields. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions nearly throughout China, except in Tibet and a few other regions. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and slightly cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and dampness, dispersing nodules, and detoxicating; it’ s often used for treatment of strangury, turbid of urine, sore, conjunctivitis, scrofula, orchitis, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

16

H. Ye et al.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

17

1.7 Family: Potamogetonaceae 1.7.1 Potamogeton crispus Chinese Name(s): ju cao, xia zao, xia cao, mai huang cao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Potamogeton crispus (Potamogeton crispus Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, submerged, with subterete rhizomes. The stems are slightly flattened, with numerous branches, often creeping near base, with sparsely or slightly dense fibrous roots from nodes. The leaves are linear, sessile, 3–8 cm long and 3–10 mm wide, apically obtuse-orbicular, connate with stipules at the basal 1 mm, but without leaf sheaths, leaf margins being more or less undulate, sparsely or densely serrulate. The leaves are 3–5-veined, parallel, connate apically.

18

H. Ye et al.

The stipules are thinly membranous, 5–10 mm long, caducous. The dormant buds are at apex, 1–3 cm long, leaves being leathery, dense arranged in 2 rows on the left and right, expanded at base, fleshy, rigid, margins being serrulate. The spikes are terminal, in 2–4 whorls, 2 flowers being opposite per whorl at first; the axises of spikes are often slightly asymmetric after elongating. The peduncles are clavate, thinner than stems. The flowers are small, with 4 perianths, pale green; there are 4 pistils, connate at base. The fruits are ovoid, ca. 3.5 mm long; the beaks of fruits are up to 2 mm in length, slightly recurved. The flowering and fruiting periods are from April to July. Habitat: It grows in ponds, ditches, paddy fields, and slow rivers. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in the south and north of China, and all over the world. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested from March to April, washed, and dried in the sun or used when fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, removing dampness and relieving strangury, stopping bleeding, and driving away ascaris; it’s often used for treatment of dysentery due to damp-heat, jaundice, fever, diarrhea, epistaxis, hemorrhoid bleeding, ascariasis, carbuncle, swelling, and toxin. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

19

1.8 Family: Potamogetonaceae 1.8.1 Potamogeton distinctus [3] Chinese Name(s): yan zi cai, shui an ban, shui ban deng, ya shui cao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Potamogeton distinctus (Potamogeton distinctus A. Benn.). Morphology: The herbs are perennial and aquatic. The rhizomes are well developed, white, 1.5–2 mm in diam., multibranched, often with fusiform dormant buds at apexes, and with slightly dense fibrous roots at nodes. The stems are columnar, 1.5–2 mm in diam., often unbranched. The floating leaves are leathery, lanceolate, broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 2–10  cm long and 1–4  cm wide, apically acute or obtuse-orbicular, basally obtuse-orbicular or sometimes subcuneate, with 5–20 cm long petioles. There are numerous veins, connate at apexes. The submerged leaves are lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, herbaceous, petiolate, often caducous. The stipules are membranous, 2–7 cm long, apically acute, sheathing amplexicaul. The spikes are terminal, in numerous whorls of flowers, exserted from water at anthesis, submerged after anthesis. The peduncles are slightly dilated, thicker than stems, erect at anthesis, curved from base after anthesis, 3–10 cm long. The flowers are small, with 4 perianths, green. There are 2 pistils (rarely 1 or 3 pistils). The fruits

20

H. Ye et al.

are broadly obovoid, ca. 3.5 mm long, with 3 distinct abaxial keels, midribs being sharp, and distinctly raised above middle part of fruits, lateral keels being obtuse, with 2 raised protrusions at basal and upper parts; the beaks are impressed and obliquely spreading. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows in ponds, paddy fields, and ditches. Distribution: It’s distributed in most provinces and regions in southern and northern China, as well as in Russia, North Korea, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in spring and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, dispersing accumulations; it’s often used for treatment of acute conjunctivitis, jaundice, edema, leucorrhea, infantile malnutrition, ascariasis, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

21

1.9 Family: Potamogetonaceae 1.9.1 Potamogeton natans Chinese Name(s): fu ye yan zi cai Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Potamogeton natans (Potamogeton natans Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial and aquatic. The rhizomes are well developed, white, usually with red spots, multibranched, with fibrous roots at nodes. The stems are columnar, 1.5–2 mm in diam., often unbranched or rarely branched. The floating leaves are leathery, ovate to oblong-ovate, sometimes ovate-elliptic, 4–9 cm long and 2.5–5 cm wide, apically orbicular or with obtuse tips, basally cordate to orbicular, rarely attenuated, with long petioles. There are 23–35 veins, connate at leaf ends, 7–10 of which are conspicuous. The submerged leaves are thick, petiole-­ like, semicolumnar-linear, apically rather obtuse, 10–20 cm long and 2–3 mm wide, with 3–5 inconspicuous veins often caducous. The stipules are nearly discolored, 4–8 cm long, sheathing amplexicaul, with many veins, often fibrous and persistent. The spikes are terminal, 3–5 cm long, in numerous whorls of flowers, exserted from water at anthesis. The peduncles are slightly dilated, thicker than stems or sometimes equal to it, often erect at anthesis, but curved and sunk below water after anthesis, 3–8 cm long. The flowers are small, with 4 perianths, green, reniform to subcolumnar, ca. 2 mm in diam. There are 4 pistils, free. The fruits are obovoid, exocarps being often grayish yellow, 3.5–4.5  mm long and 2.5–3.5  mm wide, obtuse-orbicular, or with obscure midribs at the back. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to October. Habitat: It grows on lakes, ditches, and other still waters or slow rivers.

22

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Tibet, Xinjiang, and many other places in the Northern Hemisphere. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in spring and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, dispersing accumulations; it’s often used for treatment of acute conjunctivitis, jaundice, edema, leucorrhea, infantile malnutrition, ascariasis, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

23

1.10 Family: Commelinaceae 1.10.1 Amischotolype hispida Chinese Name(s): chuan qiao hua Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Amischotolype hispida (Amischotolype hispida (Less. et A. Rich.) Hong). Morphology: The herbs are perennial and stout. The rhizomes are long, with glabrous roots at nodes. The stems are erect, 5–15 mm in diam. The total length of rhizomes and stems is up to 1 m. The leaf sheathes are up to 4 cm in length, densely brownish yellow hirsute, as hirsute at mouth. The leaf blades are elliptic, 15–50 cm

24

H. Ye et al.

long and 5–10.5 cm wide, apically caudate, basally cuneate-attenuated into winged petioles, densely brownish yellow hirsute near margins on both surfaces and below the middle of abaxial major veins. The capitulum is large, often with ten flowers, up to 4–6 cm in diam. when fruiting. The bracts are ovate, apically acute, and sparsely ciliate. The sepals are cymbiform, apically galeate, ca. 5  mm at anthesis, up to 13 mm when fruiting, often densely brown hirsute on adaxial midveins, rarely glabrous, elsewhere glabrous or glabrescent. The petals are oblong, slightly shorter than sepals. The capsules are ovoid-globose, trigonous, apically obtuse, sparsely hirsute near apex, ca. 7 mm long, much shorter than persistent sepals. The seeds are ca. 3 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diam., rugose. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting time is after September. Habitat: It grows in humid places below 1000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Shandong, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Expelling wind and dampness, removing blood stasis, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic arthralgia and injury. Use and Dosage: 5–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

25

1.11 Family: Commelinaceae 1.11.1 Commelina benghalensis Chinese Name(s): fan bao cao, zhu ye cai Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Commelina benghalensis (Commelina benghalensis Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial and diffuse. The stems are mostly creeping, with roots at nodes, ascending in the upper parts and upper branches, up to 70 cm in length, sparsely pilose. The leaves have distinct petioles. The leaf blades

26

H. Ye et al.

are ovate, 3–7 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm wide, apically obtuse or acute, subglabrous. The leaf sheathes are sparsely and long ciliate along mouths. The involucral bracts are funnelform, opposite to leaves, often aggregated at apex of branches, lower margins being connate, 8–12 mm long, sparsely hairy, abruptly acute or obtuse at apex, with extremely short petioles. The lower parts of inflorescences have single slender stalks, with 1–3 sterile flowers, with exserted spathes; the upper one shoot has several flowers, seeded, without exserted spathes. The sepals are membranous, lanceolate, ca. 2  mm long, glabrous. The petals are blue, orbicular, 3–5  mm long. The inner 2 petals have long claws. The capsules are ellipsoid, 4–6 mm long, 3-valved, 2-valved adaxially, with 2 seeds per valve, dehiscent; the posterior one is only 1-seeded or seedless, indehiscent. The seeds are about 2 mm long, rugose and irregularly reticulate, black. The flowering time is in summer and autumn. Habitat: It grows in humid places below 1000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Shandong, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, and relieving swelling; it’s often used for treatment of short voidings of reddish urine, dysentery with bloody stool, and sores. Use and Dosage: 60–90 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the plant is mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

27

1.12 Family: Commelinaceae 1.12.1 Commelina communis Chinese Name(s): ya zhi cao, zhu jie cai, ya jiao cao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Commelina communis (Commelina communis Linn.). Morphology: The herbs are annual and diffuse. The stems are creeping and rooting, multibranched, up to 1 m in length, glabrous proximally and puberulent distally. The leaves are lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 3–9  cm long, and 1.5–2  cm wide. The involucral bracts are spathelike, with 1.5–4  cm petioles, opposite to leaves, folded, cordate after spreading, apically abruptly acute, basally cordate, 1.2–1.5 cm long, margins being often hirsute. The inflorescences are cymes, proximal branch with only one flower and peduncle that ca. 8 mm long, sterile. The distal

28

H. Ye et al.

one branch with 3–4 flowers is shortly pedunculate, nearly included in spathe. The pedicels are only 3 mm long at anthesis, curved when fruiting, less than 6 mm long. The sepals are membranous, ca. 5 mm long; the inner 2 sepals are often close to each other and connate. The petals are dark blue; the inner 2 petals are clawed, nearly 1 cm long. The capsules are ellipsoid, 5–7 mm long, 2-louculed, 2-valved, with 4 seeds. The seeds are 2–3 mm long, brownish yellow, truncate at one end and flattened adaxially, irregularly porous. Habitat: It often grows in humid places. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Yunnan, Sichuan, and southern and northern Gansu of China, as well as in Vietnam, North Korea, Japan, the Russian Far East, and North America. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The whole plant is up to 60 cm in length, yellow green. The stems are cylindrical, but the old stems are slightly square, glabrescent, with longitudinal ribs, about 2 mm in diam., many branched. It dilates slightly on nodes, with residual fibrous roots on nodes, and the internode length is 3–9 cm. It’s soft, with pith in the middle of the cross section. The leaves are alternate and often shrunk. After being flattened, the complete leaves are lanceolate to ovate lanceolate, 3–9 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally extended into a leaf sheath, entire. The whole leaf is parallel under the vein. The petals are wrinkled, blue black. It’s slightly odored, and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and large intestine. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, and relieving swelling; it is often used for treatment of influenza, acute tonsillitis, pharyngitis, edema, urinary tract infection, acute enteritis, and dysentery, as well as for external treatment of hordeolum, sores, and furuncles. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of the plant are mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

29

30

H. Ye et al.

1.13 Family: Commelinaceae 1.13.1 Commelina diffusa Chinese Name(s): jie jie cao, zhu hao cao, zhu jie hua Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Commelina diffusa (Commelina diffusa Burm.). Morphology: The herbs are annual and diffuse. The stems are creeping. There are roots at nodes, up to 1 m in length, multibranched, sometimes branched at each node, glabrous or single-rowed hispidulous. The leaves are lanceolate or oblong on proximal branches, 3–12  cm long and 0.8–3  cm wide, often acuminate apically, rarely acute, glabrous or hispid. The leaf sheathes have red spots, hispid only along the mouth or on one surface, or entirely hispid. The cincinni are often solitary in proximal leaf axils, sometimes pseudoterminal, with only one inflorescence per branch. The involucral bracts are petiolate, 2–4 cm long, folded, ovate-lanceolate after spreading, apically acuminate or abruptly acuminate, basally cordate or orbicular, glabrous or hispid outside. The inflorescences are dichotomously branched from base; one branch has 1.5–2 cm long peduncles, vertical to involucral bracts, forming one straight line with stalk of involucral bracts, 1–4-flowered, sterile, exserted from involucral bracts; another branch has much shorter pedicel, with a right angle to pedicel, but in the same direction to involucral bracts, 3–5-flowered, fertile, included in involucral bracts. The bracts are tiny. The pedicels are ca. 3 mm long, up to 5 cm when fruiting, stout and curved. The sepals are elliptic, shallowly cymbiform, ca. 3–4 mm long, persistent, glabrous. The petals are blue. The capsules are oblong-trigonous, ca. 5  mm long, 3-valved. The adaxial 2 valves each has 2 seeds, dehiscent, and the abaxial valve only has 1 seed, indehiscent. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to November. Habitat: It grows in humid wilderness or forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hebei, Shaanxi, Jilin, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

31

Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis and relieving swelling, stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of acute pharyngitis, dysentery, sore, furuncle, and dysuria, as well as for external treatment of traumatic bleeding. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amount of dried medicinal powder is sprinkled to the wounds. Prescription Example(s): dysuria: Commelina diffusa, Asiatic plantain 60  g each, decocted and taken instead of tea

32

H. Ye et al.

1.14 Family: Commelinaceae 1.14.1 Commelina paludosa Chinese Name(s): da bao ya zhi cao, qi jie feng Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Commelina paludosa (Commelina paludosa Bl.). Morphology: The herbs are perennial and stout. The stems are often erect, sometimes rooting at basal nodes, up to 1 m in height, unbranched or sometimes branched distally. The leaves are sessile. The leaf blades are lanceolate to ovate-­ lanceolate, 7–20 cm long and 2–7 cm wide, apically acuminate, glabrous on both surfaces or sometimes adaxially granular hairy and abaxially densely hirsute. The leaf sheathes are 1.8–3 cm long, often densely brown hispid at the mouth on one side, but sometimes nearly glabrous, only a few hairs along the mouth, sometimes hirsute throughout. The involucral bracts are funnelform, ca. 2 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide, glabrous, sessile, aggregated at apex of stems, forming capitula by 4–10 involucral bracts, proximal margins being connate, distal margins being acute or abruptly acute. The cincinni have numerous flowers, nearly included, with ca. 1.2 cm long peduncles. The pedicels are short, ca. 7 mm long, twisted. The sepals are membranous, 3–6 mm long, lanceolate. The petals are blue, spatulate or obovate-orbicular, 5–8 mm long and 4 mm wide; the inner 2 petals are clawed. The capsules are ovoid-­ globose, trigonous, 3-loculed, 3-valved, with 1 seed per locule, ca. 4 mm long. The seeds are ellipsoid, blackish brown, slightly compressed adaxially, ca. 3.5 mm long, finely reticulate. The flowering period is from August to October. The fruiting period is from October to April of the following year. Habitat: It grows in forests and streamside ravines.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

33

Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in Nepal, India, and Indonesia. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, and relieving swelling; it is often used for treatment of influenza, acute tonsillitis, pharyngitis, edema, urinary tract infection, acute enteritis, and dysentery, as well as for external treatment of hordeolum, sores, and furuncles. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

34

H. Ye et al.

1.15 Family: Commelinaceae 1.15.1 Cyanotis vaga Chinese Name(s): lan er cao, ji guan shen Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cyanotis vaga (Cyanotis vaga (Lour.) Reem. et Schult. f.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, diffuse, densely hirsute entirely, sometimes arachnoid or glabrous, with globose and hairy bulbs, bulbs being ca. 1 m in diam. The stems often have numerous branches at base, or distally branched, or few branched, 10–60 cm long. The leaves are linear to lanceolate, 5–10(15) cm long and 0.3–1(1.5) cm wide. The cincinni are terminal, and also axillary, solitary, rarely few aggregated in terminal capitate, pedunculate or not. The involucral bracts are wider and shorter than leaves, spathelike; the bracts are falcate-curved and acuminate, 5–10 mm long and ca. 3 mm wide, in 2 imbricate lines. The sepals are connate at base, oblong-lanceolate, apically acute, near 5 mm long, white hirsute outside. The petals are blue or bluish purple, 6–8 mm long, apical lobes being spatulate-oblong. The filaments are blue lanate. The capsules are obovoid-trigonous, apically hirsute, ca. 2.5 mm long and ca. 3 mm in diam. The seeds are grayish brown, with numerous pores. The flowering period is from July to September. The fruiting time is in October. Habitat: It grows on sandy beaches and slope grasslands or in sparse forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Taiwan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet of China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Activating blood circulation and relieving pain, dispelling wind, and activating collaterals; it’s often used for treatment of lumbago and leg pain, injuries, and rheumatoid arthritis.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

35

Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1.16 Family: Commelinaceae 1.16.1 Floscopa scandens Chinese Name(s): ju hua cao, shui cao, da xiang zhu hao cao, zhu ye cao, shui zhu cai Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Floscopa scandens (Floscopa scandens Lour.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with extremely long rhizomes, rhizomes being densely fibrous roots at nodes. The plants have multicellular hairs throughout or only on leaf sheathes and inflorescences, but sometimes leaf sheathes being hairy only on one side. The stems are 20–70 cm tall, unbranched. The leaves are sessile or

36

H. Ye et al.

with winged short petioles. The leaf blades are elliptic to lanceolate, 4–12 cm long and 1–3 cm wide, scaly convex on the adaxial side. There are numerous panicles, terminal or also axillary, forming broomlike compound panicles, up to 8  cm in length and 4 cm in width; the lower involucral bracts are foliaceous, in the same shape as leaves and equal in size; the upper ones are much smaller than leaves. The pedicels are tiny. The bracts are scaly. The sepals are 2–3 mm long, shallowly cymbiform. The petals are blue or purple, rarely white, obovate, slightly longer than sepals. The filaments are long and glabrous. The capsules are ovoid, ca. 2 mm long and wide, lateral compressed. The seeds are semiellipsoid, grayish blue. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to November. Habitat: It grows on grassy ravines and forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in tropical regions of Asia and Oceania. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, and relieving swelling; it’s often used for treatment of fever, cough due to heat in the lungs, conjunctivitis, strangury, edema, sores and furuncles, swollen lymph nodes, and acute nephritis. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

37

38

H. Ye et al.

1.17 Family: Commelinaceae 1.17.1 Murdannia bracteata Chinese Name(s): da bao shui zhu ye, tan huo cao, qing zhu ke cai Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Murdannia bracteata (Murdannia bracteata (Clarke) Kuntze [Aneilema bracteatum (Clarke) Kuntze].) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. There are numerous fibrous roots, densely tomentose. The main stems are extremely short. The leaves are aggregated in rosulate, sagittate, 20–30 cm long and 1.2–1.8 cm wide, proximal margins being ciliate, adaxially glabrous, abaxially short hairy or glabrous; the leaves on fertile shoots are ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–12 cm long and 1–1.5 cm wide, glabrous on both surfaces or abaxially scabrid; the leaf sheathes are villous or only hispid along 1 surface of the mouth. The inflorescences are cincinni, often 3–5, rarely solitary. The flowers are dense, capitate. The peduncles are 2–3 cm long. The involucral bracts are foliaceous, rather small. The bracts are orbicular, 5–7 mm long. The pedicels are tiny, elongated when fruiting, 2–3 mm long, strongly curved. The sepals are ovate-­ elliptic, shallowly cymbiform, ca. 4  mm long. The petals are blue, obovoid-­ columnar. There are 2 fertile stamens; the filaments are pubescent. There are 3 staminodes. The capsules are broadly ellipsoid-trigonous, ca. 4 mm long. The seeds are yellowish brown and white reticulate, not porous. The fruiting period is from May to November. Habitat: It grows in dense forests or sandy places in ravines. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan of China, as well as in the Indo-China Peninsula. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cool in property. Functions: Resolving phlegm and dispersing nodules; it’s often used for treatment of lymph node tuberculosis, turbid urine, and strangury. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

39

1.18 Family: Commelinaceae 1.18.1 Murdannia edulis Chinese Name(s): ting hua shui zhu ye, da ye shui zhu ye Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Murdannia edulis (Murdannia edulis (Stokes) Faden [M. scapiflora (Roxb.) Royle]). Morphology: The herbs are perennial; some (or all) roots are fusiform thickened at ends into tubers up to 8 mm in diam. The leaves are basal, rosulately aggregated, more than 6-leaved, sagittate, 10–42 cm long and 2–4.5 cm wide, apically acute to acuminate, margins being undulate, glabrous on both surfaces or sparsely puberulent, margins often being sparsely hispid-ciliate. The main stems are undeveloped. There are numerous scapes, arising from leaves of basal main stems or lower leaves, nearly as long as leaves, slender, ca. 2 mm in diam., glabrescent to densely hispid. The involucral bracts are sheathlike, gradually smaller from lower part to upper part of scapes; the lower involucral bracts are up to 3 cm in length and the upper ones are

40

H. Ye et al.

only 2 mm long; the lower ones have foliaceous parts except sheathes, often have 1–3 sterile involucral bracts; sometimes there are single scorpioid cymes in involucral bract axils, or a few cymes in branched inflorescence; in case of a single cyme, there is sheathlike, membranous involucral bracts on peduncles, forming reduced inflorescence shoots. The cyme stalks are 1–2  cm long, often only 1–2 flowers seeded per cyme. The bracts are tiny, cupular, and red. The pedicels are ca. 5–8 mm when fruiting; the sepals are lanceolate, shallowly cymbiform, glabrous, ca. 4 mm long, persistent when fruiting, up to 7 mm in length. The petals are pink or purple, longer than sepals. The capsules are ellipsoid-trigonous, ca. 7  mm long, with 5 seeds per valves. The seeds are slightly dorsiventrally compressed, reticulate; the hila are elliptic. The flowering period is from June to August. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in humid places on slope forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Taiwan, and Guangxi of China, as well as in Nepal, South India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing away the heart-fire and moistening the lungs, relieving heat and dysphoria, tonifying the stomach, and promoting secretion of saliva; it’s often used for treatment of asthenia and cough due to consumption diseases, hemoptysis, hemorrhage, fever, xerostomia, constipation due to lack of body fluid, etc. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

41

1.19 Family: Commelinaceae 1.19.1 Murdannia loriformis Chinese Name(s): niu e cao, xia ye shui zhu ye Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Murdannia loriformis (Murdannia loriformis (Hassk.) Rolla et Kammathy). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The main stems are undeveloped, rosulate, with serval fertile stems arising from rosettes, diffuse or ascending, with roots at proximal nodes, glabrous, or puberulent on one side, very rarely densely hirsute, 15–20 cm long. The leaves on main stems are dense, rosulate, grasslike or sagittate, 5–15(30) cm long and nearly 1  cm wide, margins being ciliate only at proximal parts. The leaves on fertile stems are rather short, ciliate only on surface of sheath mouth, very rarely densely hispidulous on leaves abaxially and leaf sheathes. The cincinni are terminal, solitary or 2–3 forming a panicle. The proximal involucral bracts are foliaceous and rather small, but the distal ones are tiny, less than 1 cm in length. The cymes have peduncles, 2.5  cm long; the cymes have several densely arranged flowers, subcapitate. The bracts are caducous, ca. 4 mm long. The pedicels are 2.5–4 mm long when fruiting, slightly curved. The sepals are herbaceous, ovate-­ elliptic, shallowly cymbiform, ca. 3 mm long. The petals are purplish red or blue, obovate, 5 mm long. There are 2 fertile stamens. The capsules are ovoid-trigonous, 3–4 mm long. The seeds are yellowish brown, radiate striate, finely reticulate, neither porous nor white mastoid verrucose. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows on valleys and streamsides or in humid places. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in Japan, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, South India, and Sri Lanka. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet, bland and slightly bitter in taste, and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving coughing, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of children with high fever, cough due to heat in the lungs, conjunctivitis, heat dysentery, sore, carbuncle, and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

42

H. Ye et al.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

43

1.20 Family: Commelinaceae 1.20.1 Murdannia triquetra Chinese Name(s): shui zhu ye, rou cao, xi zhu ye gao cao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Murdannia triquetra (Murdannia triquetra (Wall.) Brückn). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with elongated and horizontal rhizomes. The rhizomes have leaf sheathes, internodes being ca. 6  cm long, with slender fibrous roots at nodes. The stems are fleshy, creeping proximally, with roots at nodes, ascending distally, often with numerous branches, up to 40  cm in length, internodes being ca. 8 cm long, with one row of dense white bristles which are contiguous with a line of hairs on next leaf sheath. The leaves are sessile, ciliate only in proximal blades, and with a line of hairs on the commissure with leaf sheath; the hairs are joint with previous hairs on nodes, forming series, glabrous elsewhere. The leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, spreading or slightly folded, 2–6  cm long and 5–8 mm wide, apically acuminate and tips being obtuse. The cymes are terminal and axillary, usually only 1-flowered; the peduncles are 1–4 cm long; the terminal ones are long and the axillary ones are short, with linear bracts in the middle of peduncles, sometimes with 1 flower in bract axils. The sepals are green, narrowly oblong, shallowly cymbiform, 4–6 mm long, glabrous, persistent when fruiting. The petals are pink, purplish red, or bluish purple, obovate, slightly longer than sepals. The filaments are densely bearded. The capsules are ovoid-globose, trigonous, 5–7 mm long and 3–4 mm in diam., obtuse or abruptly acute at both ends, with 3 seeds per valve, sometimes only 1–2 seeds. The seeds are shortly columnar, not flattened, reddish gray. The flowering period is from September to October. The fruiting period is from October to November.

44

H. Ye et al.

Habitat: It grows in paddy fields or wet places. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet, bland and slightly bitter in taste, and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving coughing, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to heat in the lungs, dysentery with blood and white stool, dysuria, sore throat, carbuncle, and furuncle. Use and Dosage: 12–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

45

1.21 Family: Commelinaceae 1.21.1 Pollia japonica Chinese Name(s): du ruo, zhu ye lian, shui ba jiao Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Pollia japonica (Pollia japonica Thunb.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with elongated and horizontal rhizomes. The stems are erect or ascending, stout, unbranched, 30–80 cm tall, pubescent. The leaf sheathes are glabrous. The leaves are sessile or attenuated into winged petioles at base. The leaf blades are long elliptic, 10–30 cm long and 3–7 cm wide, basally cuneate, apically long acuminate, subglabrous, scabrous adaxially. The cincinni are 2–4  cm long, often in several distant whorls, sometimes not in whorls, often in panicles; the peduncles are 15–30 cm long; the inflorescences are far exserted from leaves; all peduncles and pedicles have densely hooked hairs. The involucral bracts are lanceolate; the pedicels are ca. 5 mm long. There are 3 sepals, ca. 5 mm long, glabrous persistent. The petals are white, obovate-spatulate, ca. 3 mm long. There are 6 stamens, all fertile, subequal, sometimes 3 smaller stamens, rarely 1–2 sterile stamens. The fruits are globose, pericarps being black, ca. 5  mm in diam., with numerous seeds per valves. The seeds are purplish gray. The flowering period is from July to September. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in wet places under forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Jiangxi, Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Japan and North Korea. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and slightly warm in property. Functions: Regulating qi, relieving pain, dispersing wind, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of pain of the chest and hypochondrium, stomachache, low back pain, swelling and pain of the head, and streaming eyes, as well as for external treatment of snakebite. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

46

H. Ye et al.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

47

1.22 Family: Commelinaceae 1.22.1 Pollia miranda Chinese Name(s): chuan du ruo, zhu ye lan Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Pollia miranda (Pollia miranda (Lévl.) Hara). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are horizontal and slender, with membranous sheathes, 1.5–3 mm in diam., internodes being 1–6 cm long. The stems are ascending, 20–50 cm tall; the proximal internodes are 10 cm long. The leaf sheathes are 1–2 cm long, puberulent. The leaves are elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 5–15 cm long and 2–5 cm wide, granulate-scabrous adaxially and sparsely hispidulous abaxially. The panicles are terminal, with 2 to several cincinni; the peduncles are 2–6  cm long, hispidulous. The bracts are funnelform. The sepals are ovate-­ orbicular, cymbiform, ca. 2.5 mm long, persistent. The petals are white, pink spotted, ovate-orbicular, clawed at base, ca. 4  mm long. There are 6 stamens; the filaments are slightly shorter than petals. The ovaries have 4–5 ovules per locule. The fruits are black when mature, globose, ca. 5 mm in diam. The seeds are flattened, polygonal, bluish gray. The flowering period is from June to August. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on valley forests below sea level to 1600 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangxi, and Taiwan of China, as well as in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer, washed, sectioned, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and slightly warm in property. Functions: Regulating qi, relieving pain, reducing swelling, and tonifying kidneys; it’s often used for treatment of lumbago, injuries, skin swelling, stomachache,

48

H. Ye et al.

and strangury, as well as for external treatment of snakebite, carbuncle, furuncle, and anal prolapse. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

1.23 Family: Commelinaceae 1.23.1 Setcreasea purpurea Chinese Name(s): zi ya zhi cao, zi jin cao, zi zhu mei Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Setcreasea purpurea (Setcreasea purpurea B. K. Boom). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, diffuse, and 20–50  cm tall. The stems have numerous branches, fleshy, purplish red, creeping proximally, often with

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

49

fibrous roots at nodes, suberect distally. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, 6–13 cm long and 6–10 cm wide, apically acuminate, margins being entire, basally amplexicaul into sheathes, white ciliate at the mouth of sheathes, adaxially dark green, margins being greenish purple, abaxially purplish red. The divergent peduncles have dense flowers, with linear-lanceolate bracts at proximal parts, ca. 7 mm long. There are 3 sepals, green, ovate-orbicular, persistent. There are 3 petals, bluish purple, broadly ovate. There are 6 stamens, 2 of which fertile, 3 of which reduced; the filament of the other 1 is short and slender, without anther. There is 1 pistil; the ovaries are ovoid, 3-loculed; the styles are filiform and long; the stigmas are capitate. The capsules are ellipsoid, with 3 prominent ridges. The seeds are trigonous-­ semicolumnar. The flowering period is in summer and autumn. Habitat: It is mainly cultivated in gardens. Distribution: Originating from Mexico, it’s cultivated in provinces and regions in south China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s astringent in taste and cool in property. Functions: Activating blood circulation, stopping bleeding, and detoxicating the snake venom; it’s often used for the treatment of snake blister, sores, snakebite, injury, and rheumatism. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

50

H. Ye et al.

1.24 Family: Commelinaceae 1.24.1 Streptolirion volubile Chinese Name(s): zhu ye zi, da ye zhu cai, zhu bi kong, suan zhu cao, xiao zhu ye cai Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Streptolirion volubile (Streptolirion volubile Edgew.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, climbing; the stems are rarely suberect. The stems are 0.5–6 m long, often glabrous. The petioles are 3–10 cm long; the leaf blades are cordate-orbicular, sometimes cordate-ovate, 5–15 cm long and 3–15 cm wide, apically often caudate, basally deeply cordate, more or less pilose adaxially. The cincinni have one to several flowers, in panicles; the involucral bracts at lower part of panicles are foliaceous, 2–6  cm long; the upper ones are small, ovate-­ lanceolate. The pedicels of flowers are absent. The sepals are 3–5 mm long, apically acute. The petals are white, pale purple, and later white, linear, slightly longer than sepals. The capsules are ca. 4–7 mm long, with an aristiform tip at apex, to 3 mm long. The seeds are brownish gray, ca. 2.5 mm long. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on valleys and in streamside wet places. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Liaoning, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, as well as in Bhutan, northeast India to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, North Korea, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

51

Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis and relieving swelling, removing blood stasis, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of cold and fever, tuberculosis, polydipsia due to heart-fire, edema, pyretic strangury, morbid leukorrhea, sore throat, carbuncle, injury, and rheumatism arthralgia. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

52

H. Ye et al.

1.25 Family: Commelinaceae 1.25.1 Tradescantia spathacea Chinese Name(s): zi wan nian qing, bang hua Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Tradescantia spathacea (Tradescantia spathacea Sw. [Rhoeo discolor (L.´Hér.) Hance]). Morphology: The herbs are perennial; the stems are stout, somewhat fleshy, less than y tall, unbranched. The leaves are alternate and close to each other, lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 2.5–6 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally sheathlike, adaxially green, abaxially purplish red. The flowers are white, axillary, shortly petiolate, numerous, aggregated, included in bracts. There are 2 bracts, large and compressed, 3–4  cm long, pale purple. There are 3 sepals, oblong-lanceolate, free, petaloid. There are 3 petals, free. There are 6 stamens; the filaments are hairy. The ovaries are sessile, 3-loculed. The capsules are dehiscent. The flowering time is in summer. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: Originating from tropical America, it’s cultivated in provinces and regions in south China. Acquisition and Processing: The flowers and leaves are harvested in summer and autumn, dried in the sun, or used when fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing, cooling blood, and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to heat in the lungs with bloody phlegm blood, pertussis, epistaxis, bacillary dysentery, and lymphatic tuberculosis. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

53

54

H. Ye et al.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

55

1.26 Family: Commelinaceae 1.26.1 Tradescantia zebrina Chinese Name(s): shui zhu cao, diao zhu lan, diao zhu mei Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Tradescantia zebrina (Tradescantia zebrina Bosse [Zebrina pendula Schnizi]). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The stems are slightly slender, green, pendent, half fleshy, multibranched, rooting at nodes, oblong, diffuse or decumbent, ca. 1  m long, glabrous or sparsely hairy. The leaves are sessile, elliptic-ovate to oblong, 3–7  cm long and 1.5–3  cm wide, apically cuspidate, adaxially purplish green and with silver stripes, middle margins being purplish striped, abaxially purplish red; the apical and basal sheathes are sparsely villous or entirely sparsely villous. The small flowers are white, axillary; the flowers in clusters subtended by 2 leaves that are unequal in size, bractlike, terminal. There are 3 sepals, connate to a columnar tube, ca. 6 mm long. The corolla tubes are white, slender, ca. 1 cm long; there are 3 lobes, rose red, ca. 3 mm long. There are 6 stamens. The ovaries are 3-loculed. The fruits are capsules. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: Originating from Mexico, it’s cultivated in provinces and regions throughout China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling, increasing secretion of saliva, stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of edema, urinary calculi, laryngitis, diarrhea, hemoptysis, dysentery, conjunctivitis, burn, snake injury, leukorrhea, strangury and turbid of urine, and wind-heat headache. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

56

H. Ye et al.

1.27 Family: Eriocaulaceae 1.27.1 Eriocaulon buergerianum Chinese Name(s): gu jing cao, mai miao gu jing cao Source: This medicine is made of the inflorescence or whole plants of Eriocaulon buergerianum (Eriocaulon buergerianum Koern.). Morphology: The plants are herbs. The leaves are linear, caespitose, translucent, up to 4–10(–20) cm long, 2–5 mm wide in the middle, with 7–12(–18) veins. There are numerous scapes, 20–30 cm long, twisted, 4–5-ribbed. The sheathlike bracts are 3–5 cm long, obliquely lobed at the mouth. The inflorescences are subglobose when mature, straw-colored, 3–5 mm long, and 4–5 mm wide. The involucral bracts are obovate to suborbicular, straw-colored, rather rigid at proximal half, papery at distal half, not reflexed, 2–2.5 mm long and 1.5–1.8 mm wide, glabrous or with a few hairs on margins; the hairs at proximal parts are longer. The total receptacles are often densely pilose. The bracts are obovate to long obovate, 1.7–2.5 mm long and

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

57

0.9–1.6 mm wide, with white short hairs on distal back and apex. Male flowers: the sepals are spathelike, dehiscent outside, 3-lobed, 1.8–2.5 mm long, somewhat hairy abaxially and apically; there are 3 corolla lobes, nearly subulate, subequal, with 1 black gland near apical, often with bicellular white short hairs at ends; there are 6 stamens, anthers being black. Female flowers: the calyxes are connate, apically 3-lobed, 1.8–2.5 mm long, with short hairs abaxially and apically, outside cleft margins being hairy, 1 longer at proximal part and 1 shorter at distal part; there are 3 petals, free, compressed clavate, fleshy, with 1 black gland and several white short hairs at apex; the hairs are deciduous after maturity, often villous inside. The ovaries are 3-loculed; the stigmas are 3 branched, shorter than styles. The seeds are oblong, 0.75–1 mm long, reticulate and with T-shaped protrusions at surfaces. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to December. Habitat: It grows on streamside and in wet places on fields. Distribution: It’s distributed in Taiwan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The capitula or whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The capitula of this product are hemispherical, 4–5mm in diam. There are many layers of bracts closely arranged at the bottom. The bracts are yellowish green and glossy, densely white pilose on the upper margins. The inflorescence is gray-white apically. When the inflorescence is crushed, there are many black anthers and small, yellow-green immature fruits. The involucral bracts are slender, of different lengths, less than 1  mm in diam., yellowish green, with several twisted ridges. It is soft in texture, slightly odored, and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of liver and lungs. Functions: Dispelling wind and heat, brightening eyes, and removing nebula; it’s often used for treatment of conjunctivitis, corneal cloudiness, night blindness, retinochoroiditis, and infantile malnutrition. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use Prescription Example(s): 1. Clinical diagnoses and symptoms: central retinal choroiditis – Eriocaulon buergerianum, Codonopsis pilosula (or Campanumoea javanica), cassia seed, plantain, licorice, each 6 g, Imperata root 9 g, added with 500 ml of water, decocted into 100–150 ml, and taken 1 dose twice a day for 10–15 days as a course of treatment. The second course of treatment can be continued after 5–7 days of interval. 2. Clinical diagnoses and symptoms: night blindness – Eriocaulon buergerianum 30  g, sheep liver 1, added with water to stew. The liver and soup should all be taken.

58

H. Ye et al.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

59

1.28 Family: Eriocaulaceae 1.28.1 Eriocaulon cinereum Chinese Name(s): bai yao gu jing cao, liu xing cao, sai gu jing cao Source: This medicine is made of the inflorescence or whole plants of Eriocaulon cinereum (Eriocaulon cinereum R. Br.). Morphology: The herbs are annual. The leaves are caespitose, narrowly linear, 2–5(–8) cm long, 0.8–1(–1.7) mm wide in the middle, to 1.5–2.5 mm at base, glabrous, translucent, 3(–5)-veined. There are 6–30 scapes, 6–9(–19) long, twisted,

60

H. Ye et al.

(4–)5(–6)-ribbed. The sheathlike bracts are 1.5–2(–3.5) cm long, membranous obliquely lobed at the mouth. The inflorescences are broadly ovoid to subglobose when mature, pale yellow to dark green, 4 mm long, and 3–3.5 mm wide. The involucral bracts are obovate to long elliptic, pale yellowish green to grayish black, not reflexed, membranous, 0.9–1.9 mm long and 1–1.4 mm wide, glabrous. The total receptacles are often densely pilose, sometimes glabrous. The bracts are long orbicular to oblanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long and 0.4–0.7 mm wide, glabrous or rarely hirsute abaxially, midveins being often black at midribs. Male flowers: the calyxes are spathelike connate, 3-lobed, 1.3–1.9 mm long, glabrous or abaxially hairy at apex; there are 3 corolla lobes, ovate to oblong, each one has 1 black or brown gland, with shortly pilose at apex, distal ones being slightly larger, sometimes sparsely pilose adaxially; there are 6 stamens, and antipetalous filaments are slightly longer, anthers being white, milky white to pale yellowish brown. Female flowers: there are 2 sepals, rarely 3, linear, blackish; the lateral sepals are 1–1.7 mm long, middle sepals being absent or 0.1–1.0 mm long, with several long hairs on the abaxial side and margins; the petals are absent; the ovaries are 3-loculed; the stigmas are 3 branched, shorter than styles. The seeds are ovoid-globose. The flowering period is from June to August. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on field and ditches. Distribution: It’s distributed in Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Shaanxi of China, as well as in India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, Japan, and Australia. Acquisition and Processing: The capitula or whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The capitula of this product are hemispherical, 4–5mm in diam. There are many layers of closely arranged basal bracts which are yellowish green and glossy, densely white pilose on the upper margins. The inflorescence is gray white apically. When the inflorescence is crushed, there are many black anthers and small, yellow green immature fruits. The involucral bracts are slender, of varying lengths, less than 1 mm in diam., yellowish green, with several twisted ridges. It is soft in texture, slightly odored, and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of liver and lungs. Functions: Curing inflammation, promoting diuresis, clearing the liver and eye, dispelling wind and heat, brightening eyes, and removing nebula; it’s often used for treatment of wind-heat headache, conjunctivitis, epistaxis, and toothache. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

61

1.29 Family: Eriocaulaceae 1.29.1 Eriocaulon sexangulare Chinese Name(s): hua nan gu jing cao, gu jing zhu Source: This medicine is made of the inflorescence or whole plants of Eriocaulon sexangulare (Eriocaulon sexangulare Linn. [E. wallichianum Mart.]) Morphology: The plants are herbs. The leaves are caespitose, linear, 10–37 cm long and 4–13  mm wide, apically obtuse, rather thick, 15–37-veined. There are 5–20 scapes, sometimes up to 60 cm in length, twisted, 4–6-ribbed; the sheathlike bracts are 4–12 cm long, obliquely lobed at the mouth; the lobes are grasslike. The inflorescences are subglobose when mature, not compressed, glaucous, 6.5 mm in diam., basally truncate. The involucral bracts are obovate, straw-colored, spreading, thickly membranous, 2.2–2.4 mm in diam., adaxially white short pilose, margins being glabrous. The receptacles are glabrous. The bracts are obovate to obovate-­ cuneate, 2–2.5  mm in diam., white short hairs at distal back. Male flowers: the calyxes are connate, spathelike, proximally deeply lobed and half lobed, apically 2(–3)-lobed, sometimes truncate and indehiscent at apex, 2 lateral ones are winged, irregularly dentate at winged ends, glabrous; the corollas are 3-lobed, lobes being linear, each one often has 1 indistinct gland, lobes being shortly pilose at apex; there are 6 stamens, occasionally 5 or 4; the anthers are black. Female flowers: there are 3 sepals, rarely 2, glabrous, 2 lateral lobes, cymbiform, 2–2.3 mm long, with broad abaxial wings; the ends of wings are dentate; the middle sepals (proximal sepals) are smaller, wingless, 1.7–2.5  mm long, linear, orbicular to dichotomous, even reduced entirely; there are 3 membranous, linear petals; the middle petal (distal petal) is slightly larger, each one has 1 pale brown, indistinct gland near apex, with white short hairs at apex, sometimes villous in distal half on lateral sides; the ovaries

62

H. Ye et al.

are 3-loculed; the stigmas are 3 branched, flattened. The flowering and fruiting periods are from summer and autumn to winter. Habitat: It grows in wet places in ravines and rice fields. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, and Guangxi of China, as well as in India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Acquisition and Processing: The inflorescence or whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of liver and lungs. Functions: Dispersing wind and fire, curing inflammation, brightening eyes, and removing nebula; it’s a key ophthalmic medicine which is often used for treatment of red and swelling of eyes, blurred eyes, photophobia and eye streaming, all kinds of hectic diseases, wind-heat cold, sore throat, dysuria, strangury, and turbidity of urine. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

63

1.30 Family: Musaceae 1.30.1 Musa basjoo Chinese Name(s): ba jiao Source: This medicine is made of the roots of Musa basjoo (Musa basjoo Sieb.). Morphology: The plants are large herbs, 2.5–4 m tall. The leaf blades are oblong, 2–3 m long and 25–30 cm wide, apically obtuse, basally orbicular or asymmetric, adaxially bright green, shiny. The petioles are thick, up to 30  cm in length. The inflorescences are terminal, pendulous. The bracts are reddish brown or purple. The male flowers are borne at distal inflorescence; the female flowers are borne at proximal inflorescence. There are ca. 10–16 female flowers per bract, in 2 rows. The compound tepals are 4–4.5  cm long, 5-denticulate; the free petals are subequal

64

H. Ye et al.

compound ones, apically mucronate. The berries are trigonous, oblong, 5–7  cm long, 3–5-angled, subsessile, fleshy, with numerous seeds included. The seeds are black, tuberculate and irregularly angled, 6–8 mm wide. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: It originated from the Ryukyu Islands in Japan and cultivated in provinces and regions south of Qinling Mountains-Huaihe River. Acquisition and Processing: The roots are dug up all year round, dried in the sun, or used when fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste, cool in property, and non-poisonous. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving thirst, and promoting diuresis; it is used for the treatment of acute febrile infectious diseases, vexation, thirst, jaundice, edema, beriberi, hematuria, metrorrhagia, carbuncle, furuncle, and erysipelas. Use and Dosage: 25–50 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied.

1  Medicinal Angiosperms of Hydrocharitaceae, Alismataceae, Potamogetonaceae…

65

66

H. Ye et al.

References 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 212) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Xie ZW et al. Compilation of the national Chinese herbal medicine, Vol. 2: 2106 [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 1975. 3. Xie ZW et al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 1: 818 [M]. Beijing: People’s Medical Publishing House, 1975.

Chapter 2

Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 2.1  F  amily: Zingiberaceae 2.1.1  Alpinia blepharocalyx 2.2  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.2.1  Alpinia bracteata 2.3  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.3.1  Alpinia conchigera 2.4  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.4.1  Alpinia galanga 2.5  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.5.1  Alpinia hainanensis 2.6  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.6.1  Alpinia intermedia

   70    70    73    73  75  75  77  77  80  80  84  84

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_2

67

68

H. Ye et al.

2.7  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.7.1  Alpinia japonica 2.8  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.8.1  Alpinia kwangsiensis 2.9  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.9.1  Alpinia maclurei 2.10  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.10.1  Alpinia nanchuanensis 2.11  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.11.1  Alpinia oblongifolia 2.12  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.12.1  Alpinia officinarum 2.13  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.13.1  Alpinia oxyphylla 2.14  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.14.1  Alpinia pumila 2.15  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.15.1  Alpinia sichuanensis 2.16  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.16.1  Alpinia stachyoides 2.17  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.17.1  Alpinia zerumbet 2.18  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.18.1  Amomum austrosinense 2.19  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.19.1  Amomum chinense 2.20  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.20.1  Amomum compactum, Amomum kravanh 2.21  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.21.1  Amomum villosum, Amomum villosum var. xanthioides, Amomum longiligulare 2.22  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.22.1  Amomum maximum 2.23  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.23.1  Amomum muricarpum 2.24  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.24.1  Amomum para-tsaoko 2.25  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.25.1  Amomum tsao-ko 2.26  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.26.1  Costus speciosus 2.27  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.27.1  Costus tonkinensis 2.28  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.28.1  Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma kwangsiensis, Curcuma longa, Curcuma phaeocaulis, Curcuma wenyujin 2.29  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.29.1  Curcuma kwangsiensis, Curcuma phaeocaulis, Curcuma wenyujin

 87  87  89  89  91  91  94  94  96  96  99  99  104  104  107  107  109  109  112  112  115  115  117  117  120  120  122  122  128  128  136  136  139  139  142  142  146  146  150  150  154  154  156  156  169  169

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae 2.30  Family:Zingiberaceae 2.30.1  Globba racemosa 2.31  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.31.1  Hedychium coronarium 2.32  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.32.1  Kaempferia galanga 2.33  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.33.1  Kaempferia rotunda 2.34  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.34.1  Stahlianthus involucratus 2.35  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.35.1  Zingiber atrorubens 2.36  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.36.1  Zingiber cochleariforme 2.37  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.37.1  Zingiber mioga 2.38  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.38.1  Zingiber longyejiang 2.39  Family: Zingiberaceae 2.39.1  Zingiber officinale 2.40  Family: Cannaceae 2.40.1  Canna generalis 2.41  Family: Cannaceae 2.41.1  Canna indica 2.42  Family: Marantaceae 2.42.1  Phrynium rheedei References

69  175  176  178  178  180  180  182  182  185  185  187  187  190  190  192  192  194  194  198  198  202  202  204  204  206  206  208

This chapter introduces 51 species of medicinal plants in 3 families, mainly including Alpinia blepharocalyx, Alpinia bracteata, Alpinia galanga, Alpinia hainanensis, Alpinia intermedia, Alpinia maclurei, Alpinia oblongifolia, Alpinia officinarum, Alpinia oxyphylla, Amomum austrosinense, Amomum chinense, Amomum compactum, Amomum kravanh, Amomum villosum, Amomum villosum var. xanthioides, Amomum longiligulare, Amomum maximum, Amomum muricarpum, Amomum para-tsaoko, Amomum tsao-ko, Costus speciosus, Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma kwangsiensis, Curcuma longa, Globba racemosa, Hedychium coronarium, Kaempferia galanga, Kaempferia rotunda, Stahlianthus involucratus, Zingiber officinale of Zingiberaceae, Canna generalis, Canna indica of Cannaceae, and Phrynium rheedei of Marantaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

70

H. Ye et al.

2.1 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.1.1 Alpinia blepharocalyx Chinese Name(s): yuan nan cao kou, xiao cao kou. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Alpinia blepharocalyx (Alpinia blepharocalyx K. Schum.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 1–3 m tall. The leaf blades are lanceolate or oblanceolate, 45–60  cm long and 4–15  cm wide, apically mucronate, basally attenuated, adaxially dark green, glabrous, abaxially pale green, densely villous. The petioles are up to 2 cm long. The ligules are ca. 6 mm long, apically villous. The racemes are pendent, 20–30 cm long; the peduncles are hirsute. The bracteoles are elliptic, 3–4 cm long, dry and brittle, sparsely villous or glabrescent, enclosing 1 flower bud, deciduous after anthesis. The small pedicels are 4–8 mm long, slightly elongated when fruiting. The calyxes are ellipsoid, 2–2.5 cm long, 3-denticulate at apex, cleft to nearly the base on one side, ciliate at apexes and margins. The corollas are flesh-colored, tubers being ca. 1 cm long, pubescent at throats. The posterior 1 corolla lobe is suborbicular, ca. 2 cm wide; 2 lateral lobes are broadly lanceolate, 2–2.5 cm long. The lateral staminodes are subulate, 6–7 mm long. The labella are ovate, 3–3.5 cm long and ca. 3 cm wide, red. The filaments are ca. 8 mm long. The anthers are 1.7 cm long. The ovaries are oblong, densely tomentose. The fruits are ellipsoid, ca. 3 cm long and 2 cm wide, hairy. The seeds are globose, 1.2–1.6 cm in diam., grayish yellow to dark brown at surfaces. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from July to December. Habitat: It grows in dense forests or thickets on mountains. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan, as well as in Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispelling cold and drying dampness, warming the stomach, and stopping vomiting; it’s often used for treatment of cold dampness stagnation in the spleen and stomach, abdominal distension and pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and so on. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

71

72

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

73

2.2 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.2.1 Alpinia bracteata Chinese Name(s): lv bao shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia bracteata (Alpinia bracteata Roxb.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with rhizomes. The plants are often no more than 1 m tall. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 15–40 cm long and 3–5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuated, adaxially tomentose, rarely glabrous. The petioles are up to 2 cm in length. The ligules are short and obtuse, glabrous; the leaf sheathes are pubescent. The racemes are 8–20 cm long; the peduncles are densely golden coarsely villous. The bracteoles are green, elliptic, 1.8–2.2 cm long, margins being involute, including the flower bud, pubescent outside; the small pedicels are 2–4 mm long, golden coarsely villous. The calyxes are ellipsoid, 0.8–1.2 cm long, glabrous, ~2-lobed at apex, and cleft on one side. The corolla tubes are ca. 8 mm long, lobes being oblong, 1.8–2.2 cm long, ciliate, purely white. The lateral staminodes are subulate. The labella are ovate, 2–3 cm long, purplish red. The ovaries are golden villous. The capsules are globose, 1.5–2 cm in diam., red, scabrid. There are numerous seeds. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in humid places in forests, on an altitude range of 750–1600 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, as well as in India. Acquisition and Processing: The roots are dug up all year round, washed, dried in the sun, or used when fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property.

74

H. Ye et al.

Functions: Strengthening the stomach and dispersing cold, relieving asthma, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of cold pain of the stomach, dyspepsia, stomach pain, cough and asthma of wind-cold type, rheumatic joint pain, irregular menstruation, injury, and so on. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

75

2.3 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.3.1 Alpinia conchigera Chinese Name(s): jie bian shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Alpinia conchigera (Alpinia conchigera Griff.) Morphology: The plants are herbs, caespitose, 1.2–2 m tall. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 20–30 cm long and 7–10 cm wide, apically acute, basally obtuse; the lateral veins are extremely distinct when dry, dense, pubescent except margins and adaxial midveins, and glabrous elsewhere. The petioles are 5–10  mm long. The ligules are entire on margins, ca. 5 mm long, tomentose or glabrous. The panicles are 20–30 cm long, often only 1–2-branched; the secondary branches are numerous and short, ca. 1.5  cm long, with 4–5 bracteoles. The bracteoles are funnelform, 3–4 mm long, obliquely truncate at the mouth. The flowers are arranged in cincinni; the small pedicels are 3–5 mm long. The calyxes are cupular, 3–4 mm long, pale green, 3-lobed. The corollas are white or pale bluish green, hairy outside; the corolla tubes are equally long as the calyxes, lobes being 5–7  mm long. The labella are

76

H. Ye et al.

obovate, 5 mm long, impressed, pale yellow or with pink and red streaks, base bearing a purple callosity covering corolla throat. The lateral staminodes are quadrate, 1.5 mm long, red; the filaments are slender, 5 mm long, pale yellow to pale red; the anthers are 2 mm long. The ovaries are glabrous, pyriform, bright green. The fruits are globose when fresh, oblong when dry, 0.8–1 cm wide, purplish red, with 3–5 seeds included, aromatic. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from September to December. Habitat: It grows in dense forests or sparsely shady places on mountain slopes on an altitude range of 620–1100 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, as well as in southern Asia to southeastern Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in autumn when mature, dried in the sun, and stored. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Invigorating the stomach and expelling pathogenic wind; it’s often used for treatment of cold stomach, abdominal pain, food stagnation, etc. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

77

2.4 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.4.1 Alpinia galanga [1] Chinese Name(s): hong dou kou, da gao liang jiang, nan jiang zi. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Alpinia galanga (Alpinia galanga (Linn.) Willd.). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are up to 2 m in height, rhizomes being tuberous, slightly aromatic. The leaf blades are oblong or lanceolate, 25–35 cm long and 6–10 cm wide, apically mucronate or acuminate, basally attenuated, glabrous on both surfaces or villous abaxially, margins being brown when dry. The petioles are short, ca. 6 mm long. The ligules are suborbicular, ca. 5 mm long; the panicles have numerous flowers, dense, 20–30 cm long; the peduncles are hairy; the branches are numerous and short, 2–4 cm long, with 3–6 flowers per branch. The bracts and bracteoles are late deciduous; the bracteoles are lanceolate, 5–8 mm long. The flowers are white, odored. The calyxes are tubular, 6–10 mm long, persistent when fruiting. The corolla tubes are 6–10  mm long; the lobes are oblong, 1.6–1.8 cm long. The lateral staminodes are denticulate to linear, purple, 2–10 mm long. The labella are obovate-spatulate, 2  cm long, white with red lines, deeply 2-cleft. The filaments are ca. 1 cm long; the anthers are ca. 7 mm long. The fruits are oblong, 1–1.5 cm long and ca. 7 mm wide, slightly contracted in the middle, reddish brown or purplish red, smooth or slightly rugose, thin, indehiscent, with 3–6 seeds included. The flowering period is from May to August. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in humid forests in mountain valleys or thickets and grasslands, on an altitude range of 100–1300 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Guangxi, Yunnan of China, as well as in tropical Asia.

78

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in autumn, dried in the sun, and stored. Medicinal Properties: The products are oblong spherical or elliptical spherical, with a slight contraction in the middle, 0.7–1.2  cm in length and 0.5–0.8  cm in diam. reddish brown or yellowish brown on the surface, often slightly irregularly and longitudinally wrinkled, seldom smooth. There is a yellowish white tubular persistent calyx at the apex, and a concave mark of fruit stalk at base. The pericarp is thin and fragile, often separated from the seed mass, and the inner surface is yellowish. There are 3–6 seeds, which are oblate or triangular, polyhedral, covered with yellowish white membranous aril. The arils on the back are not easily peeled. The testae are dark brown or reddish brown and glossy. The endosperms are grayish white. They are fragrant in smell, pungent, and spicy in taste. The products better in quality are large and plump, reddish brown, fragrant, and spicy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and spleen. Functions: Warming the spleen and stomach and dispersing cold, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of stomach cold pain, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, and abdominal distension and pain. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

79

80

H. Ye et al.

2.5 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.5.1 Alpinia hainanensis Chinese Name(s): cao dou kou. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Alpinia hainanensis (Alpinia hainanensis K. Schum [A. katsumadai Hayata]). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are up to 3 m in height; the leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, 50–65 cm long and 6–9 cm wide, apically acuminate with 1 short tip, basally attenuated, asymmetric on 2 surfaces, margins being hairy, glabrous on both surfaces, or rarely sparsely hirsute abaxially. The petioles are 1.5–2 cm long. The ligules are 5–8 mm long, hirsute outside. The racemes are terminal, erect, up to 20 cm long; the peduncles are pale green, hirsute. The small pedicels are ca. 3  mm long. The bracteoles are milky white, broadly elliptic, ca. 3.5 cm long, hirsute at base, gradually becoming glabrous upward. The calyxes are campanulate, 2–2.5 cm long, irregularly dentate at apex, and cleft on 1 side, ciliate or not, hairy outside. The corolla tubers are ca. 8 mm long; the margins of corolla lobes are slightly involute, ciliate. The lateral stamens are absent. The labella are triangular-ovate, 3.5–4 cm long, slightly 2-lobed at apex, marked with radiate, colored stripes from center to margin. The ovaries are hairy, ca. 5 mm in diam. The glands are ca. 1.5 mm long. The anther locules are 1.2–1.5 cm long. The fruits are globose, ca. 3 mm in diam., golden when mature. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from May to August. Habitat: It grows in sparse forests or dense forests on mountains. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, and Guangxi of China. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in autumn, dried in the sun, and stored. Medicinal Properties: The products are nearly spherical or ovate, slightly blunt trigonometry, about 1.5–2.7 cm in diameter, grayish brown or yellowish brown on the surface, slightly smooth, with yellowish white septum inside. The seed mass is divided into three petals, with 22–60 seeds in each of the petals, which are bound into a mass and are hard to scatter. The seeds are ovate polyhedron, 0.3–0.5 cm long and 0.3  cm in diameter, covered with light brown membranous transparent arils. The hilum is a concave point on the abaxial side. The raphe is a longitudinal groove, reaching the chalazal point through the abdomen. The endosperm is hard and grayish white. They are fragrant in smell, pungent, and spicy in taste. The products better in quality are large and plump, reddish brown, fragrant, and spicy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Drying dampness and invigorating the spleen, warming the spleen and stomach to dispersing cold, promoting circulation of Qi, removing dampness, and stopping vomiting; it’s often used for treatment of distending pain due to cold

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

81

in the stomach, nausea, acid regurgitation, anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by cold dampness. It can also relieve alcoholism and poisoning of fish and meat. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

82

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

83

84

H. Ye et al.

2.6 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.6.1 Alpinia intermedia Chinese Name(s): guang ye shan jiang, hong san qi, san qi, qi ye lian. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes and fruits of Alpinia intermedia (Alpinia intermedia Gagnep.) Morphology: The plants are herbs, erect. The plants are ca. 1 m tall. The leaf blades are oblong or lanceolate, 20–50 cm long and 5–12 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuated, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are up to 2.5 cm in length. The ligules are 5–6  mm long, dry membranous, ciliate. The panicles are 10–15  cm long and 2–4  cm wide, erect or pendent, glabrous. The branches are 8–13  mm long, with 3–4 flowers at apex per branch, aggregated. The bracts are similar to bracteoles, 7–10 mm long, early deciduous. The flowers are white; the calyxes are tubular, glabrous, crenate at apex. The corolla tubes are shorter than calyx tubes; the corolla lobes are subequal, glabrous. The lateral staminodes are trumpet-shaped. The labella are ovate, 1.8 cm long, apically acute, shortly 2-lobed, basally attenuated to petaloid stalks. The anthers are ovoid, pubescent. The glands are clavate, apically obtuse. The flowering time is in June. Habitat: It grows in thickets on mountains. Distribution: It’s distributed in Taiwan, in Guangdong of China, as well as in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round, sliced, and dried in the sun. The fruits are harvested in autumn when mature and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and spleen. Functions: Promoting circulation of Qi to relieve distension, promoting digestion to relieve food stagnation; it is often used for treatment of abdominal distension caused by deficiency cold or Qi stagnation in the center burner, as well as food accumulation and internal accumulation. Use and Dosage: 9–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

85

86

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

87

2.7 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.7.1 Alpinia japonica Chinese Name(s): shan jiang, tu sha ren. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia japonica (Alpinia japonica (Thunb.) Miq.). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are 35–70 cm tall. There are often 2–5 leaves; the leaf blades are lanceolate, oblanceolate, or narrowly long elliptic, 25–40 cm long and 4–7 cm wide, pubescent on both surfaces. The racemes are terminal, 15–30  cm long. The flowers are often paired; the calyxes are clavate, 1–1.2 cm long, apically 3-denticulate. There are 3 corolla lobes, oblong, ca. 1 cm long. The labella are ovate, ca. 6 mm wide, white with red stripes, margins being irregularly incised. There is 1 pistil, 1.2–1.4 cm long. The fruits are globose or ellipsoid, 1–1.5 cm in diam. The seeds are polygonal, camphorlike odored. The flowering period is from April to August. The fruiting period is from July to December. Habitat: It grows in wet places in forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn, dried in the sun, and stored. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and spleen. Functions: Dispelling wind, unblocking collaterals, regulating Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, injuries, toothache, and stomachache. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Rheumatic arthralgia: Alpinia japonica, Uncaria whole grass, Palhinhaea cernua, mulberry branch each 15  g, soaked in 500  g of liquor for 5 days. Take 15–30 g medicinal liquor every day, twice a day. 2. Injury caused by knocks and falls: Alpinia japonica root 30 g, Rubia cordifolia root 30 g, Sargentodoxa cuneata root 30 g, Achyranthes bidentata 9 g, Lycopus lucidus 9 g, soaked in 500 g of liquor. Take 15–30 g medicinal liquor every day. 3. Stomachache: Alpinia japonica root, Lindera aggregata, each 3–6 g, ground into powder, and taken with warm boiled water. 4. Rheumatism and muscle and bone pain: Alpinia japonica root 500 g, Zanthoxylum bungeanum fruit 30 g, Acanthopanax gracilistylus 150 g, decocted in water for oral use. 5. Cough caused by exogenous factors: Alpinia japonica root 9 g, mulberry bark 9 g, Imperata cylindrica 9 g, Perilla frutescens 6 g, decocted in water for oral use.

88

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

89

2.8 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.8.1 Alpinia kwangsiensis Chinese Name(s): chang bing shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Alpinia kwangsiensis (Alpinia kwangsiensis T. L. Wu & S. J. Chen). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 1.5–3 m tall. The leaf blades are oblong-­ lanceolate, 40–60 cm long and 8–16 cm wide, with spirally small tip at apex, basally attenuated or cordate, slightly oblique, adaxially glabrous, abaxially densely pubescent. The ligules are ca. 8 mm long, apically 2-cleft, hirsute. The petioles are 4–8 cm long. The racemes are erect, 13–30  cm long, slightly elongated when fruiting, 5–7 mm thick, densely yellow hirsute. The inflorescence is densely flowered; the small pedicels are ca. 2  mm long. The bracteoles are crustose involute, oblong, 3.5–4 cm long and ca. 1.5 cm (spreading 4 cm) wide, brown, apically 2-cleft, yellow hirsute at apexes and margins, persistent when fruiting. The calyxes are tubular, ca. 2 cm long and 7 mm wide, pale purple, apically 3-cleft, cleft on 1 side, yellow hirsute. The corollas are white; the corolla tubes are ca. 12 mm long and 5 mm wide. The corolla lobes are oblong, ca. 2 cm long and 14 mm wide, ciliate on margins. The labella are ovate, 2.5 cm long, white, adaxially tinged with red; the anthers and filaments are ca. 1 cm. The ovaries are oblong, ca. 5 mm long, densely yellow hirsute. The fruits are globose, ca. 2 cm in diam., sparsely villous. The flowering and fruiting periods are from April to June. Habitat: It grows in wet places in valley forests near sea level to 500 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun.

90

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and spleen. Functions: Dispelling cold and drying dampness, warming the stomach, and stopping vomiting; it’s often used for treatment of distending pain due to cold in the stomach, nausea, acid regurgitation, anorexia, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by cold dampness. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

91

2.9 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.9.1 Alpinia maclurei Chinese Name(s): jia yi zhi, hong kou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia maclurei (Alpinia maclurei Merr.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with rhizomes, 1–2 m tall. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 30–50  cm long and 8–10  cm wide, apically caudate-acuminate, basally attenuated, abaxially pubescent. The petioles are 1–5 cm long. The ligules

92

H. Ye et al.

are 2-cleft, 1–2 cm long, tomentose. The panicles are erect, 30–40 cm long, with numerous flowers, gray pubescent; the branches are 1.5–3 cm long, rarely longer. There are 3–5 flowers aggregated at apexes of branches. The bracteoles are oblong, cucullate, ca. 8  mm long, pubescent, caducous; the pedicels are extremely short. The calyxes are tubular, 6–10  mm long, pubescent, 3-denticulate at apex, teeth being suborbicular. The corolla tubes are 8–12 mm long, lobes being oblong, cucullate, 7–10  mm long. The lateral staminodes are ca. 5  mm long. The labella are oblong-ovate, 10–12 mm long and 6–7 mm wide, reflexed at anthesis. The filaments are ca. 1.4 mm long; the anthers are 3–4 mm long. The ovaries are ovoid, 1.5–1.8 mm in diam., tomentose. The fruits are globose, glabrous, ca. 1 cm in diam.; the pericarps are fragile. The flowering period is from March to July. The fruiting period is from May to October. Habitat: It grows in sparse or dense forests on mountains. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, as well as in Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round, washed, used when fresh, or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and spleen. Functions: Promoting circulation of Qi, relieving pain, dispelling dampness and reducing swelling, activating blood circulation, and unblocking collaterals; it’s often used for treatment of abdominal distension, vomiting, rheumatoid arthritis, stomachache due to Qi stagnation, injury caused by knocks and falls, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

93

94

H. Ye et al.

2.10 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.10.1 Alpinia nanchuanensis Chinese Name(s): nan chuan shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia nanchuanensis (Alpinia nanchuanensis Z. Y. Zhu). Morphology: The herbs are perennial; the stems are caespitose, 0.6–1.5 m tall. The rhizomes are extremely short. The leaf blades are narrowly lanceolate, 20–40 cm long and 2–6 cm wide, apically caudate, basally cuneate, margins being shortly ciliate. The ligules are up to 3 mm in length, obscurely 2-lobed. The leaf sheathes are puberulent. The spikes are erect, 5–15 cm long; the peduncles are puberulent; the total pedicels are absent. The involucral bracts are ovate to lanceolate, 4–9 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, apically acute, aristiform, rarely caudate, puberulent outside. The bracts are tiny; the flowers are often paired at proximal inflorescence, the upper ones are solitary. The pedicels are extremely short, ca. 1 mm long, glabrous. The calyxes are pale purplish red, 0.9–1.1  cm long, 3-denticulate, lobed on surface, puberulent outside. The corollas are puberulent outside; the tubes are 1.1–1.2 cm long; the lobes are oblong, 7 mm long and 4–5 mm wide, pale yellow, cucullate. The labella are obovate-oblong, 9  mm long and 6  mm wide, white with purplish red stripes. The stamens are 1–1.2 cm long; the connective appendages are absent. The ovaries are glabrous. The capsules are ellipsoid, 1–1.5  cm long and 5–9  mm in diam. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from November to December.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

95

Habitat: It grows in humid places in valley forests below sea level to 900 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Jingfuo Mountain of Chongqing in China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up from September to October and washed, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and spleen. Functions: Dispelling wind, unblocking collaterals, regulating Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, injuries, toothache, and stomachache. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

96

H. Ye et al.

2.11 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.11.1 Alpinia oblongifolia Chinese Name(s): hua shan jiang, shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia oblongifolia (Alpinia oblongifolia Hayata [A. chinensis (Retz.) Rosc.]) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are ca. 1 m tall. The leaves are lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 20–30 cm long and 3–10 cm wide, smooth and glabrous on both surfaces. The panicles are 15–30 cm long, shortly branched, 3–10 mm long, including 2–4 flowers. The flowers are white; the calyxes are tubular, 3-denticulate. The corolla tubes are slightly exserted, with 3 lobes, ca. 6 mm long; the labella are ovate, 6–7 mm long. There is 1 pistil, ca. 8 mm long. The fruits are globose, 5–8  mm in diam. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from June to December.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

97

Habitat: It grows in humid places below forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in southeastern and southwestern China, as well as in Vietnam and Laos. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical or massive, 7–10 cm long and 3–10 mm in diameter, many branched, grayish yellow or brownish yellow on the surface, with obvious rings and internodes of 3–10 mm. There are scalelike petiole residues, and fibrous root marks on the node. They are longitudinally wrinkled, attenuated on the top, hard and tough in texture, and not easily broken. The cross-­ sections are light yellow and fibrous. They are slightly fragrant in smell and slightly spicy in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and spleen. Functions: Relieving cough and asthma, dispersing cold and killing pain, removing dampness and wind, and relieving sores. It’s often used for treatment of cough and asthma caused by wind-cold, stomachache due to Qi stagnation, rheumatic joint pain, blood stasis caused by an injury, irregular menstruation, nameless swelling, and poisoning. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water or soaked in alcohol to take, or mashed for external application.

98

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

99

2.12 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.12.1 Alpinia officinarum [2] Chinese Name(s): gao liang jiang, feng jiang, xiao liang jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia officinarum (Alpinia officinarum Hance). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are 40–110 cm tall; the rhizomes are elongated, terete. The leaf blades are linear, 20–30 cm long and 1.2–2.5 cm wide, apically caudate, basally attenuated, glabrous on both surfaces, sessile. The

100

H. Ye et al.

ligules are thinly membranous, lanceolate, 2–3 cm long, sometimes up to 5 cm, not 2-cleft. The racemes are terminal, erect, 6–10 cm long; the peduncles are tomentose. The bracteoles are tiny, less than 1 mm long; the small pedicels are 1–2 mm long. The calyx tubes are 8–10 mm long, apically 3-denticulate, puberulent. The corolla tubes are slightly shorter than calyx tubes; the lobes are oblong, ca. 1.5 cm long; the posterior one is cucullate. The labella are ovate, ca. 2  mm long, white with red stripes. The filaments are ca. 1 cm long; the anthers are ca. 6 mm long. The ovaries are tomentose. The fruits are globose, ca. 1  cm in diam., red when mature. The flowering period is from April to September. The fruiting period is from May to November. Habitat: It grows in thickets on deserted slopes and sparse forests or is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, and Guangxi of China. Acquisition and Processing: The 4–5-year-old rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn. After the aboveground stems, fibrous roots, and residual scales are removed, they are washed, cut into segments of 5–6 cm, dried up in the sun, or dried to 60–70%, piled for 2 days, and then dried again until totally dry, which makes the quality better. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical, slightly curved, usually branched, 4–10  cm long, 1–1.5  cm in diam., brownish red to dark brown on the surface, with obvious grayish brown rings, fine longitudinal wrinkles, and round root marks on the lower side. They are tough and hard to break. The cross-sections are grayish brown to reddish brown, fibrous. The middle column accounts for 1/2–1/3 of the diameter. They are fragrant in smell, pungent, and spicy in taste. The products better in quality are plump, wrinkled, few branched, brownish red, aromatic, and pungent in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Warming the stomach, dispersing cold, promoting Qi circulation, relieving pain, and promoting digestion; it’s often used for treatment of cold in the spleen and stomach, stomach and abdomen cold pain, abdominal pain caused by cholera, acute gastroenteritis, as well as external treatment of sweat spots. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Epigastric cold pain: Alpinia officinarum and prepared Cyperus rotundus 60 g each, ground to fine powder and made into pills. Take 3  g each time, three times a day. 2. Chest and flank pain: Alpinia officinarum, Magnolia officinalis, Angelica sinensis each 9  g, Cinnamomum japonicum 3  g, ginger 6  g, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

101

102

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

103

104

H. Ye et al.

2.13 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.13.1 Alpinia oxyphylla [3] Chinese Name(s): yi zhi, yi zhi zi. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Alpinia oxyphylla (Alpinia oxyphylla Miq.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 1–3 m tall; the stems are caespitose; the rhizomes are short, 3–5 cm long. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 25–35 cm long and 3–6 cm wide, apically attenuated and caudate, basally suborbicular, margins being deciduous hispid. The petioles are short. The ligules are membranous, 2-cleft, 1–2 cm long, rarely longer, pale brown sparsely pilose. The racemes are all included in buds by galericulate involucral bracts, entirely deciduous after anthesis; the peduncles are shortly puberulent. The small pedicels are 1–2 mm long, cleft to middle on 1 side, apically 3-denticulate, pubescent outside. The corolla tubes are 8–10 mm long; the corolla lobes are oblong, ca. 1.8 cm long; the posterior one is slightly larger, white, sparsely pilose outside. The lateral staminodes are subulate, ca. 2 mm long. The labella are obovate, ca. 2 cm long, pinkish white with red stripes, apical margins being crisped. The filaments are ca. 1.2 cm long; the anthers are ca. 7  mm long. The ovaries are densely tomentose. The capsules are globose when fresh, fusiform when dry, 1.5–2 cm long and ca. 1 cm wide, pubescent; the pericarps have raised vascular stripes, with scars of calyx tubes at apex. The seeds are irregularly oblate, with pale yellow arils. The flowering period is from March to May. The fruiting period is from April to September. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in humid dense forests or sparse forests in the wild. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The mature fruits are harvested in summer and dried in the sun or over fire with the pedicels removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are ellipsoid, slightly pointed at both ends, 1.2–2  cm in length and 0.8–1.2  cm in diameter, grayish brown to dark grayish brown, and with 12–20 longitudinal protuberant ridges which are discontinuous on the surface. There are residual perianths at the top, and the pedicels at the base are removed, leaving inconspicuous residue of the petiole. The pericarps are thin, slightly tough, adhering to the seed, but can be torn longitudinally. The seeds are bound into a ball with septa in it, which divide the seed into three petals, with 8–12 seeds in each petal. The seeds are irregularly oblate, slightly obtuse, grayish brown or brown on the surface, with white endosperm inside if broken. They are slightly fragrant in smell and slightly pungent and bitter in taste. The large, plump, and aromatic ones are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and kidneys.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

105

Functions: Warming the spleen, strengthening the kidneys, stopping diarrhea, reducing secretion of saliva, and reducing urination; it’s often used for treatment of spleen deficiency, abdominal pain, diarrhea, excessive saliva, spermatorrhea due to kidney deficiency, enuresis, dribble after voiding, and frequent urination. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Distending pain, diarrhea, and excessive saliva: Alpinia oxyphylla, Atractylodes macrocephala, Codonopsis pilosula, Poria cocos 9  g each, Aucklandia lappa 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Enuresis: a. Alpinia oxyphylla and mantis egg case 9 g each, decocted in water for oral use. b. Alpinia oxyphylla and Lindera aggregata each 9 g, decocted in water for oral use.

106

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

107

2.14 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.14.1 Alpinia pumila Chinese Name(s): hua ye shan jiang, ai shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia pumila (Alpinia pumila Hook. f.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. There are no aerial stems; the rhizomes are horizontally creeping. There are 2–3 leaves clustered from rhizomes; the leaf blades are elliptic, oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, up to 15 cm in length and ca. 7 cm

108

H. Ye et al.

wide, apically acuminate, basally acute, adaxially green, deep green along veins, pale green elsewhere. The leaves are pale green abaxially, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are ca. 2  cm long. The ligules are shortly 2-cleft. The leaf sheathes are red. The racemes are borne from leaf sheathes; the peduncles are ca. 3 cm long. The flowers are paired in bracts; the bracts are oblong, ca. 1.2 cm long, late deciduous. The calyxes are tubular, 1.3–1.5  cm long, apically 3-denticulate, purplish red, pubescent. The corollas are white; the tubes are ca. 1  cm long; the lobes are oblong, obtuse, slightly longer than corolla tubes. The labella are ovate, ca. 1.2 cm long, apically shortly 2-cleft, reflexed, margins being coarsely serrate, white with red stripes. The lateral staminodes are subulate, 3–4 mm long; the anthers are 5–8 mm long; the filaments are 5–10 mm long. There are 2 glands, lanceolate, ca. 2 mm long, apically acute; the ovaries are sericeous; the fruits are globose, ca. 1 cm in diam., apex with persistent perianth of ca. 1 cm long. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from June to November. Habitat: It grows in humid places in forests or along streams. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Removing dampness and relieving swelling, promoting circulation of Qi, and reducing pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic arthralgia, stomachache, and injury. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

109

2.15 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.15.1 Alpinia sichuanensis Chinese Name(s): si chuan shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alpinia sichuanensis (Alpinia sichuanensis Z. Y. Zhu) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, ca. 1 m tall. The leaf blades are lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 20–30  cm long and 4–8  cm wide, apically finely caudate, basally attenuated, glabrous, except ciliate at apical margins. The petioles are 4 cm long. The ligules are ca. 2 mm long, 2-cleft, ciliate. The spikes are erect, 10–20 cm

110

H. Ye et al.

long; there are often 3 flowers clustered in peduncles; peduncles being tomentose; the bracteoles are tiny. The calyxes are tubular, apically 3-cleft, pubescent outside. The corolla tubes are equal to or slightly longer than the calyx tubes. The corolla lobes are oblong, 8–10 mm long, villous outside. The lateral staminodes are linear, ca. 2 mm long. The labella are obovate, 7–13 mm long, crisped, 2-cleft. The stamens are longer than labella; the anthers are 4 mm long. The ovaries are globose, hairy. The capsules are globose, 7–8 mm in diam., pubescent, with persistent calyx tubes at apexes. There are 5–6 seeds. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from June to November. Habitat: It grows in humid forests under forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up from September to October, washed, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, spleen, and stomach. Functions: Dispelling wind, unblocking collaterals, regulating Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, injuries, toothache, and stomachache. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Chronic coughing: Alpinia sichuanensis, Angelica dahurica, Lysimachia paridiformis 10 g each, soaked in 500 g of alcohol, 50 g per dose.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

111

112

H. Ye et al.

2.16 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.16.1 Alpinia stachyoides Chinese Name(s): mi bao shan jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Alpinia stachyoides (Alpinia stachyoides Hance). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, ca. 1 m tall. The leaf blades are elliptic-­ lanceolate, 20–40 cm long and 4–7 cm wide, apically acuminate, or finely caudate, basally attenuated, densely tomentose on margins and apexes; the petioles are 5–20 mm long. The ligules are 2-cleft, 0.4–1 cm long. The petioles, ligules, and

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

113

sheathes are tomentose. The spikes are terminal, 10–16 cm long; the peduncles are nearly absent, with 1 linear involucral bract at base, 8–9 cm long and 8–10 cm wide. The bracts are lanceolate or ovate, 1.5–2.5 cm long, dense. The bract has 3 bracteoles and 3 flowers. The bracteoles are lanceolate, 5–10  mm long; the bracts and bracteoles are densely tomentose, persistent when fruiting. The flowers are fragrant. The calyxes are tubular, 1–1.5 cm long, apically distinct 3-denticulate, tomentose outside. The corolla tubes are ca. 1.2 cm long; the lobes are oblong, ca. 6 mm long, impressed. The labella are rhomboid, ca. 7 mm long, ca. 5 mm wide in the middle, apically 2-lobed, margins being undulate, striped in the center. The filaments are ca. 5 mm long; the anthers are ca. 4 mm long. The stigmas are cupular, ciliate, exserted from anther locules. The fruits are globose, ca. 1 cm in diam., with persistent calyx at apex. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to August. Habitat: It grows in shady places in dense forests in valleys. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are dug up in summer and autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic arthralgia, cough, stomachache, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

114

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

115

2.17 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.17.1 Alpinia zerumbet Chinese Name(s): yan shan jiang, da cao kou, cao dou kou. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits and rhizomes of Alpinia zerumbet (Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt. et Smith). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, ca. 2–3 m tall. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 30–60  cm long and 5–10  cm wide, apically acuminate with a spiral mucro, basally attenuated, margins being pubescent, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are 1–1.5(–3) cm long. The ligules are 5–10 mm long, hairy outside. The panicles are racemose, pendent, up to 30 cm in length; the peduncles are purplish red, tomentose; the branches are extremely short, with 1–2(–3) flowers per branch. The bracteoles are elliptic, 3–3.5 cm long, white, apically pink, including flowers in bud, glabrous; the small pedicels are extremely short. The calyxes are subcampanulate, ca. 2 cm long, white, apically pink, cleft on 1 side, and dentate at apex. The corolla tubes are shorter than calyxes, lobes being oblong, ca. 3 cm long; the posterior one is rather large, milky white, apically pink. The labella are broadly ovate-spatulate, 4–6 cm long, apically crisped, yellow with purplish red stripes. The lateral staminodes are subulate, ca. 2 cm long. The stamens are ca. 2.5 cm long. The ovaries are golden yellow hirsute. The glands are ca. 2.5  mm long. The capsules are ovoid-­ globose, ca. 2 cm in diam., sparsely hirsute, with distinct stripes, often with persistent calyxes at apex, vermilion when mature. The seeds are angled. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from July to October. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in shady forests in the wild. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in southeastern and southwestern China. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits and rhizomes are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and astringent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Drying dampness and dispersing cold, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of epigastric cold pain, dyspepsia, vomiting, diarrhea, and malaria. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

116

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

117

2.18 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.18.1 Amomum austrosinense Chinese Name(s): hua nan dou kou, san ye dou kou, hua nan dou kou, zuan gu feng, gong tian zhui. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Amomum austrosinense (Amomum austrosinense D. Fang). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, ca. 50 cm tall. There are 1–3 leaves, often 2. The leaf sheathes are striate. The ligules are 2-lobed, 3–6 mm long, puberulent. The petioles are 0.5–5 cm long, puberulent. The leaf blades are narrowly elliptic or

118

H. Ye et al.

oblong, rarely ovate to oblanceolate, 10–40 cm long and 3.5–11 cm wide, puberulent along midveins, glabrous elsewhere, basally cuneate to broadly cuneate, sometimes oblique, densely ciliate on margins, apically acuminate. The panicles are 3–6  cm long; the peduncles are 4–6  cm long. The bracts are obovate or oblong, 1.2–1.5 cm long; with 1 or 2 flowers. The bracteoles are absent. The calyxes are white at base, purple in the distal part, ca. 1.6 cm long, puberulent, apically 3- or 4-denticulate. The corolla tubes are ca. 1.8 cm long, puberulent. The lobes are white tinged reddish, oblong, ca. 1.5 cm long and ca. 5 mm wide. The lateral staminodes are red, linear, 5–6  mm long. The labella are white with red lines, obovate, ca. 1.3  cm long and 9  mm wide; the anthers are red, 8–9  mm long. The connective appendages are 2-lobed, small. The ovaries are densely pubescent. The capsules are globose, 0.8–1.4  cm in diam., red pubescent, with persistent calyx at apex. The flowering time is in June. Habitat: It’s cultivated and grows in shady forests in the wild. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits and rhizomes are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and astringent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Drying dampness and dispersing cold, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of chest and abdomen fullness and stuffiness, nausea, vomiting, and food stagnation. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

119

120

H. Ye et al.

2.19 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.19.1 Amomum chinense Chinese Name(s): hai nan jia sha ren, sha ren, hai nan tu sha ren. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Amomum chinense (Amomum chinense Chun ex T. L. Wu). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 1–1.5 m tall. The rhizomes are elongated, prostrate, with sheathlike scales at nodes. The leaf blades are oblong or elliptic, 15–30 cm long and 4–8 cm wide, apically caudate-acuminate, basally acute, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are 0.5–1 cm long. The ligules are membranous, purplish red, slightly 2-lobed, glabrous, ca. 3 mm long. The leaf sheathes have distinct impressed veins. The peduncles are 5–10 cm long, often more or less elongated when fruiting. The scales are persistent, 1.2–2 cm long. The spikes are turbinate, ca. 3 cm in diam., including ca. 20 flowers. The bracts are ovate, 1–2 cm long, purple. The bracteoles are tubular, ca. 2 cm long. The calyx tubes are ca. 1.7 cm long, 3-denticulate apically, pilose basally, tinged red; the corolla tubes are slightly prominent; the lobes are oblanceolate, ca. 1.5  cm long, apically cucullate. The labella are white, deltoid-ovate, 1.5 cm long and ca. 1 cm wide, yellowish green on midveins, with purple veins on the sides; the petaloid stalks are 5–6 mm long. The anthers are ca. 6 mm long. The connective appendages are semiorbicular, apically emarginate, ca. 8 mm long and 4 mm wide. The ovaries are densely yellow pilose. The capsules are ellipsoid, 2–3 cm long and ca. 1.5 cm wide, pubescent and with flaky, branched spines, spines being 2–3  mm long. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hainan and cultivated in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Promoting circulation of Qi, invigorating the stomach, and helping digestion; it’s often used for treatment of stomach and abdomen pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, enteritis, dysentery, and fetal irritability. Use and Dosage: 6–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Spleen deficiency, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and cough with phlegm: Amomum chinense, Aucklandia, tangerine peel, licorice each 3  g, Pinellia ternata, Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos each 6 g, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

121

2. Abdominal distension and pain and food stagnation: Amomum chinense 4.5 g, Aucklandia lappa 3  g, Fructus aurantii 6  g, Atractylodes macrocephala 9  g, decocted in water for oral use.

122

H. Ye et al.

2.20 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.20.1 Amomum compactum, Amomum kravanh Chinese Name(s): zhao wa bai dou kou, bai dou kou, dou kou, sha ren. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Amomum compactum (Amomum compactum Soland. ex Maton) and Amomum kravanh (Amomum kravanh Pierre ex Gagnep.) Morphology: A: Amomum compactum. The herbs are perennial, 1–1.5 m tall; the rhizomes are elongated; the leaf sheathes are red on basal stems. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 25–50 cm long and 4–9 cm wide, apically caudate, 2.5–3 cm long, glabrous on both surfaces except ciliate marginally, sessile. The ligules are 2-cleft, orbicular, 5–7 mm long, sparsely villous at first, deciduous, and only sparsely ciliate

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

123

after anthesis. The mouths of leaf sheathes are glabrous. The spikes are columnar, ca. 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, gradually elongated after anthesis. The peduncles are up to 8 cm in length. The bracts are ovate-oblong, 2–2.5 cm long and 7–10 mm wide, straw-colored, longitudinally striate and ciliate, persistent. The bracteoles are tubular, apically 3-lobed, hairy. The calyx tubes are equally long as the corolla tubes, 1–1.2 cm long, hairy. The corollas are white or slightly pale yellowish; the lobes are oblong, ca. 8  mm long. The labella are elliptic, 15–18  mm long and 1–1.5 mm wide, slightly impressed, pale yellow, with purplish tinged orangish red midvein, hairy, without lateral staminodes. The filaments are hairy at base. The anthers are ellipsoid, ca. 2 mm long. The connective appendages are 3-lobed, ca. 4 mm long. There are 2 nectaries, yellowish brown, subcolumnar, ca. 2 mm long. The ovaries are villous. The fruits are oblate, 1–1.5 cm in diam., 9-grooved when dry, sparsely villous, pale yellow when fresh. The seeds are irregularly polyhedral, ca. 4 mm wide. The grooves of seeds are conspicuous. The flowering period is from February to May. The fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: Originating from Indonesia, it’s cultivated in provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan.

124

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

125

126

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B: Amomum kravanh. The herbs are perennial. The stems are caespitose; the plants are up to 3 m in height. The basal leaf sheathes are green. The leaves are 2-rowed; the leaf blades are ovate-lanceolate, ca. 60 cm long, apically caudate, smooth and glabrous on both surfaces, subsessile. The ligules are orbicular, 7–10 mm long. The mouths of leaf sheathes and ligules are densely hirsute. The spikes are borne from rhizomes of basal stems; the inflorescences are columnar, 8–11 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, with densely imbricate bracts. The bracts are triangular, 3.5–4 cm long, straw-yellow, distinctly squared reticulate. The calyxes are tubular, 3-denticulate at apex. There are 3 corolla lobes, white, long elliptic, ca. 1 cm long. The labella are elliptic, ca. 1.5 cm long, yellow in the center, impressed, yellowish brown on margins. There is 1 pistil, fertile; the connective appendages are 3-lobed. The ovaries are villous. The capsules are subglobose, ca. 1.6 cm in diam., white or pale yellow, slightly obtuse 3-angled, shallowly 7–9-grooved, with numerous elevated longitudinal lines, yellow hirsute at apex and base, easily dehiscent and 3-valved. The seeds are irregularly polyhedral, seeds being aggregated, ca. 3–4 mm in diam., dark brown, fragile. The flowering time is May. The fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It’s cultivated in shady forests. Distribution: Originating from Cambodia and Thailand, it’s cultivated in provinces of Guangdong and Yunnan.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

127

128

H. Ye et al.

Medicinal Properties: Amomum compactum. The products are nearly spherical, 1.2–1.8 cm in diameter, yellowish white to yellowish brown on the surface, with 7–9 shallow grooves, 3 of which being deeper. Apically, there are protruding style residues, and basally, there are concave fruit stalk marks. They are yellowish villious on both ends and the grooves. The pericarps are brittle and easy to crack longitudinally. The fruits are divided into three chambers, each containing about 7–10 seeds. The seeds are irregular polyhedron, slightly raised abaxially, 3–4  mm in diameter, dark brown on the surface and wrinkled. They are fragrant in smell, pungent in taste, and cool like camphor. Cardamom javanica: The products are slightly smaller than Amomum compactum, yellowish white on surface, sometimes slightly purplish brown, with thin peel and thin seeds. The smell is also weaker than that of the Amomum compactum. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and astringent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, spleen, and stomach. Functions: Improving appetite and promoting digestion, drying dampness and dispersing cold, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of obstruction of dampness and turbidity in the center burner, loss of appetite, beginning stage of damp-warm syndrome, choking of the chest, dysphagia, retching due to cold and wet, chest and abdominal distending pain, as well as indigestion. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Better put in water after boiling. Prescription Example(s): 1. Stomachache and vomiting after eating: Amomum compactum 3, pounded, sifted, and grounded to fine powder, taken with two to three cups of warm alcohol. 2. Chronic belching due to cold in the stomach: Amomum compactum, Aquilaria sinensis, Perilla frutescens each 3  g, grounded to fine powder. Take 2  g each time, with decoctum of persistent calyx of Diospyros kaki. 3. Children spitting up due to stomach cold: Amomum compactum 14, raw licorice, prepared licorice 6 g each, Amomum villosum 14, ground together into fine powder and put into the children’s mouth often.

2.21 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.21.1 Amomum villosum, Amomum villosum var. xanthioides, Amomum longiligulare Chinese Name(s): sha ren, hai nan sha ren, lv ke sha, chun sha ren, yang chun sha ren. Source: This medicine is made of the mature fruits of Amomum villosum (Amomum villosum Lour.), Amomum villosum var. xanthioides (Amomum villosum

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

129

Lour. var. xanthioides (Wall. ex Bak.) T. L. Wu & Senjen), and Amomum longiligulare (Amomum longiligulare T. L. Wu). Morphology: A: Amomum villosum. The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are procumbent above ground. The stems are diffuse. The leaf blades are lanceolate or linear, 25–37 cm long, apically caudate, basally suborbicular, smooth and glabrous on both surfaces, sessile or subsessile. The ligules are semiorbicular. The leaf sheathes have slightly impressed, reticulate squares. The spikes are borne from rhizomes, ellipsoid. The peduncles are 4–8 cm long. The bracteoles are tubular. The corolla tubes are 1.8 cm long, with 3 lobes, white, apically 2-lobed, revolute, with yellow, small tips, prominent on midveins, yellow tinged purplish red. There is 1 pistil, connective appendages being 3-lobed. The capsules are ellipsoid, 1.5–2 cm long, purplish red when mature, brown after dry; the pericarps are soft spines. The seeds are polyhedral, strongly aromatic, bitter in taste, and cold in property. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in humid places in wild forests and is mainly cultivated. Distribution: It’s cultivated in provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and Yunnan.

130

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

131

Morphology: B: Amomum villosum var. xanthioides. It mainly differs from Amomum villosum and Amomum villosum var. xanthioides in that the capsules of Amomum villosum var. xanthioides are green when mature, and the soft spines of pericarps in Amomum villosum var. xanthioides are rather compressed. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in humid places in forests, on an altitude range of 600–800 m. Distribution: It’s cultivated in provinces of south Yunnan, as well as in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and India.

132

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

133

Morphology: C: Amomum longiligulare. The herbs are perennial. The plants are 1–1.5  m tall, with procumbent rhizomes. The leaf blades are linear or linear-­ lanceolate, 20–30 cm long and 2.5–3 cm wide, apically caudate-apiculate, basally attenuated, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are ca. 5 mm long. The ligules are lanceolate, 2–4.5  cm long, thinly membranous, glabrous. The peduncles are 1–3  cm long, with persistent scales ca. 5  mm long. The bracts are lanceolate, 2–2.5 cm long, brown; the bracteoles are ca. 2 cm long, including calyx tubes; the calyx tubes are 2–2.2 cm long, white, apically 3-denticulate. The corolla tubes are slightly longer than calyx tubes; the lobes are oblong, ca. 1.5 cm long. The labella are orbicular-spatulate, ca. 2 cm in length and width, white, with elevated, 2-lobed yellow tips at apex, prominent at midveins, purple. The stamens are ca. 1 cm long; the connective appendages are 3-lobed; the apical lobes are semiorbicular, suborbicular on 2 surfaces. The capsules are ovoid-globose, obtusely 3-angled, 1.5–2.2 cm long and 0.8–1.2 cm wide, with flaky, branched, short soft spines, less than 1 mm. The seeds are purplish brown, with pale brown, membranous arils. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from June to September. Habitat: It grows in dense forests in valleys or is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in the province of Hainan and cultivated in Guangdong.

134

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

135

136

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in summer and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: Amomum villosum: elliptical to ovate, with 3 obtuse edges, 1.5–2 cm in length and 1–1.5 cm in diameter, brown or purplish red and with dense spiny protuberances on the surface. Apically, there are perianth residues, and basally there are often fruit stalks. The pericarps are thin and soft and easy to tear off longitudinally, and the inner surface is slightly smooth and brown. The seeds are bound into a mass with 3 obtuse edges and a white septum in it. The seed mass is divided into 3 petals with 6–15 seeds in each petal. The seed is an irregular polyhedron, often angular, 2–3 mm in diameter, brownish red or dark brown on the surface, with fine wrinkles. The pseudotesta on the outer layer is light brown, membranous, and hard. The endosperms are grayish white. It is strongly aromatic, pungent, and cool and slightly bitter in taste. Amomum longiligulare: elliptical to ovate, with 3 obvious edges, 1.5–2  cm in length and 0.8–1.2 cm in diameter, covered with flaky and branching soft spines. On the base, there are fruit stalk marks. The pericarps are thick and hard. The seed mass is small, with 5–17 seeds per petal and the seeds are 1.5–2 mm long. It is slightly lighter in smell than the Amomum villosum. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Removing dampness and improving appetite, warming the spleen and stopping diarrhea, regulating Qi, and preventing miscarriage; it’s often used for treatment of obstruction of center burner due to dampness and turbidity, epigastric distension, spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, vomiting and diarrhea, pernicious vomiting, and fetal irritability. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Aphtha: Amomum villosum calcinated the surface over fire and ground to powder and sprinkled to the affected areas. 2. Toothache: chew Amomum villosum. 3. Edema all over the body as well as the scrotum: Amomum villosum, Gryllotalpa spp. 1, ground into powder and taken with alcohol. 4. Clinical diagnose and symptoms: metrorrhagia – Amomum villosum, stir-fried on new tile, ground to powder, and taken with rice soup, 10 g per dose.

2.22 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.22.1 Amomum maximum Chinese Name(s): jiu chi dou kou. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Amomum maximum (Amomum maximum Roxb.)

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

137

Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 2–3 m tall; the stems are caespitose. The leaf blades are long elliptic or oblong, 30–90 cm long and 10–20 cm wide, apically caudate-apiculate, basally attenuated, decurrent, adaxially glabrous, whitish green pilose on the back and petioles. The leaves are sessile or subsessile in proximal parts; the petioles of middle and distal leaves are 1–8  cm long. The ligules are 2-lobed, oblong, ca. 1.2–2 cm long, sparsely white pilose; the ligules are dry membranous on margins, pale yellowish green. The spikes are subglobose, ca. 5 cm in diam.; the scales are ovate. The bracts are pale brown, caducous, 2–2.5 cm long, pubescent. The calyx tubes are ca. 2.3 cm long, membranous; the tubes have pale purplish red stripes inside, 3-denticulate, lanceolate, ca. 5 mm long. The corollas are white; the corolla tubes are slightly longer than the calyx tubes; the lobes are oblong. The labella are ovate-orbicular, ca. 3.5  cm long, entire, slightly revolute at apex, white, yellow on each side of midvein, red striate at base. The filaments are short; the anthers are linear, 1–1.2 cm long; the connective appendages are crescent, pale yellow, slightly revolute at apex. The stigmas are ciliate. The capsules are ovoid-­ globose, 2.5–3 cm long and 1.8–2.5 cm wide, purplish green when mature, 3-cleft; the pericarps are distinctly 9-winged, sparsely white pubescent, and denser on wings, with persistent calyx at apex; the fruit pedicels are 7–10 mm long. There are numerous seeds, aromatic, gradually odorless when dry. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It grows in humid and shady places in mountain forests on an altitude range of 350–800 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in the province of southern Tibet, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, as well as in southern and southeastern Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Improving appetite, helping digestion, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of stomach and abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

138

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

139

2.23 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.23.1 Amomum muricarpum Chinese Name(s): you guo dou kou, niu gu suo sha. Source: This medicine is made of the buds and seeds of Amomum muricarpum (Amomum muricarpum Elmer.).

140

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: The herbs are perennial, diffuse; the pseudostems are 1.5–2.3 m tall. The rhizomes are robust. The leaf sheathes are green. The ligules are green, 6–9 mm long, entire, densely pubescent. The petioles are 5–12 mm long. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 20–35 cm long and 5–8 cm wide, smooth and glabrous on both surfaces, basally cuneate, apically caudate-acuminate. The racemes are borne from rhizomes (borne basally), ovoid, 5–8 cm in diam. The peduncles are 5–8 cm long; the scales are imbricate arranged; the proximal ones are smaller than distal ones. The bracteoles are tubular, pale brown, 2–2.5 cm long, cleft nearly to base on 1 side. The small pedicels are 4–6 mm long, yellowish white, densely pubescent. The calyxes are tubular, red, 2–2.5  cm long, obliquely lobed on 1 side, apically 2-denticulate, often brown perish at apex. The corolla tubes are 2.2–2.6 cm long, apically red, basally pale yellow; the corolla lobes are reddish yellow, with distinctly marked red stripes, oblong, 2–3.2 cm long. The lateral staminodes are subulate, red, 5–6 mm long, with sparsely short glandular hairs. The labella are apricot, with red lines and spots, obovate, 3–3.5 cm long, margins being crisped, apically 2-cleft, and lobes being shallowly 2-lobed. The anthers are pale yellow, 8–9 mm long; the connective appendages are semiglobose, entire, ca. 4  mm long and ca. 15 mm wide. The filaments are 12–14 mm long and ca. 2–3 mm wide, red below middle, distally white, densely short glandular pilose. The styles are linear; the stigmas are pale yellow, funnelform, glabrous. The ovaries are oblong, pale yellow, densely pubescent, ca. 3 mm long. The capsules are globose or ellipsoid, indehiscent, pale purplish red when young, dark purplish red when mature, 1.5–2.5 cm in diam., yellow tomentose; the spines are branched and fleshy, 0.5–1.1 cm long. The seeds are aromatic, blackish brown. Habitat: It grows in dense forests on an altitude range of 300–1000  m or is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in the province of Hainan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, as well as in the Philippines. Acquisition and Processing: The buds and seeds are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and astringent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Drying dampness and dispersing cold, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain. The buds are used for treatment of tuberculosis and the seeds for excessive gastric acid, stomach cold pain, abdominal pain during pregnancy, and fetal irritability. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

141

142

H. Ye et al.

2.24 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.24.1 Amomum para-tsaoko Chinese Name(s): ni cao guo. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Amomum para-tsaoko (Amomum para-tsaoko S. Q. Tong et Y. M. Xia).

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

143

Morphology: The herbs are erect, 1.5–3 m tall and 2.5–3 cm in diam. The leaf blades are narrowly oblong-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 38–83  cm long and 13–18 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally cuneate or narrowly cuneate, adaxially green, abaxially pale green, glabrous on both surfaces. The leaves are sessile. The ligules are entire, 2.5–3 cm long, pale brown, membranous, glabrous. The leaf sheathes are green, with conspicuous longitudinal stripes. The spikes are ovoid-­ globose or capitate, 4.5–6.5 cm long and 5–6 cm wide; there are 1–2 spikes borne from rhizomes; the peduncles are 2–4 cm long; the scales are pale brown, leathery, glabrous. The bracts are ovate or elliptic, 4.5–6 cm long and 5–5.5 cm wide, apically orbicular, leathery, glabrous. The calyxes are spathelike, 4–4.5 cm long, with 3 teeth at apex, membranous, white, glabrous. The corolla tubes are white, glabrous, lobes being lanceolate, subequal, not mucronate at apex, white, membranous, glabrous; the abaxial lobes are 2.5–3.3 cm long and 0.9–1.1 cm wide; the lateral lobes are 0.8–1.1 cm wide. The labella are elliptic, 3.2–4 cm long and 2–2.3 cm wide, white, with dense red spots in the center, with radiate lateral stripes, margins being crisped. The lateral staminodes are absent. The stamens are ca. 3 cm long; the filaments are ca. 1 cm long, white, glabrous; the anthers are linear, ca. 1.4 cm long, white, glabrous; the connective appendages are entire, white. The ovaries are nearly white, glabrous. The styles are linear, white, white pubescent; the stigmas are pale green, ciliate. The superior glands are linear, fleshy, unequal in length, apically verrucose prominent. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows in forests on an altitude range of 400–1600 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Xichou, Pingbian, Ma Lipo and other counties of Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested when premature and dried in the sun after removing the impurities. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Warming the stomach, promoting digestion and lowering Qi, drying dampness and dispelling cold, and preventing attack of malaria; it’s often used for treatment of malaria, phlegm and chest stuffiness of retained fluid, abdominal cold pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, food accumulation, heartache, food retention, diarrhea, vomiting, poor appetite, cough, phlegm, chest fullness, and abdominal distension. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

144

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

145

146

H. Ye et al.

2.25 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.25.1 Amomum tsao-ko Chinese Name(s): cao guo, cao guo ren, cao guo zi. Source: This medicine is made of the fruits of Amomum tsao-ko (Amomum tsao­ko Crevost et Lemaire). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, caespitose, 2–3 m tall, aromatic. The rhizomes are slightly gingerlike. The ligules are entire, 8–12 mm long, apically obtuse. The leaves are sessile or shortly petiolate. The leaf blades are narrowly elliptic or oblong, 40–70 cm long and 10–18 cm wide, glabrous, basally attenuated, margins being dry membranous, apically acuminate. The spikes are basal, with 5–30 flowers. The peduncles are up to 10 cm in length, with densely scalelike sheathes. The scales are leathery, oblong or narrowly elliptic, 5.5–7 cm long and 2–3.5 cm wide, apically orbicular. The bracts are lanceolate, ca. 4 cm long, apically acuminate. The bracteoles are tubular, ca. 3 cm long, 2- or 3-denticulate at ends. The calyxes are tubular, ca. 3 cm long, with 3 obtuse teeth at apex. The corolla tubes are ca. 2.5 cm long. The lobes are oblong, orangish yellow, ca. 2 cm long. The labella are elliptic, yellow or orangish yellow, 2.6–2.8 cm long and ca. 1.4 cm wide. The anthers are ca. 1.3 cm long; the connective appendages are 3-lobed, ca. 4 mm long and 9–11 mm wide; the central lobes are quadrilateral; the lateral ones are narrower. The capsules are oblong or ellipsoid, red, brown after dry, indehiscent, 2.5–4.5 cm long and ca. 2 cm wide, glabrous. The seeds are 4–6 mm in diam., strongly aromatic. Habitat: It grows in thickets near ditches and valleys. Distribution: It’s cultivated in Guangdong and grows in the wild in Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The fruits are harvested after the beginning of autumn, when turning grayish brown, and it is put in boiling water for about 2 min and then taken out and dried in the sun and then baked on low fire and stored. Medicinal Properties: The products are long elliptical, with three obtuse edges, 2–4 cm in length and 1–2.5 cm in diameter, grayish brown to reddish brown on the surface, with longitudinal grooves and ridges. Apically, there are round protuberant stylopodia, and basally, there are fruit stalks and their marks. The pericarps are tough and easily to be torn longitudinally. The seed mass was divided into 3 parts with 8–11 seeds per petal. The seeds are conic polyhedron, about 5 mm in diameter, reddish brown on the surface, covered with gray-white membranous arils. The raphe is a longitudinal groove, with concave hilum at the tip. The seeds are tough and the endosperms are gray white. They are especially aromatic, pungent in taste, and slightly bitter in taste.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

147

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Drying dampness and invigorating the spleen, removing phlegm, and preventing attack of malaria; it’s often used for treatment of phlegm and chest stuffiness due to retained fluid, abdominal pain, diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency, nausea, vomiting, and malaria. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Spleen and stomach deficiency and cold, nausea, and vomiting: Amomum tsao­ko 4.5 g, cooked aconite and ginger each 6 g, jujube 12 g, decocted in water for oral use.

148

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

149

150

H. Ye et al.

2.26 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.26.1 Costus speciosus Chinese Name(s): jiang shang lu, guang dong shang lu, shui jiao hua. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Costus speciosus (Costus speciosus (Koen.) Smith). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 1–3 m tall, nearly woody at base, often branched at apex, spirally twisted. The leaves are oblong or lanceolate, 15–20 cm long and 6–10 cm wide, apically acuminate or caudate-acuminate, basally suborbicular, adaxially densely sericeous. The spikes are terminal, ellipsoid or ovoid, 5–15 cm long. The bracts are ovate, leathery, red, 2 cm long, pubescent, with thickened and slightly sharp mucrones. The bracteoles are 1.2–1.5 cm long, pale red. The calyxes are leathery, red, 1.8–2  cm long, 3-lobed, tomentose when young. The

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

151

corolla tubes are short, ca. 1 cm long; the lobes are oblong-elliptic, ca. 5 cm long, white or red at apex. The labella are broadly trumpet-shaped, white, 6.5–9 cm long, dentate or crisped at apex. The stamens are petaloid, ca. 4.5 cm long and 1.3 cm wide, pubescent distally, white, orangish yellow at base. The capsules are slightly woody, ca. 1.3 cm long, red. The seeds are black, shiny, ca. 3 mm long. The flowering period is from July to September. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in humid places in sparse forests and valleys. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Guangxi, and Yunnan of China, as well as in tropical Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round. With the stems, leaves, and fibrous roots removed, they are washed, sliced when fresh, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are in compressed blocks, gingerlike, and slightly woody near the head. The cork is thin, smooth or with longitudinal wrinkles, grayish yellow or grayish brown, with visible rings and residual fine root marks. The products are mostly cut longitudinally, obliquely, or transversely, curly and shrunk, 4–7 cm in length and 3 mm in thickness. The cross-sections are grayish white or grayish yellow, with numerous scattered fiber bundles. They are light, loose and tough, not easily broken, slightly odored, bland, and slightly bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour and pungent in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little poisonous and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and kidneys. Functions: Promoting diuresis and relieving swelling, detoxicating, and relieving itching; it’s often used for treatment of pertussis, nephritis, edema, urinary tract infection, cirrhosis ascites, and dysuria, as well as for external treatment of urticaria, sores and furuncles, and otitis media. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are decocted in water for washing or fresh products are mashed and applied. The pregnant women and physically weak people should not use it.

152

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

153

154

H. Ye et al.

2.27 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.27.1 Costus tonkinensis Chinese Name(s): guang ye bi qiao jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Costus tonkinensis (Costus tonkinensis Gagnep). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 2–4 m tall. The old branches are often branched, spirally twisted when young. The leaf blades are obovate-oblong, 12–20 cm long and 4–8 cm wide, apically mucronate, basally attenuated or suborbicular, glabrous on both surfaces. The leaf sheathes include the stems. The spikes are distinctly arising from rhizomes, globose or ovoid, ca. 8 cm in diam. The peduncles are 4–13 cm long. The bracts are imbricate, oblong, 2.5–4.5 cm long, pubescent, purplish red at apex, with acute and hard tip. The bracteoles are 1–1.4 cm long, with hard tips. The flowers are yellow; the calyxes are tubular, ca. 3 cm long, subequal. The labella are trumpet-shaped, margins being crisped, 5–6 cm long, slightly constricted at base. The fertile stamens are pale yellow, ca. 3  cm long, petaloid, apically emarginate. The ovaries are trigonous. The capsules are globose, ca. 1 cm in diam. The seeds are black. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in humid places on mountain forests, 350–800 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Guangdong, and Guangxi, as well as in Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sour and pungent in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and kidneys. Functions: Promoting diuresis and relieving swelling, detoxicating, and relieving itching; it’s often used for treatment of liver cirrhosis ascites, urinary tract infection, muscle swelling and pain, scrotal swelling and pain, edema of nephritis, nameless swelling, and toxin. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

155

156

H. Ye et al.

2.28 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.28.1 Curcuma aromatica, Curcuma kwangsiensis, Curcuma longa, Curcuma phaeocaulis, Curcuma wenyujin Chinese Name(s): yu jin. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Curcuma aromatica (Curcuma aromatica Salisb.), Curcuma kwangsiensis (Curcuma kwangsiensis S.  G. Lee et C.  F. Liang), Curcuma longa (Curcuma longa Linn.), Curcuma phaeocaulis (Curcuma phaeocaulis Val.), and Curcuma wenyujin (Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling). (Rhizomes of this kind of plants are all called “e shu” in traditional Chinese medicine, and their rhizomes are called “Yujin,” but the pharmacological properties are different.) The rhizomes of Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma longa are called “Huangsi Yujin,” those of Curcuma phaeocaulis are called “Lvsi Yujin,” and those of Curcuma kwangsiensis are called “Gui Yujin.”

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

157

Morphology: A: Curcuma aromatica. The herbs are perennial. The plants are ca. 1 m tall; the rhizomes are fleshy and large, elliptic or long elliptic, yellow, aromatic; the ends of roots are dilated and fusiform. The leaves are basal, 30–60 cm long and 10–20  cm wide, apically finely caudate, basally attenuated, adaxially glabrous, abaxially pubescent. The petioles are nearly equal to leaves. The scape is solitary from rhizome, appearing with leaves or before leaves. The spikes are columnar, ca. 15 cm long and ca. 8 cm in diam.; the bracts with flowers are pale green, ovate, 4–5  cm long; the distal bracts without flowers are narrower, oblong, white with tinged purplish red, often mucronate at apex, hairy. The calyxes are sparsely pilose, 0.8–1.5 cm long, apically 3-lobed. The corolla tubes are funnelform, 2.3–2.5 cm long, hairy at the throat; the lobes are oblong, 1.5 cm long, white with pinkish red; the posterior one is rather large, apically mucronate, hairy; the lateral staminodes are pale yellow, obovoid-oblong, 1.5  cm long. The labella are yellow, obovate, 2.5 cm long, apically 2-lobed. The ovaries are villous. The flowering period is from April to June. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in wild forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in southeastern and southwestern China, as well as in southeastern Asia.

158

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B: Curcuma kwangsiensis. The herbs are perennial. The plants are 50–110 cm tall. The rhizomes are ovoid-globose. The ends of roots are fusiform. The leaves are basal, 2-rowed; the leaf blades are elliptic-lanceolate, 14–39 cm long and 4.5–7 cm wide or slightly wider, pilose on both surfaces, with purple bands on midveins or not. The scape is solitary arising from rhizome or terminal, appearing with leaves or after; the spikes are globose, ca. 15 cm long, the distal bracts without flowers are pink; the sterile bracts above middle are green. The corollas are white; the lateral staminodes and labella are pale yellow. There is 1 pistil. The ovaries are villous. The flowering period is from April to September. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in the wild in forests or on forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions from southeast to southwest of China, as well as in Southeast Asia.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

159

160

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: C: Curcuma longa. The herbs are perennial, 1–1.5 m tall; the rhizomes are well developed, caespitose, multibranched, ellipsoid or columnar, orangish yellow, extremely aromatic. The roots are robust, dilated to tubers at ends. There are 5–7 leaves per plant; the leaf blades are oblong or elliptic, 30–45(90) cm long and 15–18 cm wide, apically shortly acuminate, basally attenuated, green, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are 20–45 cm long. The scapes are arising from leaf sheathes; the peduncles are 12–20  cm long. The spikes are columnar, 12–18  cm long and 4–9 cm in diam. The bracts are ovate or oblong, 3–5 cm long, pale green, apically obtuse; the distal bracts without flowers are narrower, apically apiculate, spreading, white, tinged red on margins. The calyxes are 8–12 mm long, white, with 3 obtuse teeth, unequal, puberulent. The corollas are pale yellow; the tubes are up to 3 cm in length, distally dilated; the lobes are triangular, 1–1.5 cm long; the posterior ones are slightly larger, with thin tips. The lateral staminodes are shorter than the labella, forming a tube with filaments and labellum. The labella are obovate, 1.2–2 cm long, pale yellow, dark yellow in the middle; the anthers are glabrous; the

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

161

connective locules have 2 trumpet-shaped spurs at base. The ovaries are puberulent. The flowering time is in August. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in wild forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China and widely cultivated in southeastern Asia.

162

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

163

Morphology: D: Curcuma phaeocaulis. The plants are herbs, with perennial roots. The rhizomes are ovoid-terete tuberous, with columnar, horizontal branches on lateral sides; the root systems are slender, dilated to ovoid tubers at the tips. The leaf blades are oblong-elliptic or narrowly ovoid, 13–24 cm long and 7–11 cm wide, with purple cloud in the center of veins. The petioles are ca. 1/3 as long as blades, decurrent to a sheath; the auricles are small. The spikes are columnar, ca. 14 cm long, pedunculate, flower being dense. The bracts are ovate-orbicular; the apical bracts are spreading, bright red, without flowers in axils. The calyxes are white, with 3-obtuse-cleft. There are 3 corolla lobes; the distal one is larger, apically slightly cucullate; the labella are orbicular, pale yellow, apically 3-crenulate; the central lobes are emarginate. The capsules are ovoid-trigonous, smooth. The seeds are oblong, with arils. The flowering period is from March to May. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in wild forests or forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Taiwan, Yunnan, and Sichuan in China.

164

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

165

166

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: E: Curcuma wenyujin. The plants are herbs, with perennial roots, 80–120 cm tall. The rhizomes are long ovoid, with columnar, horizontal branches on lateral sides; the root systems are slender, dilated to ovoid tubers at the tips. The leaf blades are elliptic, glabrous, 35–75 cm long and 14–22 cm wide, apically acuminate or caudate-acuminate, basally cuneate, decurrent to petioles. The petioles are ca. 1/3 as long as leaf blade, decurrent to a sheath. The spikes are columnar, appearing before leaves that grow from rhizomes, 20–30 cm long, pedunculate, densely flowered. The coma bracts are long elliptic, 5–7 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, rosy red, without flowers in axils; the bracts below middle are long elliptic, 3–5 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, greenish white, apically obtuse or mucronulate, with several flowers in axils; often 1–2 flowers are opening. The calyxes are white, 3-denticulate. The corollas are white, with 3 lobes; the apical one is larger, apically slightly cucullate, hirsute near apex; the labella are obovate, reflexed, yellow, apically emarginate. There is 1 fertile stamen; the filaments are short and compressed; the anthers are spurred at base; the ovaries are sterile, densely villous; the styles are slender; the lateral staminodes are petaloid, yellow. The flowering period is from April to June. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows wild in sunny, humid places in gardens, ditches, or forest margins.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

167

Distribution: It’s distributed in the province of Zhejiang and cultivated in southern China.

168

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

169

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in winter or early spring, steamed in a pot, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: Curcuma wenyujin. The products are oblong or ovoid, slightly compressed, sometimes slightly curved, accuminate on both ends, 3.5–7 cm long and 1.2–2.5 cm in diameter, grayish brown on the surface, with irregular longitudinal wrinkles, which are lighter in color on the bulges. They are solid in texture, with grayish brown cross-section, horny, with obvious endodermis rings. It is slightly odored and tastes slightly bitter. “Huangsi Yujin”: The products are fusiform, 2.5–4.5 cm long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter, brownish gray and with fine wrinkles on the surface. The cross-section is orange yellow and the periphery is brown yellow to brownish red. It is fragrant in smell and pungent and spicy in taste. “Lvsi Yujin”:The products are oblong-ovate, relatively thick and strong, 1.5–3.5 cm long and 1–1.2 cm in diameter, slightly odored and bland in taste. “Gui Yujin”: The products are slender conic or oblong, 2–6.5 cm in length and 1–1.5 cm in diameter, with sparse and shallow longitudinal lines or rough reticular wrinkles on the surface, slightly odored and slightly pungent and bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, heart, and lungs. Functions: Promoting circulation of Qi and relieving depression, activating blood circulation and relieving pain, clearing heart fire and cooling blood, and normalizing the gallbladder to cure jaundice; it’s often used for treatment of chest pain and flank pain, angina pectoris, breast tenderness, distending pain of stagnation, abdominal pain due to blood stasis, hepatosplenomegaly, amenorrhea due to blood stagnation, fever, coma epilepsy, jaundice, and reddish urine. Use and Dosage: 6–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2.29 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.29.1 Curcuma kwangsiensis, Curcuma phaeocaulis, Curcuma wenyujin Chinese Name(s): e shu, mao e shu, gui e shu, shan jiang huang. Source: This medicine is made of the roots of Curcuma kwangsiensis (Curcuma kwangsiensis S. G. Lee et C. F. Liang), Curcuma phaeocaulis (Curcuma phaeocaulis Val.), and Curcuma wenyujin (Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Chen et C. Ling). (Roots of this kind of plants are all called “e shu” in traditional Chinese medicine, and their rhizomes are called “Yujin,” but the pharmacological properties are different.)

170

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: A: Curcuma kwangsiensis. The herbs are perennial. The plants are 50–110 cm tall. The rhizomes are ovoid-globose, white or slightly pale creamy yellow inside. The roots are fusiform at the tip. The leaves are basal, 2-rowed; the leaf blades are elliptic-lanceolate, 14–39 cm long and 4.5–7 cm wide or slightly wider, pilose on both surfaces, with or without purple bands on midveins. The scape is solitary arising from rhizome or terminal, appearing with leaves or after; the spikes are globose, ca. 15 cm long; the distal bracts without flowers are pink; the fertile bracts above middle are green. The corollas are white; the lateral staminodes and labella are pale yellow. There is 1 pistil. The ovaries are villous. The flowering period is from April to September. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in wild forests or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions from southeastern to southwestern China, as well as in southeastern Asia.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

171

Morphology: B: Curcuma phaeocaulis. The plants are herbs, with perennial roots. The rhizomes are ovoid-terete tuberous, with columnar, horizontal branches on lateral sides; the root systems are slender, dilated to ovoid tubers at the tip. The leaf blades are oblong-elliptic or narrowly ovoid, 13–24 cm long and 7–11 cm wide, with purple cloud in the center of veins. The petioles are ca. 1/3 as long as blades, decurrent to a sheath; the auricles are small. The spikes are columnar, ca. 14 cm long, pedunculate, flower being dense. The bracts are ovate-orbicular; the apical bracts are spreading, bright red, without flowers in axils. The calyxes are white, with 3 obtuse teeth. There are 3 corolla lobes; the distal 1 is larger, apically slightly cucullate; the labella are orbicular, pale yellow, apically 3-crenulate; the central lobes are emarginate at apex. The capsules are ovoid-trigonous, smooth. The seeds are oblong, with arils. The flowering period is from March to May. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows in wild forests or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Zhejiang, Yunnan, and Sichuan.

172

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

173

Morphology: C: Curcuma wenyujin. The plants are herbs, with perennial roots, 80–120 cm tall. The rhizomes are long ovoid, with columnar, horizontal branches on lateral sides; the root systems are slender, dilated to ovoid tubers at the tips. The leaf blades are elliptic, glabrous, 35–75 cm long and 14–22 cm wide, apically acuminate or caudate-acuminate, basally cuneate, decurrent to petioles. The petioles are ca. 1/3 as long as leaf blade, decurrent to a sheath. The spikes are columnar, appearing before leaves that arising from rhizomes, 20–30  cm long, pedunculate, densely flowered. The coma bracts are long elliptic, 5–7 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, rosy red, without flowers in axils; the bracts bellow middle are long elliptic, 3–5 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, greenish white, apically obtuse or mucronulate, with several flowers in axils; often 1–2 flowers are opening. The calyxes are white, 3-denticulate. The corollas are white, with 3 lobes; the apical one is larger, apically slightly cucullate, hirsute near apex; the labella are obovate, reflexed, yellow, apically emarginate. There is 1 fertile stamen; the filaments are short and compressed; the anthers are spurred at base; the ovaries are sterile, densely villous; the styles are slender; the lateral staminodes are petaloid, yellow. The flowering period is from April to June. Habitat: It’s cultivated or grows wild in sunny, humid places in field, in ditches, or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in the province of Zhejiang and cultivated in southern China.

174

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

175

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in winter or early spring. With the fibrous roots, rhizomes, and impurities removed, they are washed, steamed, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: Curcuma kwangsiensis. The products are ovoid to oblate, about 3–6  cm long and 1–3  cm in diameter, round or obtuse at base, attenuated upward, obtuse apically, brown or grayish brown, with obvious nodes and residual traces of fibrous roots, lateral rhizomes, and bud marks on the nodes. The lateral rhizomes are inserted below the middle. They are sturdy and heavy and hard to break. The cross-sections are light brown or yellowish green, horny, with a light brown fleshy annular layer. The cortexes are easily separable from the stele. The products are slightly fragrant and slightly bitter in taste. Those better in quality are firm and heavy, uniform in size, and without fibrous roots. Curcuma phaeocaulis: The produts are ovate or fusiform, about 3–5 cm in length and 1–3 cm in diameter, grayish yellow to brownish yellow and slightly wrinkled on the surface, with circular nodes and fibrous root traces on the nodes. It is hard to

176

H. Ye et al.

break. The cross-section is grayish brown to yellowish green, horny, glossy, with a yellow white ring and white veins. It’s slightly fragrant, slightly bitter, and pungent in taste. The products better in quality are uniform, solid in quality, and grayish brown on the cross-section. Curcuma wenyujin: The products are oblong-ovate, ovate or fusiform, 4–8 cm long and 2.5–4.5 cm in diameter, apically acute, basally acute or obtuse, grayish brown to dark brown on the surface, rough. The upper annular rings are protubrant. At the base, there are concave fibrous root marks, and the bud marks and lateral rhizome marks are not obvious, sometimes with knife cutting marks. They are hard and heavy, yellow brown or yellow gray on the cross-section, horny, with punctate or striate vascular bundles. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and spleen. Functions: Promoting circulation of Qi and relieving depression, cooling blood and resolving blood stasis, dispersing accumulations, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of chest and flank pain, food retention, abdominal distension, jaundice, hematemesis, dysmenorrhea, epilepsy, amenorrhea, trauma, cervical cancer, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2.30 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.30.1 Globba racemosa Chinese Name(s): wu hua jiang, bao gu jiang, jia luo jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Globba racemosa (Globba racemosa Smith). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are up to 1 m in height; the rhizomes are globose. The leaf blades are oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 12–20  cm long and 4–5 cm wide, apically caudate, basally mucronate, sparsely pilose or glabrous on veins on both surfaces, sessile or shortly petiolate. The ligules and mouths of leaf sheathes are ciliate. The panicles are terminal, 15–20 cm long; the bracts are caducous; the bracteoles are ca. 2 mm long. The flowers are yellow, with orange, glandular spots. The calyx tubes are funnelform, 4–5 mm long, apically 3-­denticulate. The corolla tubes are ca. 1 cm long, lobes being reflexed, ca. 5 mm long. The lateral staminodes are lanceolate, equal to corolla lobes. The labella are obcuneate, ca. 7 mm long, apically 2-lobed, reflexed, borne at slightly upper part of base of filaments; the filaments are 10–12 mm long; the anthers are ca. 4 mm long, without winged appendages on 2 lateral surfaces. The capsules are ellipsoid, ca. 1  cm in diam., without verrucate bulges. The flowering period is from June to September. Habitat: It grows in humid places in forests.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

177

Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions from southern to southwestern China, as well as in India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Invigorating the stomach and eliminating food stagnation; it’s often used for treatment of epigastric pain, loss of appetite, and dyspepsia. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

178

H. Ye et al.

2.31 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.31.1 Hedychium coronarium Chinese Name(s): jiang hua, lu bian jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium (Hedychium coronarium Koenig). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The stems are 1–2 m tall. The leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, 20–40  cm long and 4.5–8  cm wide, apically long and acuminate, basally acute, adaxially smooth, abaxially pubescent, sessile. The ligules are thinly membranous, 2–3 cm long. The spikes are terminal, ellipsoid, 10–20 cm long and 4–8 cm wide. The bracts are imbricate, ovate-orbicular, 4.5–5 cm long and 2.5–4 cm wide, including 2–3 flowers per bract. The flowers are fragrant, white; the calyx tubes are ca. 4 cm long, apically cleft on 1 side. The corolla tubes are slender, 8 cm long; the lobes are lanceolate, ca. 5 cm long; the posterior one is cucullate, apically mucronulate. The lateral staminodes are oblong-lanceolate, ca. 5 cm long. The labella are obcordate, ca. 6 cm in length and width, white, basally pale yellow, apically 2-lobed. The filaments are ca. 3 cm long; the anther locules are ca. 1.5 cm long. The ovaries are sericeous. The flowering period is from August to December. Habitat: It grows in forests and is also cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan, Taiwan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Australia.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

179

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical, slightly flat, curved, branched, 3–8 cm in length and 6–15 mm in diameter, grayish yellow or brownish yellow on the surface, and with obvious longitudinal wrinkles and nodes, and there are scales like petiole residues on nodes. The stem stumps are small and disk-­ shaped, with fibrous or scaly leaf scars. The products are hard and brittle, easily broken, fibrous on cross-sections. They are fragrant in smell, pungent, and spicy in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and liver. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, warming the stomach, and dispersing cold; it’s often used for treatment of cold, headache, body pain, rheumatism, muscle and bone pain, injury, and leucorrhea due to cold dampness. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

180

H. Ye et al.

2.32 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.32.1 Kaempferia galanga Chinese Name(s): shan nai, sha jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Kaempferia galanga (Kaempferia galanga Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, short. The rhizomes are tuberous, solitary or joint, pale green or greenish white, fragrant. There are often 2 leaves, spreading flat on ground, suborbicular, 7–13 cm long and 4–9 cm wide, glabrous or abaxially sparsely villous, adaxially with distinct red spots when dry, subsessile. The leaf sheathes are 2–3 cm long. There are 4–12 flowers, terminal, half included in leaf sheath. The bracts are lanceolate, ca. 2.5 cm long. The flowers are white, fragrant, easily deciduous. The calyxes are nearly as long as bracts. The corolla tubes are 2–2.5 cm long; the lobes are linear, 1.2 cm long. The lateral staminodes are obovoid-­ cuneate, ca. 1.2 cm long; the labella are white, with purple stripes at base, 2.5 cm long and 2  cm wide, deeply 2-cleft to the middle. The filaments of stamens are absent; the connective appendages are rectangular, 2-cleft. The fruits are capsules. The flowering period is from August to September. Habitat: It’s cultivated in fields or on slopes. Distribution: Originating from India, it’s cultivated in Taiwan, Guangxi, and Yunnan in China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are round or nearly circular slices, 1–2 cm in diameter and 3–5 mm in thickness. The outer skin is light brown or yellowish brown, wrinkled, and sometimes with root marks or residual fibrous roots; the cross-sections are white, powdery, and often bulging. The products are brittle and easily broken. They have a special odor and the taste is pungent and spicy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridian of the stomach. Functions: Warming the stomach and removing dampness, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of acute gastroenteritis, dyspepsia, stomach cold pain, toothache, rheumatism, arthralgia, and injury. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Cold, food stagnation, chest and abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and diarrhea: Kaempferia galanga 15 g, Litsea cubeba root 6 g, Schisandra chinensis root 9 g, Lindera aggregata 4.5 g, aged tea 3 g, ground into powder. Take 15 g each time, soak the medicine in hot water, or decoct it in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

181

182

H. Ye et al.

2.33 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.33.1 Kaempferia rotunda Chinese Name(s): hai nan san qi. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Kaempferia rotunda (Kaempferia rotunda Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial; the rhizomes are tuberous; the roots are stout. The flowers appear before leaves. The leaf blades are long elliptic, 17–27 cm long and 7.5–9.5 cm wide, adaxially pale green, 2 lateral surfaces of midveins being dark green, abaxially purple. The petioles are short, channeled. The capitula have 4–6 flowers, arising directly from rhizomes in spring. The bracts are purplish brown, 4.5–7 cm long. The calyx tubes are 4.5–7 cm long, cleft on 1 side. The corolla tubes are nearly as long as calyx tubes; the corolla lobes are linear, white, ca. 5 cm long, spreading at anthesis; the lateral staminodes are lanceolate, ca. 5 cm long and 1.7 cm wide, white, apically acute, erect, slightly overlapped. The labella are bluish purple, suborbicular, deeply 2-cleft to base and with 2 lobes; the lobes are ca. 3.5 cm long and 2  cm wide, apically acute, pendent. The connective appendages are 2-cleft, fishtail-shaped, erect at apexes of anther locules, margins being irregularly incised, apically apiculate. The flowering time is in April. Habitat: It grows in sunny places of grasslands or is cultivated.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

183

Distribution: It’s distributed in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Taiwan of China, as well as in southern and southeastern Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, warm in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Promoting blood circulation to stop bleeding, promoting circulation of Qi, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic joint pain, injury, and irregular menstruation. Use and Dosage: 6–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

184

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

185

2.34 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.34.1 Stahlianthus involucratus Chinese Name(s): tu tian qi, jiang san qi, san qi jiang, jiang tian qi. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Stahlianthus involucratus (Stahlianthus involucratus (King ex Bak.) Craib.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 15–40 cm tall. The rhizomes are tuberous, ca. 1 cm in diam., brown outside, brownish yellow inside, farinose, fragrant and spicy; the roots are expanded into globose tubers at apex. The leaf blades are obovate-oblong or lanceolate, 10–18 cm long and 2–3.5 cm wide, green or tinged purple. The petioles are 6–18 cm long. There are 10–15 flowers aggregated in campanulate involucral bracts; the involucral bracts are 4–5 cm long and 2–2.5 cm wide, apically 2- or 3-lobed, often with brown, pellucid, small glands on involucral bracts and flowers. The peduncles are 2.5–10 cm long. The bracts are linear, membranous, ca. 1.5 cm long. The flowers are white; the calyx tubes are 9–11 mm long, apically 3-lobed. The corolla tubes are 2.5–2.7 cm long; the lobes are oblong, ca. 1.2 cm long; the posterior one is slightly large, apically mucronate. The lateral staminodes are oblanceolate, 1.6–2  cm long and ca. 4  mm wide. The labella are obovate-­ spatulate, ca. 2 cm long, distally ca. 1.3 cm wide, deeply cleft to ca. 5 mm part, white with a center, apricot blotch, villous inside, exserted from involucral bracts. The anthers are 5 mm long; the filaments are 2 mm long. The connective appendages are semiorbicular, ca. 3 mm long. The styles are linear, with ciliate stigmas. The ovaries are ovoid, ca. 3.5 mm long. The flowering period is from May to June. Habitat: It’s grows in wild forests and on mountain slopes or is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian, as well as in India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, relieving swelling, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of knocks and falls, rheumatic bone pain, and traumatic bleeding. Use and Dosage: 6–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

186

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

187

2.35 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.35.1 Zingiber atrorubens Chinese Name(s): chuan dong jiang, yang huo, yang huo jiang, yan huo. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Zingiber atrorubens (Zingiber atrorubens Gagnep.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 0.8–1.5 m tall. The rhizomes are gingerlike, spicy. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 15–25 cm long and 3–6 cm wide, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely villous at base, pinkish green on both surfaces, sessile. The ligules are 2-cleft, obtuse, triangular, ca. 6 mm long, with red lines. The peduncles are extremely short, borne under the ground. The inflorescences are ovoid, few flowered, lax. The outer bracts are ovate-oblong; the inner ones are lanceolate, ca. 5 cm long, green or pale purplish red, sparsely villous. The bracteoles are membranous, oblong, ca. 2.3 cm long. The flowers are purple; the calyxes are tubular, ca. 2 cm long, villous, apically 3-denticulate; the posterior one is 1.5–1.8 cm wide; the 2 lateral ones are narrower, pale purplish red. The labella are long ovate or ovate, ca. 3  cm long and ca. 2  cm wide, entire or emarginate, with purplish red stripes, and without lateral lobes. The filaments are absent. The appendages of anthers and connectives are ca. 1.5 cm long; the ovaries are villous. The flowering period is from August to September. The fruiting period is from November to December. Habitat: It grows on slopes and along forest margins below 1400  m or is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round, washed, and used when fresh or dried in the sun.

188

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Warming the stomach and regulating Qi, dispelling wind and relieving pain, and stopping cough and asthma; it’s often used for treatment of cold, cough, tracheitis, asthma, toothache caused by wind-cold, abdominal cold pain, bruise, injury, amenorrhea, irregular menstruation, scrofula, laryngitis, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–25 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

189

190

H. Ye et al.

2.36 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.36.1 Zingiber cochleariforme Chinese Name(s): chi bao jiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Zingiber cochleariforme (Zingiber cochleariforme D. Fang). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are fleshy, tuberous, pale yellow, spicy, with tubers. The plants are 0.7–2 m tall. The leaf blades are elliptic-­ lanceolate, 35–48  cm long and 8–14  cm wide, adaxially with densely purplish brown glands, abaxially sparsely compressed villous and glandular. The ligules are deeply 2-cleft to entirely cleft, 4–7  mm long. The spikes are ovoid to obovoid, 3–6 cm long and 1.5–5 cm in diam. The peduncles are villous. The bracts are purple or white, 1.5–4 cm long and 0.5–2 cm wide, pilose outside. The calyxes are pale yellow, 1–1.3 cm long, slightly lobed on 1 side. The corolla tubes are 3.5–4 cm long; the lobes are lanceolate, yellowish white, 1.8–2.5 cm long and ca. 5 mm wide. The labella are yellowish white, 2.1–2.6 cm long; the central lobes are purple or red at apex. The ovaries are densely compressed villous. The capsules are red, with white aril outside. The flowering period is from August to October. The fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in humid places in valley forests, on grasslands, on forests margins, or in rocky crevices. Distribution: It’s distributed in Longling of Guangxi and nanchuan of Chongqing. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round. With the stems, leaves, and fibrous roots removed, they are washed and used when fresh or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Warming the stomach and dispersing cold, stopping vomiting and improving appetite, regulating Qi and relieving pain, and stopping cough and asthma; it’s often used for treatment of cold of wind-cold type, children’s convulsion, stomach cold pain, abdominal pain, asthma and cough due to Qi deficiency, carbuncle, gangrene, amenorrhea, metrorrhagia, stomachache, toothache, lumbago and leg pain, and injuries caused by injuries. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

191

192

H. Ye et al.

2.37 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.37.1 Zingiber mioga Chinese Name(s): xiang he, ye jiang, yang huo. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Zingiber mioga (Zingiber mioga (Thunb.) Rosc.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 1–1.5 m tall. The rhizomes are pale yellow. The leaf blades are lanceolate, 25–35  cm long and 3–6  cm wide, adaxially glabrous, abaxially glabrous or sparsely villous, apically caudate-apiculate. The petioles are 0.8–1.2 cm long. The ligules are membranous, 2-lobed, 4–7 mm long. The inflorescence is subovoid. The peduncles have oblong, scaly sheathes, often 1.5–2 cm long, growing from rhizomes. The bracts are imbricate, elliptic, reddish green, with purple veins. The calyxes are 2.5–3 cm long, cleft on 1 side. The corolla tubes are longer than calyxes; the lobes are lanceolate, 2.7–3 cm long and ca. 7 mm wide, pale yellow. The labella are ovate, 3-lobed; the central lobe is ca. 2.5 cm long and 1.8 cm wide, yellow in the middle, white on margins; the lateral lobes are ca. 1.3 cm long and 4 mm wide. The appendages of anthers and connectives are ca. 1 cm long. The fruits are obovoid, 3-valved when mature; the pericarps are brightly red. The seeds are black, with white aril. The flowering period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in valleys or forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Guangxi, and Guizhou in China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Warming the stomach and regulating Qi, dispelling wind and relieving pain, and stopping cough and asthma; it’s often used for treatment of cold, cough, tracheitis, asthma, toothache caused by wind-cold, epigastric cold pain, bruise, injury, low back and leg pain, enuresis, opsomenorrhea, amenorrhea, and leucorrhea, as well as for external treatment of skin rubella and lymph node tuberculosis. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed or decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

193

194

H. Ye et al.

2.38 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.38.1 Zingiber longyejiang Chinese Name(s): long yan jiang, di lian hua, lei xin hua. Source: This medicine is made of the infructescence and fruits of Zingiber longyejiang (Zingiber longyejiang Z. Y. Zhu). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 0.8–2 m tall. The hairy parts are villous or pilose, purplish brown in the lower section. The rhizomes are fleshy, columnar, with pits. The leaf blades are elliptic-lanceolate, 30–50 cm long and 7–15 cm wide, acuminate, cuneate, adaxially smooth, abaxially appressed hairy, sessile to shortly petiolate to 4–5 mm long. The ligules are 2-cleft or entire, 4–7(–15) mm long, membranous. The spikes are ovoid or broadly ovoid, 3–5 cm long and 2–5 cm wide. The

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

195

scapes are 1–3(–7) cm long, columnar; the bracts are obovate-oblong, 2–4.2  cm long and 0.5–2 cm wide, truncate or suborbicular, pilose outside, pale purple or yellowish white. The bracteoles are lanceolate, 2.8–3.5  cm long; the pedicels are absent. The calyxes are pale yellow, 1–1.5 cm long, indehiscent on the lateral surface, submembranous. The corolla tubes are 3–4.2 cm long; the lobes are lanceolate-­ oblong, 2.5–2.9 cm long, and 5–9 mm wide. The labella are yellowish white at base, purplish red elsewhere, ca. 2.5  cm long; the central lobe is ligulate or ligulate-­ oblong, 13–16 mm long and 8–12 mm wide, entire or 2-denticulate at apex. The 2 lateral lobes are oblong, 6–8 mm long and 3–5 mm wide, 2-cleft, pale purplish red. The throats are glabrous. The anthers are 1.1–1.5 cm long, pale white; the connective appendages are nearly as long as anthers, purplish red. The ovaries are hairy. The glands are linear, 5 mm long. The capsules are red, ovoid-ellipsoid, 3–4 cm long and 1.5–2 cm in thickness, obtusely 3-angled, 3-valved, bright red inside. The seeds are red, with aril. The flowering period is from August to September. The fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in humid places in thicket forests on an altitude range of 500–1000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Sichuan. Acquisition and Processing: The infructescence and fruits are collected in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Nourishing the heart and moistening the lungs, relieving cough and asthma, tonifying blood, and calming the mind; it’s often used for treatment of cough, asthma, palpitation, and disquietude. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

196

H. Ye et al.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

197

198

H. Ye et al.

2.39 Family: Zingiberaceae 2.39.1 Zingiber officinale Chinese Name(s): gan jiang, sheng jiang, pao jiang, jiang pi. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Zingiber officinale (Zingiber officinale Rosc). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, nearly 1 m in height. The rhizomes are fleshy, multibranched, aromatic, and spicy. The leaf blades are lanceolate or linear-­ lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 2–2.5 cm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, sessile. The ligules are 2–4  mm long. The spikes are globose, oblong, 4–5  cm long, on peduncles which are ca. 25 cm long and grow from rhizomes The bracts are ovate,

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

199

ca. 2.5  cm long, pale green or pale yellow on margins, apically mucronate. The calyx tubes are ca. 1  cm long. The corollas are yellowish green; the tubes are 2–2.5 cm long; the lobes are lanceolate, less than 2 cm in length. The labella are 3-lobed; the central lobe is oblong-obovate, shorter than corolla lobes, with purple stripes and pale yellow spots; the lateral lobes are ovate, ca. 6 mm long. There is 1 fertile pistil; the anthers are ca. 9 mm long; the connective appendages are subulate, ca. 7 mm long. The flowering time is in autumn. Habitat: It’s cultivated in fields or on slopes. Distribution: It’s wildly cultivated in provinces and regions in central, southeastern, and southwestern China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are compressed masses, with fingerlike branches, 3–7 cm long and 1–2 cm thick, grayish yellow or grayish brown on the surface, rough, with longitudinal wrinkles and obvious links. There are residual scales and leaves on the branches, and there are stem marks or buds at the top of branches. The products are solid, yellowish white or grayish white in the cross-­ section, powdery or granular, with obvious circular striation in endodermis, and scattered vascular bundles and yellow oil spots. They have a special fragrance and are pungent and spicy in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: The dried Zingiber officinale is pungent in taste and hot in property; the prepared Zingiber officinale is pungent in taste and hot in property; and the Zingiber officinale peel is pungent in taste and slightly warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Zingiber officinale  – relieving exterior symptoms and dispelling cold, stopping vomiting, and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of cold of wind-cold type and vomiting due to cold in the stomach. The dried Zingiber officinale: warming the stomach, rescuing Yang, dispelling cold. it’s often used for treatment of cold pain of the stomach and abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea caused by deficiency and cold, cold of limbs, and cough with phlegm. Pregnant women should not take it. Prepared Zingiber officinale: warming meridians to stop bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of hematemesis caused by deficiency and cold, hematochezia, functional uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhea, and chronic dyspepsia. Zingiber officinale peel: removing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of edema. Use and Dosage: 1.5–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cold of wind-cold type: Zingiber officinale 9 g, decocted with brown sugar and taken while hot, or added with perilla leaf 6 g, onion white 2, decocted in water, 3–9 g per dose. 2. Vomiting, diarrhea, and cold limbs: dried Zingiber officinale 9 g, prepared aconite 15 g, licorice 3 g, decocted in water for oral use.

200

H. Ye et al.

3. Diarrhea due to spleen and stomach deficiency and cold: dried Zingiber officinale, Atractylodes macrocephala, 9 g each, Codonopsis pilosula 12 g, licorice 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 4. Duodenal bulb ulcer (deficiency cold type): dried Zingiber officinale, Evodia rutaecarpa, and roasted licorice, each 4.5 g, Paeonia lactiflora and Atractylodes macrocephala each 9 g, Cyperus rotundus and Amomum villosum each 3 g, and Aspongopus chinensis 6  g, decocted in water for oral use. After the pain was alleviated, the formula would be changed as follows: Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, and Paeonia lactiflora, 9  g each, Ramulus cinnamomi and licorice each 3 g, Zingiber officinale 6 g, and jujube 5 pieces, decocted in water for oral use. 5. Functional uterine bleeding: Zingiber officinale, Trachycarpus fortunei peel charcoal, black plum charcoal in equal amount, ground into fine powder, and take 6 g per dose with water. 6. Edema: ginger peel, Zingiber officinale peel, Poria cocos peel, dried tangerine peel, the shell of areca nut, wax gourd peel 9  g each, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

201

202

2.40 

H. Ye et al.

Family: Cannaceae

2.40.1 Canna generalis Chinese Name(s): da hua mei ren jiao, mei ren jiao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Canna generalis (Canna generalis Bailey). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, large, ca. 1.5 m tall; the stems, leaves, and inflorescence are farinose. The leaf blades are elliptic, up to 40 cm in length and up to 20 cm in width, and purple on margins and sheathes. The racemes are terminal, 15–30 cm (including peduncles) long. The flowers are large, rather dense, including 1–2 flowers per bract. The sepals are lanceolate, 1.5–3 cm long. The corolla tubes are 5–10  mm long; the corolla lobes are lanceolate, 4.5–6.5  cm long. The outer whorl has 3 staminodes, obovate-spatulate, 5–10 cm long, and 2–5 cm wide, colors: red, orangish red, pale yellow, and white. The labella are obovate-spatulate, ca. 4.5 cm long and 1.2–4 cm wide. The fertile stamens are lanceolate, ca. 4 cm long, and 2.5 cm wide. The ovaries are globose, 4–8 mm in diam. The styles are strap-­ shaped, free parts being ca. 3.5 cm long. The flowering time is in autumn. Habitat: It’s cultivated as flowers. Distribution: Originating from tropical regions of America, it’s cultivated in southern China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and dampness and detoxicating; it’s often used for the treatment of acute icteric hepatitis, leucorrhea, injuries, ulcers, carbuncle, metrorrhagia, irregular menstruation, and traumatic bleeding.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

203

Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

204

H. Ye et al.

2.41 Family: Cannaceae 2.41.1 Canna indica Chinese Name(s): mei ren jiao, hong hua jiao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Canna indica (Canna indica Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, large; the plants are entirely green, up to 2 m in height. The leaf blades are ovate-oblong, 10–30 cm long and up to 15 cm in width. The racemes have sparse flowers, slightly exserted from leaves. The flowers are red, solitary. The bracts are ovate, green, ca. 1.2 cm long. There are 3 sepals, lanceolate, ca. 1 cm long, green and sometimes tinged red. The corolla tubes are less than 1 cm long; the corolla lobes are lanceolate, 3–3.5 cm long, green or red. The outer whorl has 2–3 staminodes, light red; 2 staminodes are oblanceolate, 3.5–4 cm long and 5–7 mm wide; the other one, if existent, is tiny, ca. 1.5 cm long and only 1 mm wide. The labella are lanceolate, 3 cm long, curved. The fertile stamens are 2.5 cm long; the anther locules are ca. 6 mm long. The styles are flattened, ca. 3 cm long, and half of it is adnate to filaments of fertile stamens. The capsules are green, long ovoid, with soft spines, 1.2–1.8 cm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are from March to December. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: Originating from South America, it’s wildly cultivated in provinces and regions south and north of the Yangtze River. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat and dampness, relaxing muscles, and activating collaterals; it’s often used for treatment of jaundice, hepatitis, rheumatism, numbness, traumatic bleeding, metroptosis, and heartache. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

205

206

H. Ye et al.

2.42 Family: Marantaceae 2.42.1 Phrynium rheedei Chinese Name(s): zhong ye, zong ye. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Phrynium rheedei (Phrynium rheedei Suresh & Nicolson [P. capitatum Willd.]) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, about 1 m tall; the rhizomes are tuberous. The leaves are basal, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 25–50 cm long and 10–22 cm wide, apically shortly acuminate, basally acute, glabrous on both surfaces. The petioles are up to 60 cm in length. The pulvini are 3–7 cm long, glabrous. The capitula are 5  cm in diam., sessile, growing from leaf sheathes. The bracts are oblong-­ lanceolate, 2–3 cm long, purplish red, apically acute at first, then fibrous. There are 3 pairs of flowers per bract, sessile. The sepals are linear, nearly 1 cm long, sericeous. The corolla tubes are short than calyxes, violet. The lobes are oblong-obovate, dark red. The outer whorls of staminodes are obovoid, slightly corrugated, pale red; the inner ones are shorter, pale yellow. The ovaries are sericeous. The fruits are pyriform, 3-angled, ca. 1 cm long, chestnut colored, shiny; the exocarps are hard. There are 2–3 seeds, shallowly grooved and verruculose. The flowering period is from May to July. Habitat: It grows in dense forests on mountains and humid places in valleys. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan of China, as well as in southern Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, cooling blood, stopping bleeding, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of cold, high fever, dysentery, hematemesis, hemorrhage, and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

2  Medicinal Angiosperms of Zingiberaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae

207

208

H. Ye et al.

References 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 142) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (Part 1: 270) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 3. Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (Part 1: 273) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015.

Chapter 3

Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 3.1  F  amily: Liliaceae 3.1.1  Aletris laxiflora 3.2  Family: Liliaceae 3.2.1  Aletris pauciflora var. khasiana 3.3  Family: Liliaceae 3.3.1  Aletris spicata 3.4  Family: Liliaceae 3.4.1  Aloe vera var. chinensis 3.5  Family: Liliaceae 3.5.1  Anemarrhena asphodeloides

 212  212  215  215  217  217  220  220  222  222

The original version of the chapter has been revised. A correction to this chapter can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_11 H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021, corrected publication 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_3

209

210 3.6  F  amily: Liliaceae 3.6.1  Asparagus cochinchinensis 3.7  Family: Liliaceae 3.7.1  Asparagus filicinus 3.8  Family: Liliaceae 3.8.1  Asparagus lycopodineus 3.9  Family: Liliaceae 3.9.1  Asparagus setaceus 3.10  Family: Liliaceae 3.10.1  Aspidistra elatior 3.11  Family: Liliaceae 3.11.1  Aspidistra lurida 3.12  Family: Liliaceae 3.12.1  Barnardia japonica 3.13  Family: Liliaceae 3.13.1  Campylandra aurantiaca 3.14  Family: Liliaceae 3.14.1  Cardiocrinum giganteum 3.15  Family: Liliaceae 3.15.1  Chlorophytum laxum 3.16  Family: Liliaceae 3.16.1  Convallaria majalis 3.17  Family: Liliaceae 3.17.1  Dianella ensifolia 3.18  Family: Liliaceae 3.18.1  Disporopsis fuscopicta 3.19  Family: Liliaceae 3.19.1  Disporopsis jinfushanensis 3.20  Family: Liliaceae 3.20.1  Disporopsis longifolia 3.21  Family: Liliaceae 3.21.1  Disporum jinfoshanense 3.22  Family: Liliaceae 3.22.1  Disporum cantoniense 3.23  Family: Liliaceae 3.23.1  Disporum nantouense 3.24  Family: Liliaceae 3.24.1  Fritillaria cirrhosa, Fritillaria delavayi, Fritillaria unibracteata 3.25  Family: Liliaceae 3.25.1  Fritillaria hupehensis 3.26  Family: Liliaceae 3.26.1  Fritillaria ussuriensis 3.27  Family: Liliaceae 3.27.1  Hemerocallis citrina 3.28  Family: Liliaceae 3.28.1  Hemerocallis fulva 3.29  Family: Liliaceae 3.29.1  Heteropolygonatum ginfushanicum 3.30  Family: Liliaceae 3.30.1  Hosta ensata 3.31  Family: Liliaceae 3.31.1  Lilium brownii

H. Ye et al.  226  226  230  230  232  232  234  234  236  236  238  238  240  240  244  244  245  245  248  248  249  249  251  251  254  254  256  256  258  258  260  260  262  262  265  265  268  268  276  276  278  278  282  282  284  284  287  287  288  288  289  289

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

211

3.32  Family: Liliaceae  292 3.32.1  Lilium brownii var. viridulum, Lilium tigrinum, Lilium pumilum  292 3.33  Family: Liliaceae  299 3.33.1  Lilium callosum  299 3.34  Family: Liliaceae  301 3.34.1  Lilium davidii  301 3.35  Family: Liliaceae  303 3.35.1  Lilium duchartrei  303 3.36  Family: Liliaceae  305 3.36.1  Lilium longiflorum  305 3.37  Family: Liliaceae  307 3.37.1  Lilium rosthornii  307 3.38  Family: Liliaceae  309 3.38.1  Liriope graminifolia  309 3.39  Family: Liliaceae  311 3.39.1  Liriope longipedicellata  311 3.40  Family: Liliaceae  314 3.40.1  Liriope muscari, Liriope spicata  314 3.41  Family: Liliaceae  317 3.41.1  Ophiopogon chingii  317 3.42  Family: Liliaceae  319 3.42.1  Ophiopogon intermedius  319 3.43  Family: Liliaceae  321 3.43.1  Ophiopogon japonicus  321 3.44  Family:Liliaceae  324 3.44.1  Ophiopogon mairei  324 3.45  Family: Liliaceae  326 3.45.1  Ophiopogon platyphyllus  326 3.46  Family: Liliaceae  328 3.46.1  Peliosanthes macrostegia  328 3.47  Family: Liliaceae  330 3.47.1  Polygonatum cirrhifolium  330 3.48  Family: Liliaceae  332 3.48.1  Polygonatum cyrtonema, Polygonatum kingianum, Polygonatum sibiricum 332 3.49  Family: Liliaceae  339 3.49.1  Polygonatum filipes  339 3.50  Family: Liliaceae  340 3.50.1  Polygonatum odoratum  340 3.51  Family: Liliaceae  343 3.51.1  Polygonatum prattii  343 3.52  Family: Liliaceae  345 3.52.1  Polygonatum punctatum  345 3.53  Family: Liliaceae  347 3.53.1  Reineckia carnea  347 3.54  Family: Liliaceae  350 3.54.1  Rohdea japonica  350 3.55  Family: Liliaceae  352 3.55.1  Smilacina henryi  352 3.56  Family: Liliaceae  355 3.56.1  Smilacina lichiangensis  355 3.57  Family: Liliaceae  358

212 3.57.1  Streptopus obtusatus 3.58  Family: Liliaceae 3.58.1  Tulipa edulis 3.59  Family: Liliaceae 3.59.1  Tulipa iliensis 3.60  Family: Liliaceae 3.60.1  Tupistra delavayi 3.61  Family: Liliaceae 3.61.1  Tupistra ensifolia 3.62  Family: Liliaceae 3.62.1  Veratrum schindleri

H. Ye et al.  358  360  360  362  362  365  365  367  367  368  368

This chapter introduces 69 species of medicinal plants in 1 family, mainly including Aletris laxiflora, Aletris pauciflora var. khasiana, Aletris spicata, Aloe vera var. chinensis, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Asparagus cochinchinensis, Asparagus filicinus, Asparagus lycopodineus, Aspidistra lurida, Barnardia japonica, Campylandra aurantiaca, Convallaria majalis, Dianella ensifolia, Disporopsis fuscopicta, Disporopsis jinfushanensis, Disporopsis longifolia, Disporum jinfoshanense, Disporum cantoniense, Fritillaria cirrhosa, Fritillaria delavayi, Hemerocallis citrine, Hosta ensata, Lilium brownii, Lilium brownii var. viridulum, Lilium tigrinum, Lilium pumilum, Lilium callosum, Lilium davidii, Lilium duchartrei, Lilium longiflorum, Ophiopogon japonicus, Polygonatum cirrhifolium, Polygonatum cyrtonema, Polygonatum kingianum, Polygonatum sibiricum, Reineckia carnea, Tulipa edulis, Tulipa iliensis, Tupistra delavayi, Tupistra ensifolia, and Veratrum schindleri of Liliaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

3.1 Family: Liliaceae 3.1.1 Aletris laxiflora Chinese Name(s): shu hua fen tiao er cai. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Aletris laxiflora (Aletris laxiflora Bur. et Franch.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants have slender fibrous roots. The leaves are tufted, hard papery, linear, 5–35  cm long and 2–5  mm wide, apically acuminate or acute. The scapes are 10–50 cm tall, distally densely short hairs, with

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

213

few bractlike leaves below the middle, 0.5–2 cm long. The racemes are 2.5–20 cm long, sparsely 8–2-flowered. There are 2 bracts, narrowly lanceolate, borne at apex, center, or base of pedicels, 3–10 mm long. The pedicels are often rather short, sometimes up to 1–4 mm in length. The perianths are white, 4.5–7 mm long, cleft below the middle. The lobes are narrowly lanceolate, 3–6 mm long and 0.8–1 mm wide, spreading, sometimes revolute. The stamens are borne at base of perianth lobes; the filaments are 1–3 mm long; the anthers are ovoid. The ovaries are ovoid; the styles are 1.5–4  mm long; the stigmas are slightly dilated. The capsules are globose, 4–4.5 mm long and ca. 4 mm wide, glabrous. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to August. Habitat: It grows in forests or on rocks on an altitude range of 1300–2850 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Chongqing, Sichuan, and Tibet. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in autumn, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and slightly sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Clearing the lungs, resolving phlegm, relieving coughing, activating blood circulation, and killing parasites; it’s often used for treatment of cough with phlegm, pertussis, hematemesis, asthma, lungs carbuncle, mastitis, intestinal wind, hematochezia, agalactia, amenorrhea, infantile malnutrition, ascariasis, and mumps. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

214

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

215

3.2 Family: Liliaceae 3.2.1 Aletris pauciflora var. khasiana Chinese Name(s): shui hua fen tiao er cai. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Aletris pauciflora var. khasiana (Aletris pauciflora (Klotz.) Franch. var. khasiana (Hook. f.) Wang et Tang). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are thick and strong, with fleshy fibrous roots. The leaves are tufted, lanceolate or linear, sometimes bending, 5–25  cm long and 2–8  mm wide, apically acuminate, glabrous. The scapes are 8–20 cm tall and 1.5–2 mm in diam., densely pilose, with a few bractlike leaves below the middle, 1.5–5 cm long. The racemes are 2.5–8 cm long, with rather dense flowers. There are 2 bracts, linear or linear-lanceolate, borne at apexes of pedicels, equal to or slightly longer than flowers, green. The flowers are subcampanulate, dark red or white, 5–7 mm long, cleft on ca. 1/4 distal part. The lobes are ovate, ca. 2  mm long and ca. 1.2  mm wide, membranous. The stamens are inserted in the corolla tubes. The filaments are short, ca. 0.5 mm long. The anthers are ellipsoid, ca.

216

H. Ye et al.

0.5 mm long. The ovaries are ovoid, gradually narrowed upward, without distinct styles. The fruits are coniform, 4–5 mm long, glabrous. The flowering time is in June. The fruiting time is in September. Habitat: It grows on bamboo thickets, swamps, and rocks or in forests on an altitude range of 2300–4800 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, as well as in India. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in autumn, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Tonifying deficiency, reducing sweating, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of asthenia, hyperhidrosis, night sweats, neurasthenia, hematemesis, hematochezia, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or carbonized by stir-baking, ground to powder, and taken with water.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

217

3.3 Family: Liliaceae 3.3.1 Aletris spicata Chinese Name(s): fen tiao er cai, qu cao, fei jin cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Aletris spicata (Aletris spicata (Thunb.) Franch.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with numerous fibrous roots; the root hair is partially dilated; the dilated parts are 3–6 mm long and 0.5–0.7 mm wide, white. The leaves are tufted, papery, linear, sometimes downcurved, 10–25 cm long and 3–4 mm wide, apically acuminate. The scapes are 40–70 cm tall, angled, densely pilose, with a few bractlike leaves below the middle, 1.5–6.5 cm long. The racemes are 6–30  cm long, with sparsely numerous flowers. There are 2 bracts, narrowly linear, borne at base of pedicels, 5–8 mm long, shorter than flowers. The pedicels are extremely short, hairy. The perianths are yellowish green, distally pink, pilose outside, 6–7  mm long; the dehiscent parts are 1/3–1/2 of perianths’ length. The lobes are linear-lanceolate, 3–3.5 mm long and 0.8–1.2 mm wide. The stamens are borne at base of perianth lobes; the filaments are short; the anthers are ellipsoid. The ovaries are ovoid; the styles are ca. 1.5  mm long. The capsules are obovoid or oblong-obovoid, angled, 3–4  mm long and 2.5–3  mm wide, densely pilose. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from June to July. Habitat: It grows on slopes, roadsides, thickets, or grasslands. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Guangxi of China, as well as in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing, nourishing the heart and calming the mind, eliminating accumulation, and expelling roundworm; it’s often used for treatment of bronchitis, pertussis, neurosis, infantile malnutrition, ascariasis, and mumps. Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Chronic tracheitis: fresh Aletris spicata 60 g (or 15 g for dried product), washed, added with 200 ml of water, boiled on quick fire, then decocted on slow fire, and concentrated to 100 ml. Take 50 ml twice a day in the morning and evening, 10 days as a course of treatment. 2. Bronchial asthma: Aletris spicata, loquat leaf each 30 g, decocted in water for oral use. Take one dose every morning and evening. 3. Fresh root of Aletris spicata 15–30 g, decocted in water and taken in two times. For treatment of children, the root juice is boiled with eggs to take.

218

H. Ye et al.

4. Neurosis: Aletris spicata, Fallopia multiflora, 4.5 kg each, and mulberry seeds 2.25 kg, added with in 60 kg of water, decocted into 15 kg, filtered, added with appropriate amount of preservative, bottled, and stored. Take 80  ml per dose, twice a day.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

219

220

H. Ye et al.

3.4 Family: Liliaceae 3.4.1 Aloe vera var. chinensis Chinese Name(s): lu hui, you cong. Source: This medicine is made of the leaves and flowers of Aloe vera var. chinensis (Aloe vera Linn. var. chinensis (Haw.) Berger). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, succulent; the stems are rather short. The leaves are nearly tufted or slightly distichous in young plants, fleshy and succulent, linear-lanceolate, pinkish green, 15–35  cm long, 4–5  cm wide at base, several denticulate-­pointed at apex, sparsely spiny-dentate on margins. The scapes are 60–90 cm tall, unbranched or sometimes slightly branched. The racemes have dozens of flowers. The bracts are sublanceolate, apically acute. The flowers are pendent, rarely sparsely arranged, pale yellow mottled with red. The perianths are ca. 2.5 cm long; the lobes are slightly recurved at apex. The stamens are subequal to or slightly longer than perianths; the styles are distinctly exserted from perianths. The capsules are oblong. There are numerous seeds, with irregular wings. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: It’s wildly cultivated in provinces and regions in southern China and in greenhouses. Acquisition and Processing: The leaves are harvested all year round and used when fresh; the flowers are harvested in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving cough, and stopping bleeding. The leaf and aloe cream are used for treatment of dizziness, headache, tinnitus, irritability, constipation, infantile convulsion, and infantile malnutrition caused by excessive heat in the meridian of the liver. The leaf is used externally for treatment of dental caries, furuncle, carbuncle, swelling, burn, scald, and exudative dermatitis. The flower is used for treatment of hemoptysis, hematochezia, and hematuria. Use and Dosage: 3–15 g per dose for leaves and flowers, decocted in water for oral use, 1.5–3 g per dose for aloe cream, made into pills to take. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are ground to powder and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Malnutrition and parasitic diseases: Aloe vera, Amomum villosum, Picrorhiza scrophulariiflora, rhubarb, Massa Medicata Fermentata, areca, hawthorn, and malt each 60 g, stir-fried hawthorn and roasted licorice each 15 g, and Quisqualis indica semen 90 g, ground together into fine powder and made into pills. Take 1.5 g per dose, twice a day. 2. Burn and scald: fresh aloe leaf mashed for juice and applied to the affected area.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

221

222

H. Ye et al.

3.5 Family: Liliaceae 3.5.1 Anemarrhena asphodeloides Chinese Name(s): zhi mu, shu bi zi, mao zhi mu, lian mu, zhi mu rou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Anemarrhena asphodeloides (Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge). Morphology: The herbs are perennial and entirely glabrous. The rhizomes are fleshy, horizontal, 0.5–1.5 in thickness, covered by persistent fibrous leaf sheaths, with numerous fleshy fibrous roots in the proximal part. The leaves are 15–60 cm long and 1.5–11 mm wide, acuminate toward apex to nearly filiform, basally gradually wider and sheathlike, with a few of parallel veins, without distinct midveins. The scapes are far longer than leaves. The racemes are often rather long, up to

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

223

20–50 cm in length. The bracts are small, ovate or ovate-orbicular, apically acuminate. The flowers are pink, pale purple to white; the perianths are linear, 5–10 mm long, 3-veined in the center part, persistent. The capsules are narrowly ellipsoid, 8–13 mm long and 5–6 mm wide, shortly beaked at apex. The seeds are black, long trigonous, with wings on 2 lateral surfaces, 7–10 mm long. The flowering period is from May to August. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on slopes, on grasslands, or in sunny, dry places on roadsides. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang, as well as in North Korea. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. With the aboveground parts, fibrous roots, and silt being removed, they are dried in the sun. The products processed in this way are called “mao zhi mu,” while the products peeled or with the outer skin scraped when fresh and dried in the sun are commonly known as “zhi mu rou” or “guang zhi mu.” Medicinal Properties: The products are long strip-shaped, slightly curved and compressed, occasionally branched, 3–15 cm long, 8–15 mm in diameter, with yellowish residual marks on one end. The surfaces are yellowish brown to brown, with a concave groove on the top and closely arranged annular nodes. On the nodes, there are dense yellowish-brown residual leaf bases. They are raised and slightly shrunk at the lower parts, and with concave or protruding punctate root marks. They are hard, easily broken, and yellow white in the sections. They are slightly odored, slightly sweet, and sticky in texture and belong to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and sweet in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and purging fire, nourishing Yin, and moistening dryness; it’s often used for treatment of exogenous febrile disease, cough due to heat and dryness in the lungs, hectic fever, thirst due to internal heat, and constipation due to intestinal dryness. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Fever and thirst: Anemarrhena asphodeloides 12 g, raw gypsum (decocted first) 30 g, licorice 6 g, japonica rice 10 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Hectic fever due to Yin deficiency: Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Cortex Lycii, Artemisia annua each 12 g, turtle shell 15 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Dispersion thirst: Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Trichosanthes root 12  g, Pueraria lobata, yam 15 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

224

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

225

226

H. Ye et al.

3.6 Family: Liliaceae 3.6.1 Asparagus cochinchinensis Chinese Name(s): tian men dong, tian dong. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Asparagus cochinchinensis (Asparagus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Merr.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, climbing. The plants are glabrous. The tubers are fleshy, fusiform, 4–10 cm long, grayish yellow. The stems have numerous branches, angled or narrowly winged. There are 1–3 cladodes or more in fascicles, falcate, 0.5–3 cm long and 1–2 cm wide, 3-angled. The reduced leaves are scaly, slightly hard spiny at base. There are 1–3 flowers clustered in leaf axils, pale yellowish green, unisexual, dioecious. The pedicels are 2–6 mm long. The male flowers

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

227

have 6 perianths, in 2 whorls, long ovate or ovate-elliptic, 2.5–3 mm long; the stamens are slightly shorter than perianths; the filaments are inadnate to perianths; the anthers are ovoid. The female flowers are similar to male flowers, with 6 staminodes; the ovaries are 3-loculed, with 3 styles. The capsules are globose, red when mature, 6–7 mm in diam. There is 1 seed. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on slopes, on roadsides, or in sparse forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of south of Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Gansu to eastern, south central, and southwestern China, as well as in North Korea, Japan, Laos, and Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter. With the aboveground parts removed, they are washed and boiled in water until the skin splits, which is torn off while it is hot. It is then rinsed and dried in the sun or over fire, or soaked in 0.5% alum water after peeling off the skin for about half an hour and then dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: The products are slightly curved and fusiform, about 5–17 cm in length, 0.5–2 cm in diameter, thick in the middle, attenuated on both ends, with obtuse head. The outer surfaces are yellowish white or brown, translucent, with thick or fine longitudinal wrinkles. They are hard or soft, sticky, and easily broken. The cross-sections are yellowish white, shiny, and slightly horny, with white pith in the middle. They are slightly odored, sweet, and slightly bitter and astringent in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly bitter and sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of lungs and kidneys. Functions: Nourishing Yin, clearing heat, moistening dryness, and increasing secretion of body fluid; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis of deficient fever, cough due to dryness of the lungs, hematemesis, dry mouth and throat, thirst caused by fever, dry stool, bronchitis, diphtheria, pertussis, and diabetes, as well as for external treatment of sores, carbuncle, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Tuberculosis: Asparagus cochinchinensis 15 g, Rehmannia glutinosa 12 g, and Adenophora stricta 12 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Pertussis: Asparagus, Ophiopogon japonicus, Stemona sessilifolia, Trichosanthes kirilowii 6 g each, tangerine peel, Fritillaria 3 g each, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Early stage breast cancer: fresh Asparagus cochinchinensis, washed and mashed for juice and added with 0.1% benzoic acid. Take the juice three times a day in an amount equivalent to 150  g fresh asparagus (with skin), with appropriate amount of yellow rice alcohol before meals. 4. Deficiency of Yin and impairment of body fluids: Asparagus cochinchinensis, Radix Rehmanniae 12 g, ginseng 3 g, decocted in water for oral use.

228

H. Ye et al.

5. Vexation: Asparagus, Ophiopogon japonicus each15g, Homonoia riparia 9  g, decocted in water for oral use. 6. Constipation caused by fluid injury in the later stage of febrile disease: Asparagus cochinchinensis, Radix Rehmanniae 3  g each, Angelica sinensis, Radix Scrophulariae and hemp seed, 9 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

229

230

H. Ye et al.

3.7 Family: Liliaceae 3.7.1 Asparagus filicinus Chinese Name(s): yang chi tian men dong, dian bai bu, tu bai bu, qian chui da. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Asparagus filicinus (Asparagus filicinus Ham. ex D. Don). Morphology: The plants are herbs, erect, often 50–70  cm tall. The roots are tufted, fusiform, swollen; the swollen parts are 2–4 cm long and 5–10 mm in diam. The stems are nearly smooth, often angled at branches, sometimes cartilaginous denticulate. There are 5–8 cladodes in clusters, flat, falcate, 3–15  mm long and 0.8–2 mm wide, with midveins. The scaly leaves are spineless at base. There are 1–2 flowers borne in axils, pale green, sometimes slightly purplish. The pedicels are slender, 12–20 mm long, articulate near the middle. Male flowers: the perianths are ca. 2.5 mm long; the filaments are inadnate to perianths; the anthers are ovoid, ca. 0.8 cm long. The female flowers are subequal to or slightly smaller than male flowers. The berries are 5–6 mm in diam., with 2–3 seeds. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in forests or in humid places in valleys at an altitude range of 1200–3500 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Hunan, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet, as well as in Laos, Bhutan, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. With the dead stems and leaves removed, they are washed, peeled, and dried in the sun, or steamed and dried in the shade. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland and slightly sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of lungs.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

231

Functions: Clearing heat and moistening the lungs, nourishing Yin and moistening dryness, relieving coughing, killing parasites, and reducing pain and swelling; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, chronic cough, hectic fever, infantile malnutrition, knocks and falls, scabies, lungs abscess, whooping cough, expectoration with blood, bronchial asthma, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

232

H. Ye et al.

3.8 Family: Liliaceae 3.8.1 Asparagus lycopodineus Chinese Name(s): duan geng tian men dong, yang chi mai dong, er duo mu ku, di dong, yi wo ji. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Asparagus lycopodineus (Asparagus lycopodineus (Baker) Wang et Tang). Morphology: The plants are herbs, erect, 45–100 cm tall. The roots are often fusiform swollen 1–4 cm from the base; the swollen parts are often 1.5–3.5 cm long, 5–8 mm in thickness, rarely nearly not swollen. The stems are smooth or slightly striate, sometimes winged at distal part; the branches are all winged. The cladodes are often in fascicles of 3, flat, falcate, (2–)5–12 mm long and 1–3 mm wide, with midveins. The spurs of scaly leaves are nearly absent at base. The flowers are often 1–4-flowered in axils, white. The pedicels are short, 1–1.5 mm long. Male flowers: the perianths are 3–4 mm long; the stamens are unequal; the proximal filaments are adnate to perianths. The female flowers are rather small; the perianths are ca. 2 mm long. The berries are 5–6 mm in diam., often with 2 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in thickets or forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Gansu, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Shaanxi, as well as in India and Burma. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of lungs.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

233

Functions: Reducing phlegm, relieving asthma, and stopping cough; it’s often used for treatment of cough, asthma, sticky sputum, and chronic bronchitis of the elderly. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

234

H. Ye et al.

3.9 Family: Liliaceae 3.9.1 Asparagus setaceus Chinese Name(s): wen zhu, xiao bai bu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Asparagus setaceus (Asparagus setaceus (Kunth) Jessop). Morphology: The plants are perennial, climbing, erect at first, then climbing, to several meters, multibranched, smooth; the shoots, branches, and cladodes are arranged in 1 plane, frondlike. The cladodes are often in fascicles of 10–13, hispid, slightly trigonous, 4–5 mm long. The scaly leaves have slightly spinescent spurs at base or with indistinct spurs. The flowers are small, bisexual, white, often 2–3(–4) clustered in branchlet axils or solitary at apex of branchlet. There are 6 perianths, narrowly ovate, ca. 5 mm long. There are 6 stamens, borne near the base of perianths; the filaments are ca. 2 mm long; the anthers are dorsifixed, ca. 1.5 mm long. The ovaries are obovoid, ca. 3  mm long; the styles are ca. 1  mm long, apically 3-lobed. The berries are globose, 6–7 mm in diam., purplish black when mature, with 1–3 seeds. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: Originating from South Africa, it’s cultivated in southern China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Stopping coughing and nourishing the lungs; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, acute bronchitis, and amebic dysentery. Use and Dosage: 6–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

235

236

H. Ye et al.

3.10 Family: Liliaceae 3.10.1 Aspidistra elatior Chinese Name(s): zhi zhu bao dan, yi ye qing, yi ye lan, ruo ye. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Aspidistra elatior (Aspidistra elatior Bl.). Morphology: The herbs are perennial; the rhizomes are subterete, 5–10 mm in diam., with nodes and scales. The leaves are solitary, 1–3  cm spaced, oblong-­ lanceolate, lanceolate to subelliptic, 22–46  cm long and 8–11  cm wide, apically acuminate, basally cuneate, margins being more or less crisped, green on both surfaces, sometimes with slightly yellowish white spots or stripes. The petioles are distinct, thick and strong, 5–35 cm long. The peduncles are 0.5–2 cm long. There are 3–4 bracts, with 2 bracts borne at base of flowers, broadly ovate, 5–10 mm long and ca. 9 mm wide, pale green, sometimes with purple and small spots. The perianths are campanulate, 12–18 mm long and 10–15 mm in diam., purplish or dark purple outside, pale purple or dark purple at proximal part inside; the distal parts are (6–)8-lobed. The perianth tubes are 10–12 mm long; the lobes are nearly triangular, spreading or outcurved outside, 6–8 mm long and 3.5–4 mm wide, apically obtuse, pale green on margins and distal parts inside, with an extremely plump, fleshy keeled inside; the central 2 lobes are slender; the lateral 2 lobes are stout, up to 1.5 mm in height in the middle, purplish red. There are (6–)8 stamens, borne near base of perianth tubes, shorter than styles. The filaments are short; the anthers are ellipsoid, ca. 2 mm long. The pistils are ca. 8 mm tall; the ovaries are nearly not swollen. The styles are not articulate. The stigmas are peltate-swollen, orbicular, 10–13 mm in diam., purplish red, deeply (3–)4-cleft at distal part, two sides of crevices are more or less prominent upwardly, the central parts are emarginate; the lobes are emarginate at apex, often revolute upward on margins. Habitat: It grows in shady places under forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hainan, Guangxi, and Guangdong, and widely cultivated in China, as well as distributed in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and warm in property. Functions: Promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, tonifying deficiency, and relieving cough; it’s often used for treatment of injury, rheumatic muscle and bone pain, low back pain, cough due to lung deficiency, and hemoptysis. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

237

238

H. Ye et al.

3.11 Family: Liliaceae 3.11.1 Aspidistra lurida Chinese Name(s): jiu long pan, pa di wu gong, qian nian zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Aspidistra lurida (Aspidistra lurida Ker-Gawl.) Morphology: The rhizomes are terete, 4–10 mm in diam., with nodes and scales. The leaves are solitary, 0.5–3.5 cm spaced, oblong-lanceolate, subelliptic, lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate or banding, 13–46 cm long and 2.5–11 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally mainly subcuneate, rarely suborbicular, green on both surfaces, sometimes with more or less yellowish-white speckles. The petioles are distinct, 10–30 cm long. The peduncles are 2.5–5 cm long. There are 3–6 bracts; 1–3 bracts are borne at base of flowers, broadly ovate, gradually larger upward, 7–9 mm long and 6.5–8 mm wide, apically obtuse or acute, sometimes brownish purple. The perianths are subcampanulate, 8–15  mm long and 10–15  mm in diam. The perianth tubes are 5–8 mm long, brownish purple inside; the distal parts are 6–8(–9)-lobed; the lobes are oblong-triangular, 5–7 mm long, 2–4 mm wide at base, apically obtuse, spreading toward outside, pale orangish green or purplish inside, 2–4 indistinctly or distinctly ridged and much papillose. There are 6–8(–9) stamens, borne in the middle of perianth tubes; the filaments are indistinct. The anthers are ovoid, ca. 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. The pistils are ca. 9 mm long, taller than stamens. The bases of ovaries are swollen. The styles are not articulate. The stigmas are peltate swollen, orbicular, 4–9 mm in diam., convex in the middle, often 3–4-angled in distal parts, convex, margins being undulated-lobed; the margins of lobes are not revolute upward. Habitat: It grows in forests on slope or along ditches. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly bitter in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of the stomach. Functions: Invigorating the stomach, relieving pain, curing fracture, and promoting granulation; it’s often used for treatment of children with dyspepsia, gastric and duodenal ulcer, rheumatic bone pain, kidney deficiency, low back pain, injury, fracture, and cuts. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Pregnant women should not use it.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

239

240

H. Ye et al.

3.12 Family: Liliaceae 3.12.1 Barnardia japonica Chinese Name(s): mian zao er, tian suan, di lan. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Barnardia japonica (Barnardia japonica (Thunb.) Schult. & Schult. f. [Scilla scilloides (Lindl.) Druce]). Morphology: The herbs are perennial; the bulbs are ovoid or subglobose, 2–5 cm tall and 1–3 cm wide; the tunics of bulbs are blackish brown. There are 2–5 basal leaves, narrow, strap-like, 15–40 cm long and 2–9 mm wide, soft. The scapes are often longer than leaves. The racemes are 2–20 cm long, with numerous flowers. The flowers are purplish red, pink to white, small, ca. 4–5 mm in diam., deciduous at apexes of pedicels. The pedicels are 5–12 mm long, with 1–2 smaller, narrowly lanceolate bracts at base. The perianths are subelliptic, obovate or narrowly elliptic, 2.5–4 mm long and ca. 1.2 mm wide, slightly connate at base to discoid, apically obtuse and thickened. The stamens are borne at base of perianths, slightly shorter than perianths. The filaments are sublanceolate, often more or less papillose on margins and backs, slightly connate at base, sharply narrower above the middle. The ovaries are 1.5–2 mm long, shortly petiolate at base, more or less papillose on the surface, 3-loculed, 1 ovule per locule. The styles are ca. 1/2–2/3 as long as ovaries. The capsules are obovoid, 3–6 mm long and 2–4 mm wide. There are 1–3 seeds, black, narrowly oblong-obovoid, 2.5–5 mm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to November. Habitat: It grows on grasslands on slopes. Distribution: It’s distributed in northeastern, northern, and central China and Yunnan, Sichuan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Taiwan of China, as well as in North Korea, Japan, and Russia. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste, cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Strengthening the heart and promoting diuresis, relieving swelling and reducing pain, and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of injury, waist and leg pain, muscle pain, toothache, and edema caused by heart disease, as well as for external treatment of carbuncle, mastitis, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Pregnant women should not use it.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

241

242

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

243

244

H. Ye et al.

3.13 Family: Liliaceae 3.13.1 Campylandra aurantiaca Chinese Name(s): cheng hua kai kou jian. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Campylandra aurantiaca (Campylandra aurantiaca Baker). Morphology: The rhizomes are nearly vertical, terete, 1.2–2 cm in diam. There are 4–6 basal leaves, slightly distichous equitant, subleathery, lanceolate or linear, 18–60  cm long and 2–6  cm wide. The spikes are erect, with numerous flowers, 2.5–4 cm long. The bracts are lanceolate, margins being denticulate, 1.5–3 cm long and 5–8 mm wide, with 1 bract per flower, and few sterile bracts clustered at apexes of inflorescences. The flowers are subcampanulate, 0.8–1.2 cm long. The perianth tubes are 5–7 mm long; the lobes are triangular-ovate, 3–5 mm long and 2–4 mm wide, yellow or orange. The filaments are adnate to perianth tubes; the anthers are rectangle-orbicular, ca. 1 mm in diam. The ovaries are ovoid, ca. 2 mm in diam.; the styles are ca. 1 mm long; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The berries are red. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in dense forests, mixed forests along valleys, or on slope rocks, on an altitude range of 1800–2900 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of northwestern Yunnan and Tibet, as well as in Nepal and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn. With the fibrous roots and leaves removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste, cool in property, and toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of diphtheria, rheumatoid arthritis, low back and leg pain, injuries, snakebites, and so on. Use and Dosage: 1.5–3 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

245

3.14 Family: Liliaceae 3.14.1 Cardiocrinum giganteum Chinese Name(s): da bai he, shan yu tou, tu bai he. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Cardiocrinum giganteum (Cardiocrinum giganteum (Wall.) Makino). Morphology: The plants are herbs. The bulblets are ovoid, 3.5–4  cm tall and 1.2–2 cm in diam., pale brown when dry. The stems are erect, hollow, 1–2 m tall, glabrous. The leaves are papery, with reticulate veins. The basal leaves are ovate-­ cordate or nearly broadly oblong-cordate; the cauline leaves are ovate-cordate; the

246

H. Ye et al.

lower ones are 15–20 cm long and 12–15 cm wide; the petioles are 15–20 cm long, smaller upward; few leaves close to inflorescences are cymbiform. The racemes have 10–16 flowers, without bracts. The flowers are trumpet, white, pale purplish red streaked inside. The perianths are linear-lanceolate, 12–15 cm long and 1.5–2 cm wide. The stamens are 6.5–7.5 cm long, nearly 1/2 as long as perianths. The filaments are gradually larger downward, flat. The anthers are long ellipsoid, ca. 8 mm long and 2 mm wide. The ovaries are terete, 2.5–3 cm long and 4–5 mm wide. The styles are 5–6 cm long; the stigmas are swollen, slightly 3-lobed. The capsules are subglobose, 3.5–4 cm long and 3.5–4 cm wide, apically mucronate, with stout and short fruit stems at base, reddish brown, obtusely 6-angled and with numerous finely horizontal stripes, 3-valved. The seeds are flat and obtusely trigonous, reddish brown, 4–5 mm long and 2–3 mm wide, with pale reddish brown, translucent membranous wings. The flowering period is from June to July. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in valleys and humid places of ditches. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Tibet, and Shaanxi, as well as in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in spring and summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and slightly sweet in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing the lungs and reliving coughing, detoxicating, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of cold, cough due to heat in the lungs, hemoptysis, sinusitis, mastitis, nameless swelling, and toxin. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

247

248

H. Ye et al.

3.15 Family: Liliaceae 3.15.1 Chlorophytum laxum Chinese Name(s): san jiao cao, xiao hua diao lan, shu hua diao lan. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Chlorophytum laxum (Chlorophytum laxum R. Br.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, small. The leaves are subdistichous, grasslike, often falcate, 10–20 cm long and 3–5 mm wide. The scapes are arising from leaf axils, often 2–3, erect or curved, slender, sometimes branched, varied in length. The pedicel are 2–5 mm long, articulate in proximal parts. The flowers are solitary or paired, greenish white, tiny. The tepals are ca. 2 mm long. The stamens are shorter than tepals. The anthers are oblong, ca. 0.3 mm long. The filaments are 2–3 times longer than anthers. The capsules are trigonous-oblate, ca. 3 mm long and 5 mm wide, often 1 seed per locule. The flowering and fruiting periods are from October to April of the following year. Habitat: It grows in forests or grasslands on slopes. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, and Fujian of China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are dug up in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste, cool in property, and toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating and relieving swelling and pain; it’s often used for treatment of snakebite and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas; for snakebite, the products are mashed and applied around the wound.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

249

3.16 Family: Liliaceae 3.16.1 Convallaria majalis Chinese Name(s): ling lan, cao yu ling. Source: This medicine is made of the roots and whole plants of Convallaria majalis (Convallaria majalis Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 20–40 cm in height. The rhizomes are slender, creeping. There are usually 2 (rarely 3) leaves. The leaf blades are elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, 10–18 cm long, 4–11 cm wide, apically acute, basally nearly cuneate, with arcuate veins. The petioles are 10–20 cm long, sheathlike, with several sheathlike, membranous scales at base. The scapes are axillary from scales, 15–30  cm high, slightly arching. The bracts are lanceolate, membranous, shorter than pedicels. The racemes are lateral, with 6–10 flowers. The pedicels are 1–1.5 cm.

250

H. Ye et al.

The flowers are white, shortly bell-shaped, aromatic, 0.6–0.7 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diameter, pendulous. The perianths are shallowly 6-lobed at apex. The lobes are ovate-triangular, apically acute, with 1 vein. The filaments are slightly shorter than anthers, more wider toward base. There are 6 stamens, with short filaments. The anthers are yellow, suboblong. There is 1 pistil. The ovaries are ovoid, with 3 loculi. The styles are columnar, ca. 3 mm long. The stigmas are small. The berries are globose, 6–12 mm in diameter, red when mature, slightly pendulous. There are 4–6 seeds, oblate or biconvex, finely reticulate, ca. 3  mm in diameter. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows in humic fertile mountain forests, forest thickets, gullies, and other places, usually aggregated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Zhejiang, Shandong, Shanxi, Hunan, Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu, as well as in North Korea, Japan, Europe, and North America. Acquisition and Processing: The roots are dug up in spring and autumn. After removing the soil, it’s washed and dried in the sun. The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn, and with the impurities removed, they are cut into sections, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste, warm in property, and toxic. Functions: Warming Yang and promoting diuresis, activating blood circulation, and dispelling wind; it’s often used for treatment of heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, paroxysmal tachycardia, purpura, edema, internal lesion caused by overexertion, metrorrhagia, leucorrhea, Keshan disease, traumatic injury, etc. Use and Dosage: 5–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or ground into fine powder and taken 1 g with water. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are decocted in water for washing or burned into ash and mixed with water and applied. This product is toxic, and patients with acute myocarditis or endocarditis should not use it.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

251

3.17 Family: Liliaceae 3.17.1 Dianella ensifolia Chinese Name(s): shan jian lan, jiao jian lan, shan mao er. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Dianella ensifolia (Dianella ensifolia (Linn.) DC.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with creeping rhizomes, 1–2 m in height. The leaves are alternate, firm, linear-lanceolate, 30–70 cm long, 1.2–2.5 cm wide, apically long acuminate, with finely sharp dentation on margins and midveins. The leaf sheaths are long, carinate. The racemes are connate into panicles, terminal; the branches are few and short. The flowers are pale yellow, green to pale purple, aggregated. The pedicels are 3–7  mm long, apically articulate. There are 6 perianths, oblong-lanceolate, 6–8 mm long. There are 6 stamens. The filaments are very thick. The anthers are linear, dark brown, dehisced by pores. The ovaries are 3-loculed, suborbicular. The styles are linear. The stigmas are obscurely 3-lobed. The berries are purplish blue, globose, about 8 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from June to August. The fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows on hillsides, on grassy slopes, and in thickets. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in tropical Asia and in Madagascar island in Africa. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are dug up in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste, cool in property, and extremely toxic. Functions: Detoxicating and relieving swelling; it’s used externally for treatment of carbuncle abscess, tinea, scabies, lymph node tuberculosis, and lymphadenitis. Use and Dosage: The powder of dried roots is used externally by mixing with vinegar and applied to the affected area. It should not be taken orally.

252

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

253

254

H. Ye et al.

3.18 Family: Liliaceae 3.18.1 Disporopsis fuscopicta Chinese Name(s): zhu gen qi. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Disporopsis fuscopicta (Disporopsis fuscopicta Hance). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, with moniliform rhizomes, 1–1.5  cm thick. The stems are 25–50 cm in height. The leaves are papery, ovate, elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 4–9(–15) cm long, 2.3–4.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally obtuse, broadly cuneate or slightly cordate, with petioles, glabrous on both surfaces. There are 1–2 flowers in axils, white, purple tinged adaxially, slightly pendulous. The pedicels are 7–14 mm long. The perianths are bell-shaped, 15–22 mm long. The perianth tubes are ca. 2/5 length of perianths; the mouths are unconstricted; the lobes are suboblong. The corona lobes are membranous, alternate with perianth lobes, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 5 mm long, apically usually 2–3-denticulate or 2-lobed. The anthers are ca. 2 mm long, attached to corona lobe sinus. The pistils are 8–9 mm long. The styles are subequal to ovaries in length. The berries are subglobose, 7–14 mm in diameter, 2–8-seeded. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is in November. Habitat: It grows in forests or valleys at altitudes of 500–1200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Nourishing Yin and moistening lungs, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and relieving swelling and pain. It’s often used for treatment of Yin deficiency, lungs dryness, cough, dry throat, postpartum fatigue, tuberculosis and malnutrition of women, bruise and swelling, and fracture. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

255

256

H. Ye et al.

3.19 Family: Liliaceae 3.19.1 Disporopsis jinfushanensis Chinese Name(s): jin fo shan zhu gen qi, jin fo shan xiao wan shou zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Disporopsis jinfushanensis (Disporopsis jinfushanensis Z. Y. Liu). Morphology: The rhizomes are terete, 3–5 mm in diameter. The stems are erect, lilac spotted, 6–10 cm long. There are 1–3 leaves, subopposite. The petioles are lilac spotted, 3–6  mm long. The leaf blades are ovate to elliptic, 3.5–4.5  cm long, 1.5–2.5  cm wide, leathery, basally slightly cordate or obtuse-rounded, apically cuspidate-­acuminate. The bracts are absent. The flowers are solitary. The pedicels are 4–8 mm long. The perianths are white, slightly yellow-green, ca. 10 mm long. The tubes are ca. 2.5 mm long, not constricted. The lobes are narrowly elliptic, ca.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

257

7.5 mm long, 3–4 mm wide. The perianth lobes are alternate, ovate, ca. 1 mm long, membranous, apically acute, entire or occasionally slightly emarginate. The anthers are ca. 1 mm long. The ovaries are subglobose, ca. 3 mm long. The styles are ca. 2 mm long. The berries are purple when mature, subglobose, 7–8 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows along margins of mountain forests or in forests at altitudes of 1600–1700 m. Distribution: It’s endemic to Nanchuan Jinfo Mountain of Chongqing. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter. With fibrous roots removed, they are washed and used when fresh or steamed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly pungent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Tonifying Qi and Yin, moistening the lungs, and activating blood circulation; it’s often used for treatment of deficiency of the body after illness, dryness of lungs due to deficiency of Yin, cough with sticky phlegm, dry throat, thirst, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

258

H. Ye et al.

3.20 Family: Liliaceae 3.20.1 Disporopsis longifolia Chinese Name(s): chang ye zhu gen qi, zhu gen qi, huang jing, chang ye jia wan shou zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the roots and stems of Disporopsis longifolia (Disporopsis longifolia Craib.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are moniliform, 1–2 mm in diameter. The stems are 60–100 cm in height. The leaves are papery, elliptic, elliptic-­ lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 10–20(–27) cm long, 2.5–6(–10) cm wide, apically acuminate or slightly caudate, glabrous on both surfaces, with short petioles. There are 5–10 flowers fascicled in leaf axils, white, suberect or spreading. The pedicels are 12–15  mm, glabrous. The perianths are 8–10  mm long; the tube mouths are constricted into slightly gourd-shaped; the lobes are narrowly elliptic, 4–6 mm long. The corona lobes are fleshy, opposite perianth lobes, 1.5–2 mm long, ca. 0.8 mm

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

259

wide, apically emarginate. The anthers are oblong, 2.5–3 mm long, basally divaricate, abaxially with short filaments attached at emarginate apex of corona lobes. The ovaries are ovoid, ca. 4 mm long. The styles are 1–1.2 mm long, basally constricted. The berries are ovoid-globose, 12–15 mm in diameter, white when mature, with 2–5 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from October to December. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, or along forest margins at altitudes of 160–1720 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan and Guangxi, as well as in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and stems are dug up all year round, washed, and used when fresh or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly pungent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Tonifying Qi and Yin, moistening the lungs, and activating blood circulation; it’s often used for treatment of deficiency of the body after illness, dryness of lungs due to deficiency of Yin, cough with sticky phlegm, dry throat, thirst, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

260

H. Ye et al.

3.21 Family: Liliaceae 3.21.1 Disporum jinfoshanense Chinese Name(s): jin fo shan wan shou zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the roots and rhizomes of Disporum jinfoshanense (Disporum jinfoshanense X. Z. Li, D. M. Zhang, D. Y. Hong.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are short, often with 10–30 cm long stolons. The stems are ascending, simple, rarely branched, 15–30 cm in height. There are 3–5 leaves; the petioles are obvious, 2–5  mm long; the leaf blades are ovate or elliptic, 6–9 cm long, 2–5 cm wide, papery, basally subrounded, papillary on margins, apically acuminate, cuspate or acute; the transverse veins are obvious. The inflorescences are terminal; the peduncles are absent, often with 1–3 flowers. The buds are elliptic. The pedicles of mature flowers are 2.5–3.5 cm long. The perianths are spreading, white, broadly lanceolate, 13–17 mm long, 3–5 mm wide; the veins are unobvious, apically acute, densely pubescent inside. The stamens are inserted at base of perianth, included, 8–12 mm long. The filaments are flat at base, 5–7  mm long. The anthers are exocentric, 3–5  mm long. The pistils are subequal to the stamens in length; the style and 3-lobed stigma are 5–8 mm long, ca. 2 times the length of ovaries. The berries are globose, purple-black, 6–8  mm in diameter. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in shaws or the thickets at altitudes of 1100–1400 m. Distribution: It’s endemic to Nanchuan Jinfo Mountain of Chongqing. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn, washed, and dried in the sun.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

261

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Nourishing Qi and the kidneys, moistening the lungs, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatism, bruise, muscle and bone pain, cough due to heat in the lungs, fatigue, injury, rheumatic pain, numbness of limbs, high fever in children, burn, scald, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

262

H. Ye et al.

3.22 Family: Liliaceae 3.22.1 Disporum cantoniense Chinese Name(s): wan shou zhu, zhu ling xiao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Disporum cantoniense (Disporum cantoniense (Lour.) Merr.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are creeping and hard. The roots are thick, long, and fleshy. The stems are 50–150 cm in height, ca. 1 cm in diameter. The leaves are papery, lanceolate to narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 5–12 cm long, 1–5 cm wide, apically acuminate to long acuminate, basally suborbicular, with obvious 3–7 veins; the lower veins and margins are papillate; the petioles are short. The umbels have 3–10 flowers, inserted at apex of short branches, opposite to upper leaves. The pedicels are (1–)2–4 cm long, slightly coarse. The flowers are purple. The perianth lobes are oblique, oblanceolate, 1.5–2.8 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, apical, papillary on margins, with 2–3 mm spurs at base. The stamens are included; the anthers are 3–4 mm long; the filaments are 8–11 mm long. The ovaries are ca. 3 mm long; the styles and stigmas are 3–4 times longer than ovaries. The berries are 8–10 mm in diameter, with 2–3(–5) seeds. The seeds are dark brown, ca. 5 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in forests or thickets on the hillside. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Thailand. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn, washed, and dried in the sun. Morphology: The products are irregular, nodular, branched, curved, varied in lengths, 5–15 mm in diameter. The surfaces are rough, brown to brownish black, with many fibrous roots and residual broken fibrous roots. The products are hard,

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

263

not easily broken; the cross-sections are uneven and with many whisker fibers. They are slightly odored and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, and spleen. Functions: Clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm, relieving coughing, tonifying the spleen and dispersing food acumination, relaxing the tendons, and activating blood circulation; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, cough, loss of appetite, chest and abdominal distension, muscle and bone pain, and low back and leg pain, as well as for external treatment of burn, scald, and fracture. Use and Dosage: 25–50 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed or ground to powder and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cough due to heat in the lungs and pulmonary tuberculosis hemoptysis: Disporum cantoniense, asparagus, Stemona sessilifolia, loquat leaf each 15 g, Houttuynia cordata, Saururus chinensis, 6 g each, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Burn and scald: Disporum cantoniense root, simmered to ointment and applied to the wound.

264

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

265

3.23 Family: Liliaceae 3.23.1 Disporum nantouense Chinese Name(s): bao duo cao, dan zhu hua, shan ya huang, liang shui zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Disporum nantouense (Disporum nantouense S. S. Ying [D. sessile D. Don].) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are fleshy, creeping, 3–10 cm long. The roots are clustered, 2–4 mm thick. The stems are erect, 30–80 cm in height. The leaves are thinly papery to papery, oblong, ovate, elliptic to lanceolate, 4–15 cm long and 1.5–5(–9) cm wide, abaxially pallid, papillate on veins and margins, with transverse veins, apically acute or acuminate, basally rounded or broadly cuneate, shortly petiolate or subsessile. The flowers are yellow, greenish yellow or white, 1–3(–5) inserted on apex of branches. The pedicels are 1–2  cm long, smooth. The perianths are nearly straight, obovate-lanceolate, 2–3 cm long, 4–7 mm wide on the upper part, tapering on lower part, with fine hairs inside, papillate on margins, with 1–2 mm short spurs at base. The stamens are included; the filaments are ca. 15  mm long; the anthers are ca. 4–6  mm long. The styles are ca. 15 mm, with 3-lobed and deflexed stigmas. The berries are elliptic or globose, ca. 1 cm in diameter, with 3 seeds. The seeds are ca. 5 mm in diameter, dark brown. The flowering period is from March to June. The fruiting period is from June to November. Habitat: It grows in forests or thickets. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in North Korea and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, and spleen. Functions: Clearing the lungs and resolving phlegm, relieving coughing, tonifying the spleen and dispersing food acumination, relaxing the tendons, and activating blood circulation; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, cough, loss of appetite, chest and abdominal distension, muscle and bone pain, and low back and leg pain, as well as for external treatment of burn, scald, and fracture. Use and Dosage: 25–50 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed or ground to powder and applied to the affected areas.

266

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

267

268

H. Ye et al.

3.24 Family: Liliaceae 3.24.1 Fritillaria cirrhosa, Fritillaria delavayi, Fritillaria unibracteata Chinese Name(s): chuan bei mu, bei mu, juan ye bei mu, kang ding bei mu, qin bei mu. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Fritillaria cirrhosa (Fritillaria cirrhosa D. Don), Fritillaria delavayi (Fritillaria delavayi Franch.), and Fritillaria unibracteata (Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K. C. Hsia) and is named “song bei,” “qing bei,” “lu bei,” and “cultivar.” Morphology: A. Fritillaria cirrhosa. The herbs are perennial, 15–50 cm long. The bulbs are composed of 2 scales, ca. 11.5 cm in diameter. The leaves are usually opposite, striate to lanceolate, 4–12 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, apically slightly curved or not. There is usually a single flower (rarely 2–3), purplish to yellow-green, often tessellated, sometimes with spots or stripes. Each flower has 3 leaflike bracts; the bracts are long and narrow, 2–4 mm wide. The tepals are 3–4 cm long; the outer three ones are 1–1.4 cm wide, and the inner three ones are up to 1.8 cm wide. The nectaries are abaxially obviously prominent. The stamens are ca. 3/5 length of tepals. The filaments are sometimes slightly papillose; the style lobes are 3–5 mm long. The capsules are ca. 1.6 cm long and ca. 1.6 mm wide, narrowly winged; the wings are 1–1.5 mm wide. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, on hillside grasslands, or in moist valley at altitudes of 1800–4200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Shanxi, as well as in Nepal.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

269

270

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

271

Morphology: B. Fritillaria delavayi. The herbs are perennial, 17–35 cm long. The bulbs are composed of 2–3 scales, 1–2 cm in diameter. There are 3–5 leaves, closely arranged in the middle or distal part of stem, scattered or top 2 opposite, narrowly ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2–7 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, apically not curved. The flowers are single, light yellow, with reddish-brown spots or tessellated. The tepals are 3.2–4.5 cm long, 1.2–1.5 cm wide, and the inner three ones are slightly longer and wider than the outer three ones. The stamens are ca. half as long as perianths. The anthers are nearly basifixed; the filaments are glabrous. The stigma lobes are very short, less than 1 mm long. The capsules are ca. 3 cm long and 2 cm wide, enclosed by persistent tepals; the ribs have very narrowed wings, ca. 1 mm wide. The flowering period is from June to July. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in sands or crevices among rocks in quicksand at altitudes of 3800–4700 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, and Tibet.

272

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

273

Morphology: C. Fritillaria unibracteata. The herbs are perennial, 15–23 cm in height. The bulbs are composed of 2 scales, 6–8 mm in diameter. The leaves are linear or linear-lanceolate, 3.6–5.5 cm long, 3–5 mm wide, not curved apically. The flowers are single, dark purple, yellowish-brown tessellated. There is 1 leaflike bract, not curved apically. The tepals are 2.5–2.7 cm long; the inner three ones are ca. 1 cm wide, and the outer three ones are ca. 6 mm wide. The nectaries are slightly prominent or unobvious. The stamens are ca. half the length of tepals; the anthers are nearly basifixed; the filaments are with or without papillae. The stigma lobes are very short, ca. 0.5–1 mm long, rarely up to 1.5 mm long. The capsules are 1–1.5 cm long, 1–1.2 cm wide; the ribs have very narrowed wings, ca. 1 mm wide. The flowering period is in June. The fruiting period is in August. Habitat: It grows on grasslands, in thickets, or in open forests on the hillsides at altitudes of 3200–4500 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, and Tibet.

274

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

275

Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up from July to September. When the seedlings are nearly withered, it’s exposed in the sun with mud or baked on low fire and turned over regularly until the skin turns white. With the silt sifted out, it’s put into a sack to knock off the soil and old skin and then dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: “song bei”: The products are subconic or nearly spherical, 3–8 mm in height and 3–9 mm in diameter, almost white on the surface. There are two scale leaves on the outside, which are very different in size; the big one clings to the small one, and the unfurled part is crescent-shaped, commonly known as “embracing the moon in the arms.” They are closed on the top, with subcylindrical and apically acute buds and 1–2 small scale leaves inside. The bulbs are obtuse or slightly acute on the top, flat and slightly concave on the bottom, and there is a grayish-brown stem disc in the center, occasionally with residual fibrous roots. The products are hard and brittle, white in the cross-section and pruinose. The odor is slight and the taste is slightly bitter. “qing bei”: The products are subcompressed-spherical, 4–14 mm in height and 4–16 mm in diameter. There are 2 scale leaves on the outside, which are similar in size and embrace each other, dehiscent at the top, with 2–3 small scale leaves and thin cylindrical residual stem. “lu bei”: The products are long conical, 0.7–2.5 cm in height and 0.5–2.5 cm in diameter, white or light brownish yellow and with some brownish spots on the surface. There are 2 scale leaves on the outside, which are similar in size, apically dehiscent and slightly pointed, basally slightly pointed or obtuse. Cultivar: The products are oblate spherical or short cylindrical, 0.5–2  cm in height and 1–2.5 cm in diameter, white or light brownish yellow, slightly rough, and with some light yellowish spots on the surface. There are 2 scale leaves on the outside, which are similar in size, and mostly dehiscent and flat apically. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and slightly sweet in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and heart. Functions: Clearing heat, moistening the lungs, dispersing nodules, resolving phlegm, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of cough with or without phlegm due to heat in the lungs, cough due to deficiency of Yin and taxation cough, expectoration with blood, heart and chest depression, chronic consumptive lung disease, abscess disorder in pulmonary system, goiter, pharyngitis, acute mastitis, etc. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or ground into powder and taken with water, 1–2 g at a time. It should not be used together with Aconitum. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cough with or without phlegm caused by heat in the lungs and dry throat: Fritillaria cirrhosa 75 g, licorice 1.5 g, almond 75 g, ground into powder, added with honey, and made into buccal pills. 2. Acute cough due to common cold: Fritillaria cirrhosa 1.5 g, Tussilago farfara, ephedra, and almond each 50 g, licorice 1.5 g, mashed and sifted, 15 g per dose

276

H. Ye et al.

decocted with 500 ml of water and three pieces of ginger, until 300 ml, taken when warm, with the dregs removed. 3. Acute cough due to common cold, asthma, chronic consumptive lung disease, and taxation cough: Fritillaria cirrhosa 75  g, Platycodon grandiflorum 50  g, licorice 50 g, aster 50 g, almond 25 g ground into powder, added with honey, and made into pills as large as the Chinese parasol nut, taken with porridge, 20 pills each time. 4. Cough and asthma of children: Fritillaria cirrhosa 25 g, licorice 5 g, ground into powder, taken 5 g per dose, added with 100 ml of water, decocted into 60 ml, the dregs removed, added with a little bezoar powder, and taken warmly after meal. 5. Hematemesis and epistaxis caused by heat accumulation: Fritillaria cirrhosa 50 g, ground into fine powder and taken 10 g per dose with warm rice milk. 6. Mouse sores and Bian toxin: Fritillaria cirrhosa, Gleditsia sinensis seed each 250 g, ground into fine powder. Take another 250 g of Gleditsia sinensis, knead it in water, filter, and mix with the medicine powder; make it into pills as large as the Chinese parasol nut. Take 50 pills per dose with alcohol.

3.25 Family: Liliaceae 3.25.1 Fritillaria hupehensis Chinese Name(s): hu bei bei mu. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Fritillaria hupehensis (Fritillaria hupehensis Hsiao et K. C. Hsia). Morphology: The plants are 26–50 cm in height. The bulbs are composed of 2–3 scales, 1.5–3 cm in diameter. There are 3–7 leaves, verticillate or often opposite or scattered in the middle, oblong-lanceolate, 7–13 cm long, 1–3 cm wide, apically not curved or less curved. There are 1–4 flowers, purple, small tessellated with yellow. There usually 3 or rarely 4 bracts, leaflike. The pedicels are 1–2 cm long. The tepals are 4.2–4.5 cm long, 1.5–1.8 cm wide, and the outer tepals are slightly narrowed. The nectaries are abaxially slightly convex. The stamens are ca. half the length of tepals; the anthers are nearly basifixed; the filaments are often slightly papillate. The stigma lobes are 2–3 mm long. The capsules are 2–2.5 cm long, 2.5–3 cm wide; the ribs have wings, 4–7 mm wide. The flowering period is April. The fruiting period is from May to June. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hubei, Chongqing, and Hunan. It’s cultivated in Jianshi, Xuan'en of Hubei, Nanchuan of Chongqing, and other places. Acquisition and Processing: The products are dug up in summer when the plants are withering, soaked in limewater, and fumigated with sulfur, or soaked in water and dried.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

277

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly bitter in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and heart. Functions: Clearing heat and resolving phlegm, relieving cough, and dispersing nodules; it’s often used for treatment of cough caused by heat and phlegm, phlegm nodule and scrofula, carbuncle, sore, cough due to exogenous wind heat, acute mastitis, abscess disorder in pulmonary system, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

278

H. Ye et al.

3.26 Family: Liliaceae 3.26.1 Fritillaria ussuriensis Chinese Name(s): ping bei mu, ping bei. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Fritillaria ussuriensis (Fritillaria ussuriensis Maxim.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, 40–70 cm in height. The bulbs are round and slightly flat, composed of 2–3 fleshy scales, white, 1–2 cm in diameter, often surrounded by a few caducous bulblets, basally tufted with fibrous roots, thin and curved, pale yellow. The stems are erect. The leaves are verticillate or opposite, with often a few scattered in the middle and upper part, linear to lanceolate, 5–15 cm long, 2–6 mm wide; the upper leaves are adaxially slightly curved or not curved.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

279

The flowers are bell-shaped, 1–3-fascicled on apex; the apical flowers have often 4–6 leaflike bracts, apically intensely curved, 6–10 cm long, 2–5 mm wide. There are 6 tepals, free, arranged in 2 circles, pale purplish brown outside, pale purple inside. The outer tepals are ca. 3.5 cm long, ca. 1.5 cm wide, slightly longer and wider than inner ones. The nectaries are abaxially slightly prominent. There are 6 stamens, ca. 3/5 length of tepals, attached to base of tepals; the filaments are small papillate, more on upper part. The ovaries are tetragonous, with 3 loculi; the stigmas are deeply 3-lobed; the styles are also papillate; the stigma lobes are ca. 5 mm. The capsules are broadly obovate, 6-ribbed, apically obtuse, with numerous seeds. The seeds are flat, nearly semicircular, winged on margins. The flowering period is in May. The fruiting period is in June. Habitat: It grows in humic moist fertile forest, in shrub meadow, or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Jilin, as well as in North Korea and Russian Far East. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up at the end of spring and the beginning of summer. After the fibrous roots and soils are removed, they are mixed with plant ash or lime and dried over fire and stored with the impurities cleaned out. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and dispersing nodules, relieving coughing, and resolving phlegm; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to deficiency, tuberculosis, dry cough due to heat in the lungs, expectoration with blood, cough due to Yin deficiency, Qi stagnation in the heart and chest, consumptive lung disease, lung carbuncle, scrofula, goiter, pharyngitis, mastitis, carbuncle, and gangrene. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The product should not be used with Veratrum nigrum. Prescription Example(s): 1. Chronic tracheitis: Fritillaria ussuriensis, Lilium lancifolium, perilla leaf, Schisandra chinensis, Platycodon grandiflorum each 250  g, decocted twice, concentrated to 5 kg, and added with 1 kg of sugar. Take 15–20 ml each time, three times a day. 2. Tuberculosis and dry cough of tracheitis: Fritillaria ussuriensis 100 g, almond 200 g, rock sugar 250 g, ground together into fine powder and taken 5 g per dose, twice a day. 3. Hematemesis and epistaxis caused by heart heat: Fritillaria ussuriensis 50 g–100 g, rammed into fine powder, 10 g per dose, taken with warm rice pulp. 4. Mastitis at the beginning: Fritillaria ussuriensis ground into fine powder and taken 10 g each time with warm alcohol. Hunching on the desk, leaning forward, and drooping the breasts for a while, the milk will come down. 5. Cough: Fritillaria ussuriensis 7 g, added with 2 bowls of water, decocted into a bowl, the bulb removed, added with 3 red eggs, cooked, and taken together (folk

280

H. Ye et al.

recipe from Benxi county). Another prescription: Fritillaria ussuriensis 15  g, raw licorice 10 g, decocted in water for oral use. 6. Pertussis: Fritillaria ussuriensis 25 g, Curcuma rcenyujin, Lepidium seed, Morus alba velamen, Cynanchum stauntonii, Aristolochia debilis each 2.5  g, ground into fine powder and stored, 1 g each time for children aged 1.5–3, 2.5 g each time for children aged 4–7, 3.5 g each time for children aged 8–10, three times a day, with warm water, or added with sugar or honey.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

281

282

H. Ye et al.

3.27 Family: Liliaceae 3.27.1 Hemerocallis citrina Chinese Name(s): huang hua cai, jin zhen cai, ning meng xuan cao. Source: This medicine is made of the roots and stems of Hemerocallis citrina (Hemerocallis citrina Baroni). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, usually tall, up to 1 m in height. The roots are nearly fleshy, often fusiform-inflated at lower part. There are 7–20 leaves, 50–130 cm long, 6–25 mm wide. The scapes are unequal, usually slightly longer than leaves, basally trigonous, minutely cylindric on upper part, branched. The bracts are lanceolate, up to 3–10  cm long, becoming shorter from base to apex, 3–6 mm wide. The pedicels are shorter, usually less than 1 cm long. The cincinni have many flowers, up to more than 10. The perianths are pale yellow, sometimes

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

283

with a black-purple apex when the buds open. The tubes are 3–5 cm long, the segments are 7–12 cm long; the inner three tepals are 2–3 cm wide. The capsules are obtusely trigonous-elliptic, 3–5 cm long. There are ca. 20 seeds, black, ribbed. The flowering period and fruiting periods are from May to September. Habitat: It grows in mountain forests or thickets. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces south of the Qinling Mountains (the southern part of Gansu and Shaanxi, excluding Yunnan) and Hebei, Shanxi, and Shandong. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and stems are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, stomach, and spleen. Functions: Clearing heat and promoting diuresis, cooling blood, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of mumps, jaundice, cystitis, hematuria, dysuria, agalactia, irregular menstruation, epistaxis, and hemafecia, as well as for external treatment of mastitis. Use and Dosage: 6–12  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

284

H. Ye et al.

3.28 Family: Liliaceae 3.28.1 Hemerocallis fulva Chinese Name(s): xuan cao, wang xuan cao. Source: This medicine is made of flowers, roots, or whole plants of Hemerocallis fulva (Hemerocallis fulva Linn.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are up to 1 m in height. The roots are subfleshy, often fusiform-inflated at lower part. The leaves are basal, dense, broadly linear, 30–110  cm long, 1–3  cm wide. The scapes are unequal, usually slightly longer than leaves; the cincinni have numerous flowers, up to 10 and over, basally trigonous, upper part minutely cylindric, branched. The bracts are lanceolate, up to 3–10 cm long at lower part, gradually shorter from base to apex, 3–6 mm wide. The pedicels are shorter, usually less than 1 cm long. The perianths are funnelform, 7–12 cm long, reddish orange to reddish yellow; the lower part of inner perianth lobes usually have A-shaped patch; the tubes are 2–4.5 cm long; there are 6 lobes; the inner three ones are 2–3 cm wide; the filaments are 4–5 cm long. The anthers are black, 7–8 cm long. The capsules are ellipsoid, 2–2.5 cm long. The flowering period and fruiting periods are from May to July. Habitat: It grows on the slopes and grasslands, or near streamside. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

285

Acquisition and Processing: The flowers, roots, or whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, stomach, and spleen. Functions: Clearing heat and promoting diuresis, cooling blood, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of mumps, jaundice, cystitis, hematuria, dysuria, agalactia, irregular menstruation, epistaxis, and hemafecia, as well as for external treatment of mastitis. Use and Dosage: 6–12  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): Mumps: Hemerocallis fulva root 60 g, added with appropriate amount of rock sugar and stewed for oral use.

286

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

287

3.29 Family: Liliaceae 3.29.1 Heteropolygonatum ginfushanicum Chinese Name(s): jin fo shan yi huang jing, jin fo shan huang jing. Source: This medicine is made of roots and stems of Heteropolygonatum ginfushanicum (Heteropolygonatum ginfushanicum (F.  T. Wang et Ts. Tang) M. N. Tamura, S. C. Chen et Turland). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are pale purple, terete, 1–5 mm in diameter. The stems are erect or ascending, purple, 5–14 cm tall, slender, glabrous. There are 2 leaves. The petioles are very short. The leaf blades are oblong to ovate-elliptic, 3.5–9 cm long, 1.3–3.8 cm wide, glabrous, papery, apically acuminate, basally rounded. The racemes are terminal, or sometimes axillary, with 2–4 flowers per inflorescence. The pedicels are 1–8 mm long. The perianth tubes are campanulate, 6–8  mm long, 3–6  mm in diameter; the lobes are erect, 1–1.5  mm long, abaxially papillose apically. The stamens are subequal. The filaments are very short. The anthers are ovate, 0.7–1 mm long. The ovaries are elliptic to globose, 2–3 mm long. The styles are 1.5–1.8 mm long, stigmas being capitate. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It grows on the rocks in deciduous broad-leaved forests at altitudes of 1300–1800 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hunan, Chongqing, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested in autumn. After the leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are steamed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Tonifying Qi and nourishing Yin, invigorating the spleen, moistening the lungs, and benefiting the kidneys; it’s often used for treatment of spleen and stomach Qi deficiency, deficiency of stomach Yin, lung deficiency, dry cough, insufficiency of blood essence, soreness and weakness of waist and knees, internal heat and diabetes, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

288

H. Ye et al.

3.30 Family: Liliaceae 3.30.1 Hosta ensata Chinese Name(s): dong bei yu zhan. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Hosta ensata (Hosta ensata F. Maekawa). Morphology: The herbs are perennial plant; the rhizomes are ca. 1  cm thick, with long creeping stolons. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, narrowly elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 10–15  cm long, 2–6  cm wide, apically nearly acuminate, basally cuneate or obtuse; the veins are in 5–8 pairs. The petioles are 5–26 cm long, winged about 1/2 length of upper part, 2–5 mm wide on each side. The scapes are 33–55 cm in height, with only a few to more than 20 flowers. The bracts are nearly broadly lanceolate, 5–7 mm long, membranous. The flowers are 4–4.5 cm long, gradually expanded from perianth tubes to anthesis, purple to pale purple. The pedicels are 5–10 mm long. The stamens are slightly exserted, completely free. The capsules are terete, 3-ribbed, 4–6 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diameter. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on the forest margins or in moist places at altitudes of 400 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Jilin and Liaoning, as well as in North Korea and Russia. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are dug up in autumn. With the leaves removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste, cold in property, and toxic.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

289

Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating and relieving swelling and pain; it’s often used for treatment of pharyngeal swelling, hematemesis, bone sticking, otitis media, sores, carbuncle, swelling and poisoning, burn, and scald. Use and Dosage: 12–25 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3.31 Family: Liliaceae 3.31.1 Lilium brownii Chinese Name(s): ye bai he, bai he, shan bai he. Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium brownii (Lilium brownii F. E. Brown ex Miellez). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are globose, 2–4.5 cm in diameter; the scales are lanceolate, 1.8–4  cm long, 0.8–1.4  cm wide, without nodes,

290

H. Ye et al.

white. The stems are 0.7–2 m in height, sometimes with purple stripes, sometimes papillose. The leaves are scattered, usually gradually smaller from base to apex, lanceolate, narrowly lanceolate to linear, 7–15 cm long, (0.6–)1–2 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuated, 5–7-veined, entire, glabrous on both surfaces. The flowers are solitary or a few in a subumbel. The pedicels are 3–10 cm long, slightly curved. The bracts are lanceolate, 3–9 cm long, 0.6–1.8 cm wide. The flowers are funnelform, fragrant, milky white, slightly purplish outside, unspotted, apically distally spreading and recurved, 13–18 cm long. The outer tepals are 2–4.3 cm wide, apically acuminate; the inner tepals are 3.4–5 cm wide; the nectaries are papillose on both surfaces. The stamens are curved upward; the filaments are 10–13 cm long, densely pilose below the middle, rarely pubescent or glabrous. The anthers are elliptic, 1.1–1.6 cm long. The ovaries are cylindric, 3.2–3.6 cm long, ca. 4 mm wide. The styles are 8.5–11  cm long; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The capsules are oblong, 4.5–6 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, ridged, with numerous seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on roadsides of mountains or slopes. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangxi, and Sichuan and other places. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn, washed, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire with the scales peeled. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing and calming the heart and mind; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, sputum with blood, neurasthenia, and vexation Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Coughing and hemoptysis due to tuberculosis: (Baihe Gujin decoction) Lilium brownii 24 g, Ophiopogon japonicus, Radix Scrophulariae, Paeoniae lactiflora 9 g each, raw Rehmannia 12 g, prepared Rehmannia 18 g, Angelica sinensis, licorice, Platycodon grandiflorum 4.5 g each, Fritillaria 6 g, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

291

292

H. Ye et al.

3.32 Family: Liliaceae 3.32.1 Lilium brownii var. viridulum, Lilium tigrinum, Lilium pumilum Chinese Name(s): bai he, juan dan, xi ye bai he, dao luan ye bai he. Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium brownii var. viridulum (Lilium brownii F. E. Brown ex Miellez var. viridulum Baker [L. brownii var. colchesteri (Wall.) Wils.]), Lilium tigrinum (Lilium tigrinum Ker Gawler [L. lancifolium Thunb.]), and Lilium pumilum (Lilium pumilum DC.). Morphology: A. Lilium brownii var. viridulum: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are globose, 2–4.5 cm in diameter; the scales are lanceolate, 1.8–4 cm long, 0.8–1.4 cm wide, without nodes, white. The stems are 0.7–2 m in height, sometimes with purple stripes, sometimes papillose at lower part. The leaves are scattered, usually gradually smaller from base to apex, lanceolate, narrowly lanceolate to linear, 7–15  cm long, (0.6–)1–2  cm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuated, 5–7-veined, entire on margins, glabrous on both surfaces. The flowers are solitary or a few in an umbel. The pedicels are 3–10 cm long, slightly curved. The bracts are lanceolate, 3–9  cm long, 0.6–1.8  cm wide. The flowers are funnelform, fragrant, milky white, slightly purplish outside, unspotted, apically spreading and recurved, 13–18 cm long. The outer tepals are 2–4.3 cm wide, apically acuminate. The inner tepals are 3.4–5 cm wide; the nectaries are papillose on both surfaces. The stamens

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

293

are curved upwardly; the filaments are 10–13  cm long, densely pilose below the middle, rarely pubescent or glabrous. The anthers are elliptic, 1.1–1.6 cm long. The ovaries are cylindric, 3.2–3.6 cm long and 4 mm wide. The styles are 8.5–11 cm long; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The capsules are oblong, 4.5–6 cm long and 3.5 cm wide, ridged, with many seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on slopes and in crevices. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Zhejiang.

294

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Lilium tigrinum: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are broadly globose, up to 8 cm in diameter. The stems are 50–150 cm in height, brown or purple, covered with white cotton wool. The leaves are alternate, sessile, oblong-­ lanceolate or lanceolate, 5–20  cm long, 0.5–2  cm wide. The inflorescences are racemes, 3–6-flowered; the pedicels are 6–9 cm long, nodding. There are 6 perianths, lanceolate, revolute, reddish orange or yellow, inside with purplish black spots. There are 6 stamens; the filaments are 5–7 cm long, pale red; the anthers are oblong, purple, ca. 2 cm long. The ovaries are cylindric, 1.5–2 cm long; the styles are slender; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The capsules are narrowly oblong, 3–4  cm long. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows by roadsides or on the slopes and is mostly cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hebei, Henan, Yunnan, and Xizang and other places.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

295

296

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: C. Lilium pumilum: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are subconic, 2.5–4.5 cm in height, 2–3 cm in diameter; the scales are long ovate, white, 2–3.5 cm long. The stems are 15–60 cm in height, nectaries papillose, sometimes with purple stripes. The leaves are borne near the middle of stems, filiform-linear, 3.5–9 cm long, 1.5–3 mm wide, midveins being conspicuous abaxially, margin nectaries papillose. The flowers are solitary or a few in racemes, brightly red, sometimes with a few blotches, nodding. The perianths are recurved, 4–4.5  cm long, 0.8–1.1 cm wide. The filaments are 1.2–2.5 cm long, glabrous; the anthers are long elliptic, ca. 1 cm long, yellow. The ovaries are cylindrical, 0.8–1 cm long. The styles are slightly longer than ovaries, stigmas being swollen, 3-lobed. The capsules are oblong, ca. 2 cm long, 1.2–1.8 cm in diameter. The flowering period is in July and August and the fruiting period is in August and September. Habitat: It grows on grasslands on slopes or the margins of forests at altitudes of 180–650 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan, as well as in North Korea and Japan.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

297

298

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in summer and autumn, washed, peeled the scales, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: 1. Lilium brownii: the scales are elliptic in length, 1.5–3 cm in length, 0.5–1 cm in width, 4 mm in thickness in the middle, apically acute, basally broad, thin on the edge, slightly curved inwardly, pale white, light brownish yellow or purplish, with 3–5 longitudinal veins. It is hard and brittle, flat on the cross-section and horny, slightly odored and slightly bitter in taste. The products plump, hard, and white are better in quality. 2. Lilium pumilum: the scales are about 2–3.5  cm in length, 2.5  cm in width, 3.5 mm in thickness in the middle, dark in color, and with obscure veins. 3. Lilium tigrinum: the scales are 2–3.5 cm in length, 1–1.5 cm in width, 1–3 mm in thickness in the middle, milky white or yellowish brown on the surface, with 3–8 vertical veins. It’s hard and brittle, flat on the cross-section, horny, slightly odored, and slightly bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing and calming the heart and mind; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, sputum with blood, neurasthenia, and vexation Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Coughing and hemoptysis due to tuberculosis: (Baihe Gujin decoction) Lilium brownii 24 g, Ophiopogon japonicus, Radix Scrophulariae, Paeoniae lactiflora 9 g each, raw Rehmannia 12 g, prepared Rehmannia 18 g, Angelica sinensis, licorice, Platycodon grandiflorum each 4.5 g, Fritillaria 6 g, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

299

3.33 Family: Liliaceae 3.33.1 Lilium callosum Chinese Name(s): tiao ye bai he, bai he. Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium callosum (Lilium callosum Sieb. et Zucc.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are small, oblate, ca. 2 cm in height, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter; the scales are ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.5–2 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, white. The stems are 50–90 cm tall, glabrous. The leaves are scattered, linear, 6–10  cm long, 3–5  mm wide, 3-veined, glabrous, papillose on margins. The flowers are solitary or a few in racemes. There are 1–2 bracts, 1–1.2 cm long, apically thick. The pedicels are 2–5 cm long, curved. The flowers are drooping; the perianths are oblanceolate-spatulate, 3–41 cm long, 4–6 mm wide, revolute in the middle and apex, red or reddish, nearly unspotted; the nectaries are sparsely papillose. The filaments are 2–2.5 cm long, glabrous; the anthers are ca. 7 mm long. The ovaries are cylindric, 1–2 cm long, 1–2 mm wide. The styles are shorter than ovaries; the stigmas are swollen, 3-lobed. The capsules are narrowly oblong, ca. 2.5 cm long, 6–7 mm wide. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on the slopes or grasslands at altitudes of 180–650 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hunan, Taiwan, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Henan of China, as well as in North Korea and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn, washed, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire, with the scales peeled. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing and calming the heart and mind; it’s often used for treatment of chronic cough due to Yin deficiency, phlegm with blood, vexation, palpitation, insomnia, and abstraction. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

300

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

301

3.34 Family: Liliaceae 3.34.1 Lilium davidii Chinese Name(s): chuan bai he, juan dan. Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium davidii (Lilium davidii Duchartre). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are oblate or broadly ovoid, 2–4  cm in height, 2–4.5  cm in diameter; the scales are broadly ovate to ovate-­ lanceolate, 2–3.5  cm long, 1–1.5  cm wide, white. The stems are 50–100  cm in height, densely papillose. The leaves are numerous, scattered, crowded in the middle of stems, linear, 7–12 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, apically acute, revolute on margins, with white woolly hairs in axils. The flowers are solitary or 2–8 arranged in

302

H. Ye et al.

racemes. The bracts are leaflike, 4–7.5 cm long, 3–7 mm wide. The pedicels are 4–8 cm long. The flowers are nodding, orange-yellow, with dark purple spots on proximal 2/3; the outer tepals are 5–6  cm long and 1.2–1.4  cm wide. The inner tepals are slightly wider; the nectaries are papillose on both surfaces; the filaments are 4–5.5 cm long; the anthers are 1.4–1.6 cm long; the pollens are dark reddish orange. The ovaries are cylindric, 1–1.2 cm long, 2–3 mm wide. The styles are 2 times or longer than ovaries; the stigmas are swollen, shallowly 3-lobed. The capsules are oblong, 3.2–3.6 cm long, 1.6–2 cm wide. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on mountain slopes, in moist places in forests, or on forest margins at altitudes of 850–3200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Shanxi, and Hubei. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn, washed, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire, with the scales peeled. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing and calming the heart and mind; it’s often used for treatment of chronic cough due to Yin deficiency, phlegm with blood, vexation, palpitation, insomnia, absent mind, chronic cough, beriberi, edema, and so on. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, steamed or cooked with porridge.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

303

3.35 Family: Liliaceae 3.35.1 Lilium duchartrei Chinese Name(s): bao xing bai he, yan ban hua. Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium duchartrei (Lilium duchartrei Franch.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are ovoid, 1.5–3  cm high, 1.5–4 cm wide; the scales are ovate to broadly lanceolate, 1–2 cm long, 0.5–1.8 cm wide, white. The stems are 50–85 cm in height, with purplish striates. The leaves are scattered, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 4.5–5 cm long and 1 cm wide, glabrous

304

H. Ye et al.

on both surfaces, 3–5-veined, papillose on margins. The flowers are solitary or several in a raceme or umbel. The bracts are leaflike, lanceolate, 2.5–4 cm long, 4–6 mm wide. The pedicels are 10–22 cm long. The flowers are drooping, fragrant, white or pink, with purple spots. The perianths are revolute, 4.5–6 cm long, 1.2–1.4 cm wide; the nectaries are papillose on both sides. The filaments are 2.8–3.5 cm long, glabrous; the anthers are narrowly oblong, ca. 1 cm long, yellow. The ovaries are cylindric, 0.9–1.2 cm long, 1.5–3 mm wide. The styles are 2 times or longer than ovary; the stigmas are enlarged. The capsules are ellipsoid, 2.5–3  cm long, 1.8–2.2  cm wide. The seeds are flat, with 1–2 mm wide wings. The flowering period is in July. The fruiting period is in September. Habitat: It grows on mountain grasslands, in thickets, or on forest margins at altitudes of 2000–3500 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Xizang, and Gansu. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn, washed, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire, with the scales peeled. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing and calming the heart and mind; it’s often used for treatment of chronic cough due to Yin deficiency, phlegm with blood, vexation, palpitation, insomnia, absent mind, chronic cough, beriberi, edema, and so on. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, steamed or cooked with porridge.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

305

3.36 Family: Liliaceae 3.36.1 Lilium longiflorum Chinese Name(s): she xiang bai he, bai bai he, ye he, tie pao bai he, long ya bai he. Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium longiflorum (Lilium longiflorum Thunb.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are globose or subglobose, 2.5–5 cm tall; the scales are white. The stems are 45–90 cm in height, green, basally reddish. The leaves are scattered, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 8–15  cm long, 1–1.8 cm wide, apically acuminate, entire, glabrous on both surfaces. The flowers are solitary or 2–3-fascicled; the pedicels are ca. 3 cm long. The bracts are lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, ca. 8 cm long, 1–1.4 cm wide. The flowers are white; the tubes are slightly green outside, up to 19 cm long. The apical outer tepals are 2.5–4 cm wide. The inner tepals are slightly wider than the outer ones; the nectaries are not papillose on both surfaces. The filaments are ca. 15 cm long, glabrous. The ovaries are cylindric, ca. 4 cm long; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The capsules are oblong, 5–7 cm long. The flowering period is from June to July. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on mountain roadsides, on grasslands on slopes, or in sparse forests. Distribution: It’s cultivated in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guangdong, and Guangxi of China, as well as in Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn, washed, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire, with the scales peeled. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing, clearing heat and calming the mind, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of taxation cough, hematemesis, bronchitis, and hematuria. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water, steamed or cooked with porridge for oral use.

306

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

307

3.37 Family: Liliaceae 3.37.1 Lilium rosthornii Chinese Name(s): nan chuan bai he Source: This medicine is made of bulbs of Lilium rosthornii (Lilium rosthornii Diels.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The stems are 40–100 cm tall, glabrous. The leaves are scattered, lanceolate below the middle, 8–15  cm long, 8–10  mm wide, apically acuminate, basally attenuated into short petioles, glabrous on both surfaces, entire. The distal leaves are ovate, 3–4.5 cm long, 10–12 mm wide, apically acute, basally attenuated, with obvious midveins, glabrous on both surfaces, entire. The racemes are up to 9 flowers, rarely solitary. The bracts are broadly ovate, 3–3.5 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, apically acute, basally attenuated. The pedicels are 7–8 cm long. The perianths are recurved, yellow or yellowish red, with purple-red spots, 6–6.5  cm long, 9–11  mm wide, entire; the nectaries have many fimbriate projections on both surfaces. The stamens are divergent; the filaments are ca. 6–6.5 cm long, glabrous; the anthers are 1.2–1.4 cm long. The ovaries are cylindric, 1.5–2 cm long, ca. 2 mm wide. The styles are 4–4.5 cm long; the stigmas are slightly swollen. The capsules are oblong, 5.5–6.5  cm long, 1.4–1.8  cm wide, brownish green. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in the valleys, on streamside, or in forests at altitudes of 350–900 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Hubei, Guangxi, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn, washed, blanched in boiling water, and dried in the sun or over fire, with the scales peeled. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and heart. Functions: Moistening the lungs and relieving coughing and calming the heart and mind; it’s often used for treatment of chronic cough due to Yin deficiency, phlegm with blood, vexation, palpitation, insomnia, absent mind, chronic cough, beriberi, edema, and so on. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, steamed or cooked with porridge.

308

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

309

3.38 Family: Liliaceae 3.38.1 Liriope graminifolia Chinese Name(s): he ye shan mai dong, da mai men dong, mai dong. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Liriope graminifolia (Liriope graminifolia (Linn.) Baker). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The roots are slender or slightly stout, branched, sometimes with fusiform tubercles. The rhizomes are short or slightly long, with creeping stolons. The leaves are 20–50(–60)cm long, 2–3(–4)mm wide, apically obtuse or acuminate, 5-veined, subentire, apically serrulate on margins, basally surrounded by many sheaths and fibers. The scapes are usually slightly shorter than the leaves, 20–48 cm long; the racemes are 6–15 cm long, with many flowers. Usually 3–5 flowers cluster in bract axils. The bracts are ovate, apically acute; the proximal ones are 5–6 mm long, scarious. The pedicels are ca. 4 mm long, articulate near apex. The perianths are narrowly oblong or oblong, apically obtuse, 3.5–4 mm long, white or pale purple. The filaments are 1–1.5 mm long, flat, and slightly wide. The anthers are nearly oblong, ca. 1 mm long. The ovaries are subglobose. The styles are ca. 2 mm, slightly coarser; the stigmas are as wide as styles. The seeds are ovoid or subglobose, 4–5 mm in diameter, green, blue-black when mature. The flowering period is from June to August. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows on slopes and in valleys, thickets, or shady places along ravines. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China.

310

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, dried in the sun, and stored. The product could be used instead of Radix Ophiopogonis. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Tonifying Yin and moistening the lungs, clearing the heart, and stopping irritation; it’s often used for treatment of taxation cough, dry cough, hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistasis, thirst during fever, constipation, etc. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

311

3.39 Family: Liliaceae 3.39.1 Liriope longipedicellata Chinese Name(s): chang geng shan mai dong. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Liriope longipedicellata (Liriope longipedicellata Wang et Tang). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are stout, woody, without stolons. The roots are slender, sometimes slightly stout. The leaves are 30–50 cm long, 4–5  mm wide, adaxially green, with unobvious veins, abaxially glaucous, green, distinctly 5-veined, serrate on margins, basally surrounded by many brownish, membranous sheaths. The scapes are slightly longer or as long as leaves, 30–60 cm long. The racemes are 7–12 cm long, with many flowers. The flowers are usually 2–4 clustered in bract axils, sometimes solitary. The bracts are very small, 1–2 mm long, scarious. The pedicels are 5–8 mm long, articulate near or above the middle. The tepals are obovate or oblanceolate, ca. 3 mm long, apically acute or

312

H. Ye et al.

slightly obtuse, purplish red or purple. The filaments are flat, ca. 1.2 mm long. The anthers are ovate, suboblong, ca. 1 mm long. The ovaries are oblate. The styles are slightly stout, ca. 2 mm long; the stigmas are indistinct. The seeds are subglobose or slightly elliptic, 5–6 mm in diameter, green, blackish purple when mature. The flowering period is in July. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows on moist grasslands or in moist rocky places at altitudes of 1400–1950 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Chengkou of northeastern Chongqing and other places. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and slightly bitter in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Tonifying Yin and promoting secretion of saliva, moistening the lungs, and clearing the heart; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to dryness of the heart, taxation cough, thirst due to impairment of body fluid, vexation, insomnia, and constipation due to intestinal dryness. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

313

314

H. Ye et al.

3.40 Family: Liliaceae 3.40.1 Liriope muscari, Liriope spicata Chinese Name(s): shan mai dong, da mai dong. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Liriope muscari (Liriope muscari (Decaisne) L. H. Bailey [ L. platyphylla Wang et Tang]) and Liriope spicata (Liriope spicata Lour.) Morphology: A. Liriope muscari: The herbs are perennial, small, up to 1  m high; the roots are slender, multibranched, sometimes partially inflated into fusiform, 3.5 cm long and 7–8 mm wide, fleshy; the rhizomes are short, woody. The leaves are densely in cluster, leathery, 25–65 cm long and 1–3.5 cm wide, apically acute or obtuse, basally tapered, with 9–11 veins, with distinct transverse veins, scarcely coarse on margins. The scapes are usually longer than leaves, 45–100 cm long; the racemes are (12–)25–40  cm long, with many flowers. The flowers are (3–)4–8 clustered in bract axils. The bracts are small, nearly setiform, 3–4 mm long, sometimes unobvious. The bracteoles are ovate, scarious. The pedicels are 4–5 mm long, articulate near or above the middle. The perianths are oblong-lanceolate or suboblong, ca. 3.5 mm long, apically obtuse, purple or reddish purple. The filaments are ca. 1.5 mm long. The anthers are suboblong-lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm long. The ovaries are subglobose; the styles are ca. 2 mm long; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The seeds are globose, 6–7 mm in diameter, green, dark purple when mature. The flowering period is from July to August. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in forests or in wet places. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou and other places, as well as in Japan.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

315

316

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Liriope spicata: The herbs are perennial, sometimes tufted. The roots are slightly stout, 1–2 mm in diameter, sometimes multibranched, usually swollen into oblong, elliptic or fusiform fleshy tuberous near the tip. The rhizomes are short, woody, with stolons. The leaves are 25–60 cm long, 4–6(–8)mm wide, apex acute or obtuse, base usually surrounded by brownish sheaths. The leaf blades are dark green, abaxially glaucous, green, 5-veined, midveins being distinct, margins being serrate. The scapes are usually longer than or subequal to leaves, a few shorter than leaves, 25–65 cm long. The racemes are 6–15(–20)cm long, many flowered. The flowers are usually in cluster of (2–)3–5  in bract axils. The bracts are small, lanceolate, basal ones being 4–5 mm long, scarious. The pedicels are ca. 4 mm long, articulate distally. The perianths are oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 4–5 mm long, apex obtuse, pale purple or pale blue. The filaments are ca. 2 mm long. The anthers are narrowly oblong, ca. 2 mm long. The ovaries are subglobose, styles being ca. 2 mm, slightly curved, stigmas being unobvious. The seeds are subglobose, ca. 5 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows on slopes, in valley forests, and in moist places on the roadside. Distribution: It’s widely distributed and cultivated except the northeast, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Xizang provinces and regions of China, as well as in Japan and Vietnam.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

317

Medicinal Properties: Liriope spicata  – the products are fusiform, slightly pointed at both ends, 1.2–3 cm in length and 4–7 mm in diameter, light yellow with irregular longitudinal wrinkles on the surface. The products are flexible, hard and brittle after drying, easily broken, light yellow to brownish yellow on the cross-­ section, horny, and the middle column is small. They are slightly odored, sweet in taste, and sticky when chewed. Liriope muscari: the products are slightly compressed, 2–5 cm long, 3–8 mm in diameter, with coarse longitudinal wrinkles on the surface. They are sweet and slightly bitter in taste. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, dried in the sun, and stored. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Nourishing lungs and the stomach, tonifying Yin, and promoting secretion of saliva; it’s often used for treatment of vexation, cough, sore throat, vexation and thirst, pneumonia, hematemesis, constipation, and agalactia. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3.41 Family: Liliaceae 3.41.1 Ophiopogon chingii Chinese Name(s): chang jing yan jie cao. Source: This medicine is made of whole plants of Ophiopogon chingii (Ophiopogon chingii F. T. Wang & Tang). Morphology: The roots are thick, usually woody, and slightly stiff. The stems are long, distally ascending, 2–5 mm in diameter, often prostrate and rooting, sometimes with branches. The leaves are scattered on long stems, sword-shaped, 7–20 cm long, 2.5–8  mm wide, apically acute or obtuse, basally with white membranous sheaths, usually with transverse striae, adaxially dark green, abaxially glaucous

318

H. Ye et al.

green, with 5–9 distinct veins, basally narrowed into petioles; the petioles are slightly obvious. The racemes are borne at leaf axil or apex of stem, 8–15 cm long, usually included by leaf sheaths, 5–10-flowered. The flowers are usually solitary or 2–4 clustered in bract axil. The bracts are ovate or lanceolate, membranous except midveins, white, translucent, apically long acuminate; the lowermost ones are ca. 6  mm, gradually shorter toward apex. The pedicels are 6–9  mm long, articulate below the middle. The tepals are oblong or ovate-oblong, ca. 5 mm long, white or pale purple. The filaments are ca. 1 mm long. The anthers are ovate, ca. 2 mm long. The styles are slender, ca. 4 mm long. The anthers are ovate, 8–12 mm long. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from July to October. Habitat: It grows in thickets on the slope and in forests or rocky places at altitudes of 1000–2100 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are dug up in autumn. After the silts are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Nourishing Yin and tonifying the lungs, benefiting the stomach and promoting secretion of saliva, and clearing the heart and vexation; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to dryness of the lungs, abscess disorder in pulmonary system, Yin deficiency, taxation cough, thirst, vexation, insomnia, intestinal dryness, constipation, hematemesis, epistasis caused by heat in the blood, etc. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

319

3.42 Family: Liliaceae 3.42.1 Ophiopogon intermedius Chinese Name(s): jian xing yan jie cao Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Ophiopogon intermedius (Ophiopogon chingii F. T. Wang & Tang). Morphology: The herbs are perennial, often tufted, with tuberous rhizomes. The roots are slender, multibranched, often swollen into elliptic or fusiform part at proximal ends. The stems are very short. The leaves are basal, tufted, grasslike, 15–55(–70) cm long, 2–8 mm wide, 5–9-veined, midribs being obviously raised abaxially, serrulate on margins, basally often surrounded by brownish, membranous sheaths. The scapes are 20–50 cm long, usually shorter than leaves, sometimes equal. The racemes are 2.5–7 cm long, with more than 15–20 flowers. The flowers are usually solitary or 2–3-clustered in bract axils. The bracts are subulate or lanceolate, proximally up to 2 cm long, sometimes shorter. The pedicels are 4–6 mm long, articulate in the middle. The perianths are oblong, apically obtuse, 4–7 mm long, white or pale purple. The filaments are very short. The anthers are narrowly linear-­ovate, 3–4 mm long. The styles are slender, ca. 3.5 mm long. The seeds are ellipsoid. The flowering period is from May to August. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in valleys and moist and shady places in forests or along streams. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Xizang of China, as well as in Bhutan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs.

320

H. Ye et al.

Functions: Nourish Yin and promoting secretion of saliva, tonifying the lungs, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of impairment of body fluid during febrile disease, vexation, thirst, dry throat, dry cough due to lung heat, pulmonary tuberculosis, hemoptysis, sore throat, hoarseness, hematemesis, consumptive lung disease, constipation, and pertussis. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

321

3.43 Family: Liliaceae 3.43.1 Ophiopogon japonicus Chinese Name(s): mai dong, yan jie cao, mai men dong. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Ophiopogon japonicus (Ophiopogon japonicus (Linn. f.) Ker-Gawl.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial; the roots are thick, often swollen into elliptic or fusiform tubers near the middle or tip. The tubers are 1–1.5 cm long or longer, 5–10 mm wide, brownish yellow. The stoloniferous are slender, 1–2 mm in diameter, with membranous sheath on nodes. The stems are very short, with basal leaves, tufted, grasslike, 10–50 cm long, sometimes longer, 1.5–3.5 mm wide, with 3–7 veins, serrate on margins. The scapes are 6–15(–27)cm, usually much shorter than leaves; the racemes are 2–5 cm long, or sometimes longer, with few to more than 10 flowers. The flowers are solitary or paired in bract axils. The bracts are lanceolate, apically acuminate; the basal ones are 7–8  mm long. The pedicels are 3–4 mm long, articulate above or near the middle. The perianths are usually slightly pendulous, not spreading, lanceolate, ca. 5  mm long, white or pale purple. The anthers are triangular-lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm long. The styles are ca. 4 mm, thick, ca. 1 mm wide, basally widened, tapering toward apex. The seeds are globose, 7–8 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from May to August. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows along the streams, in dense forests, or in open forests and thickets and is also commonly cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in the wild or cultivated throughout China except northern, northeastern, and northwestern China. It is also distributed in Japan, Vietnam, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer. After the aboveground parts are removed and the soil shaken off, they are washed; dried in the

322

H. Ye et al.

sun for 3–4 days; stacked in a ventilated place to make it soft, with the fibrous roots removed; and dried again in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are fusiform, acute at both ends, obtuse headed, slightly twisted in the middle, 1.5–3 cm long, 0.3–0.6 cm in diameter, yellowish white with irregular longitudinal wrinkles on the surface. They are hard when dry and flexible after moistened again. The cross-sections are yellowish white, horny, translucent, slightly sticky, and the middle columns are small. They are slightly sweet and bitter in taste. The products better in quality are large and plump, fine skinned, weight, yellow and white colored inside and outside, and with no fibrous roots. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Nourishing Yin and promoting secretion of saliva, tonifying the lungs and relieving coughing, and clearing the heart; it’s often used for treatment of impairment of body fluid during febrile disease, vexation, thirst, dry throat, dry cough due to lung heat, pulmonary tuberculosis hemoptysis, insomnia, constipation, and diphtheria. Use and Dosage: 4.5–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cough, sore throat, and hoarseness: Ophiopogon japonicus and asparagus each 500 g, honey 250 g, boiled into cream, and 9–15 g per dose with warm water. 2. Injury of lungs and stomach Yin, dry throat, and cough: Ophiopogon japonicus 12  g, Pinellia ternata, ginseng, japonica rice, jujube 9  g each, licorice 6  g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Diabetes (diabetes involving the upper jiao): Codonopsis pilosula, Ophiopogon japonicus, Anemarrhena asphodeloides each 9 g, bamboo leaves, Trichosanthes root each 15  g, Rehmannia glutinosa 12  g, Pueraria lobata, poria with hostwood, 6 g each, Schisandra chinensis, licorice each 3 g, decocted in water for oral use. 4. Atrophic gastritis: Ophiopogon japonicus, Codonopsis pilosula, Glehnia littoralis, Polygonatum odoratum, Trichosanthes root 9  g each, smoked plum, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Glycyrrhiza uralensis 6 g each decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

323

324

H. Ye et al.

3.44 Family:Liliaceae 3.44.1 Ophiopogon mairei Chinese Name(s): xi nan yan jie cao. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Ophiopogon mairei (Ophiopogon mairei Lévl.) Morphology: The roots are slightly thick, soft, numerous and long, usually with fusiform tubercles near the end. The stems are rhizomelike, elongated, stout, with dense nodes. The leaves are tufted, nearly grasslike or slightly sword-shaped, 20–40 cm long, 7–14 mm wide, apically acute or obtuse, basally with membranous sheath, adaxially green, abaxially glaucous green, usually 9-veined, serrate on margins, basally gradually narrowed into indistinct petioles. The scapes are shorter than leaves, 10–15 cm long, often surrounded by young leaves in the lower parts. The racemes are 5–7 cm long, densely many flowered. There are 1–2 flowers in bract axils. The bracts are subulate; the basal ones are 5–7 mm long. The pedicels are 4–5 mm long or shorter, articulate above or near the middle. The tepals are ovate, 4–5 mm long, white or blue. The filaments are conspicuous. The anthers are ovate, ca. 2 mm long. The styles are slightly thick and short, ca. 2.5 mm long. The seeds are elliptic or ovoid, ca. 8 mm long, bluish gray. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows near rocky places in ravines of slopes at altitudes of 800–2100 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, and Hubei. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the silt is shaken off, they are cut off, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly cold in taste and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Nourishing Yin and moistening the lungs, tonifying the stomach and promoting secretion of saliva, clearing the heart and vexation, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of dry cough due to lung heat, abscess disorder in pulmonary system, cough due to Yin deficiency, fluid injury, thirst, vexation, insomnia, sore throat, constipation caused by intestinal dryness, hematemesis, epistaxis due to heat in the blood, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

325

326

H. Ye et al.

3.45 Family: Liliaceae 3.45.1 Ophiopogon platyphyllus Chinese Name(s): kuan ye yan jie cao. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes or whole plants of Ophiopogon platyphyllus (Ophiopogon platyphyllus Merr. et Chun). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The roots are stout, up to 5 mm in diameter, woody, hollow. The stems are short, rhizomelike, elongated, stout, with dense nodes. The leaves are tufted, linear-lanceolate, leathery, 30–55 cm long, 18–22 mm wide, unequal on both surfaces, apically acute or obtuse, basally with membranous sheath, deciduous when old, adaxially green, abaxially glaucous green, basally gradually narrowed into indistinct petioles; the petioles are sometimes brownish red spotted basally. The scapes are shorter than leaves, stout, 12–16  cm long; the racemes are ca. 6 cm long, with more than 20 flowers. The flowers are usually in clusters of 2–4  in bract axils. The bracts are ovate, apically long acuminate; the basal ones are ca. 7 mm. The pedicels are 7–9 mm long, articulate below the middle. The tepals are lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, ca. 7 mm long; the inner 3 ones are slightly wider than the outer 3 ones, white. The filaments are very short, unobvious. The anthers are linear-lanceolate, ca. 6 mm long, yellowish green. The styles are slender, ca. 6 mm long. The seeds are oblong, ca. 11 mm long and 5 mm wide. The flowering period is from May to June. Habitat: It grows on mountain forest edges or in forests at altitudes of 1600–1700 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Hunan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, and the whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Nourishing Yin and promoting secretion of saliva, moistening the lungs, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of cough, tuberculosis, prolonged lochiorrhea, fever, and thirst. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

327

328

H. Ye et al.

3.46 Family: Liliaceae 3.46.1 Peliosanthes macrostegia Chinese Name(s): da gai qiu zi cao, xiao ye qiu zi cao, ru di wu gong. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes and roots of Peliosanthes macrostegia (Peliosanthes macrostegia Hance). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The stems are short, ca. 1 cm long. There are 2–5 leaves, narrowly lanceolate-elliptic, 15–25 cm long, 5–6 cm wide, with 5–9 main veins; the petioles are 20–30 cm long. The scapes are 15–35 cm long. The racemes are 9–25 cm long, with 1 flower each bract. The bracts are membranous, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 0.6–1.5 cm long. There is 1 bracteole, 3–5 mm long. The flowers are purple, up to 5.5–12 mm in diameter; the perianth tubes are short, ca. 2 mm long, proximally adnate to ovaries; the lobes are deltoid-ovate; the pedicels are 5–6 mm long. The anthers are 0.5–1 mm long. The filaments are apically undulate. The ovaries have 3–4 ovules per loculus. The styles are thick and short; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The seeds are subglobose, ca. 1 cm long; the seed coats are fleshy, bluish green. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows in dense forests, on streamsides, or in shady and humid places. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions of Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes and roots are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral and slightly warm in property. Functions: Dispelling sputum, relieving coughing, soothing the liver, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of cough with phlegm and pain of the chest and flank caused by knocks and falls.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

329

330

H. Ye et al.

3.47 Family: Liliaceae 3.47.1 Polygonatum cirrhifolium Chinese Name(s): juan ye huang jing, lao hu jiang, dian gou wen. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Polygonatum cirrhifolium (Polygonatum cirrhifolium (Wall.) Royle). Morphology: The plants are herbs. The rhizomes are fleshy, terete or moniliform, 1–1.5 cm thick. The stems are 30–90 cm tall. The leaves are in whorls of 3–6, linear to linear-lanceolate, 4–9 cm long, 2–8 mm wide, apex curved like a hook, usually cirrose at anthesis. Inflorescences are usually in whorls of 2 flowers; the peduncles are 3–10 mm long; pedicel 3–8 mm. The bracts are 1–2 mm long, scarious, veinless, or bract absent. Perianth pale purple, 8–11  mm long, slightly constricted in the middle, lobes being ca. 2 mm. The filaments are ca. 0.8 mm long; the anthers are 2–2.5 mm long. The ovaries are ca. 2.5 mm. The styles are ca. 2 mm. The berries are red or purple-red, 8–9  mm in diam., 4–9-seeded. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from September to October.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

331

Habitat: It grows in forests or on hillside grasslands at altitudes of 2000–4000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Xizang, Yunnan, Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Shaanxi, as well as in Nepal and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in spring and autumn. After the aboveground parts and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, steamed to soft, and dried in the sun or over fire. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and lungs. Functions: Tonifying Qi and nourishing Yin, invigorating the spleen, moistening lungs, and benefiting the kidneys; it’s often used for treatment of spleen and stomach weakness, fatigue, thirst and anorexia, cough due to dryness in the lungs or shortness of breath, lack of blood essence, and internal heat and thirst. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

332

H. Ye et al.

3.48 Family: Liliaceae 3.48.1 Polygonatum cyrtonema, Polygonatum kingianum, Polygonatum sibiricum Chinese Name(s): huang jing, bai ji huang jing. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Polygonatum cirrhifolium (Polygonatum cirrhifolium (Wall.) Royle), Polygonatum kingianum (Polygonatum kingianum Coll. et Hemsl.), and Polygonatum sibiricum (Polygonatum sibiricum Red.) Morphology: A. Polygonatum cyrtonema: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are thick, usually moniliform or tuberous, rarely subterete, 1–2  cm in

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

333

diameter. The stems are 50–100 cm in height, usually with 10–15 leaves. The leaves are alternate, elliptic, ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, rarely slightly falcate, 10–18 cm long, 2–7 cm wide, apically acute to acuminate. The inflorescences have (1–)2–7(–14) flowers, umbel-like; the peduncles are 1–4(–6)cm long; the pedicels are 0.5–1.5(–3)cm. The bracts are small, on proximal part of pedicels, or absent. The tepals are yellowish green, 18–25 mm long; the lobes are ca. 3 mm long. The filaments are 3–4 mm long, laterally flat or slightly flat, papillose to shortly cottony, apically slightly dilated to saccate-convex; the anthers are 3.5–4 mm long. The ovaries are 3–6 mm long; the styles are 12–15 mm long. The berries are black, ca. 1 cm in diameter, with 3–9 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in the thickets with thick humus or on shaded slopes in forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan.

334

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Polygonatum kingianum: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are subterete or nearly moniliform, thick, 1–3 cm in diameter. The stems are 1–3 m in height, apically scandent. The leaves are in whorls of 3–10, linear, linear-­ lanceolate or lanceolate, 6–25  cm long, 3–30  mm wide, apically cirrose. The

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

335

inflorescences are (1–)2–4(–6)-flowered; the peduncles are pendulous, 1–2  cm long; the pedicels are 0.5–1.5  cm; the bracts are membranous, small, usually on proximal part of pedicel. The perianths are pink, 18–25  mm long; the lobes are 3–5 mm long. The filaments are 3–5 mm long, filiform or compressed. The anthers are 4–6 mm long. The ovaries are 4–6 mm long; the styles are 10–14 mm long. The berries are red, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, 7–12-seeded. The flowering period is from March to May. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, or on shaded moist grassy slopes at altitudes of 700–3600 m, sometimes on rocks. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou, as well as in Vietnam and Burma.

336

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: C. Polygonatum sibiricum: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are terete, 1–2 cm in diameter. The tubers are inflated. The stems are 50–90 cm in height, or up to 1 m, sometimes scandent. The leaves are in whorls of 4–6, linear-­ lanceolate, 8–15 cm long, (4–)6–16 mm wide, apically strongly cirrose or curved. The inflorescences are usually 2–4-flowered, umbel-like; the peduncles are 1–2 cm long; the pedicels are (2.5–)4–10 mm, persistent. The bracts are borne at base of pedicel, membranous, subulate or linear-lanceolate, 3–5  mm long, 1-veined. The perianths are milky white to pale yellow, 9–12 mm long, slightly constricted in the middle; the lobes are ca. 4 mm. The filaments are 0.5–1 mm long; the anthers are 2–3 mm long. The ovaries are ca. 3 mm long, styles being 5–7 mm long. The berries are 7–10 mm in diameter, black, with 4–7 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, and on shaded slopes at altitudes of 800–2800 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, and Zhejiang, as well as in North Korea, Mongolia, and Eastern Siberia in Russia.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

337

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in spring and autumn. After the fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, scalded in boiling water, or steamed and dried in the sun.

338

H. Ye et al.

Medicinal Properties: Polygonatum cyrtonema – The rhizomes are thick and irregular bulks, long or nodular, or connected to each other, forming ginger-like bulks which are different in length, about 2–18 cm in length, 2–4 cm in width and 1–2 cm in thickness, grayish yellow or yellowish brown on the surface. There is a discoid stem mark on each nodule, with a diameter of 0.8–1.5 cm, and there are verrucous root marks all over the body. It’s light brown on the cross-sections, nearly horny, slightly sweet in taste, and sticky. If steamed, it is black, sweet in taste, and fragrant in smell. For those unsteamed products, the large, tough and plumpy ones are better in quality, and for those steamed, the ones better in quality are black inside and outside, fragrant in smell, and sweet in taste. Polygonatum kingianum: The products are thick, fleshy and nodular bulks, more than 10 cm in length, 3–6 cm in width and 2–3 cm in thickness, yellow to yellowish brown on the surface, articulate, with wrinkles and fibrous root marks. The stem scars on the nodules are indented in the circumference and protrude in the middle. The products are hard and tough and not easily broken, and the cross-sections are horny and yellowish to yellowish brown. They are slightly odored and sweet in taste. The products sticky when chewed are better in quality. Polygonatum sibiricum: The products are nodular bulks or curved columnar, 3–10 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm in diameter. The nodules are 2–4 cm long, slightly conical and often branched. They are yellowish white to grayish yellow, translucent, and with longitudinal wrinkles on the surface. The stem scars are round, with a diameter of 5–8 mm. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and lungs. Functions: Tonifying Qi and nourishing Yin, invigorating spleen, moistening lungs, and benefiting the kidneys; it’s often used for treatment of spleen and stomach weakness, fatigue, thirst and anorexia, cough due to dryness in the lungs or shortness of breath, lack of blood essence, and internal heat and thirst. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): • Hemoptysis caused by pulmonary tuberculosis: Polygonatum cyrtonema 500 g, Bletilla striata 250 g, Stemona sessilifolia 250 g, Polygonatum odoratum 120 g, ground into fine powder, added with honey, and made into pills, taken 9 g each time, 3 times a day. • Angina pectoris of coronary heart disease: Polygonatum cyrtonema, Laminaria each 15  g, Platycladus orientalis kernel, Acorus calamus, Curcuma rcenyujin each 9 g, Corydalis yanhusuo 6 g, hawthorn 24 g, decocted into paste, 1 dose a day, taken in 3 times, 4 weeks as a course of treatment. • Cough due to dryness of the lungs: Polygonatum cyrtonema 15 g, Radix Glehniae 12 g, almond, mulberry leaf, Ophiopogonis each 9 g, raw licorice 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. • Pertussis: Polygonatum cyrtonema, Stemona sessilifolia, Asparagus cochinchinensis, Ophiopogon japonicus, Belamcanda chinensis, lily, aster, Fructus Aurantii Immaturus, licorice 3 g, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

339

3.49 Family: Liliaceae 3.49.1 Polygonatum filipes Chinese Name(s): chang geng huang jing, xi bing huang jing, shan huang jing. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Polygonatum filipes (Polygonatum filipes Merr.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial, up to 70 cm tall. The rhizomes are moniliform or sometimes with long internode, 1–1.5 cm in diameter. The leaves are alternate, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 6–12 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide, apically acute to acuminate, basally broadly cuneate or suborbicular, shortly pubescent on veins, abaxially strigose on veins; the lateral veins are numerous. The petioles are short. The inflorescences are axillary, 2–7 flowered; the peduncles are slender, 3–8  cm long; the pedicels are 0.5–1.5 cm long. The perianths are yellowish green, 15–20 mm long; the lobes are ca. 4 mm long. The filaments are ca. 4 mm, short cottony; the anthers are ca. 2.5–3 mm. The ovaries are ca. 4 mm long; the styles are 10–14 mm long. The berries are globose, black when mature, ca. 8 mm in diameter, with 2–5 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows in dense forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, steamed until soft, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and lungs. Functions: Moistening the heart and lungs, producing body fluid, and nourishing the stomach and marrow; it’s often used for treatment of bronchitis, cough due to lung heat, vexation, thirst, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–18 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

340

H. Ye et al.

3.50 Family: Liliaceae 3.50.1 Polygonatum odoratum Chinese Name(s): yu zhu, yu shen. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Polygonatum odoratum (Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are creeping, terete, 5–14 mm in diameter. The stems are 20–70 cm in height, with 7–12 leaves. The leaves are alternate, elliptic to ovate-oblong, 5–12 cm long, 3–5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally broadly cuneate, abaxially grayish white, abaxially smooth to papillose-scabrous on veins. The inflorescences have 1–4 flowers (up to 8 in cultivation); the peduncles (pedicel in single flower) are 1–1.5  cm long; the bracts are

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

341

absent or linear-lanceolate. The perianths are yellowish green to white, 13–20 mm long. The perianth tubes are straight; the lobes are ca. 3–4 mm long. The filaments are filiform, nearly smooth to verruculose; the anthers are ca. 4 mm long. The ovaries are 3–4 mm long; the styles are 10–14 mm long. The berries are bluish black, 7–10 mm in diameter, with 7–9 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It’s widely distributed in northeastern China, northern China, central China, and eastern China, as well as in temperate region of Eurasia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer or early spring when seedlings do not sprout. After the fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, cooked in boiling water for a while, taken out, dried in the sun, and rubbed repeatedly with hands to make it straight and then dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are slightly compressed cylindrical, often unbranched, 10–20 cm long, 3–25 mm in diameter, golden yellow or light yellow on the surface, with obvious links, internode length of about 1 cm, and obvious fibrous root traces which are translucent, finely and longitudinally wrinkled. The cross-­ section is soft, yellowish, and brittle. It’s slightly odored, slightly sweet in taste, and sticky when chewed. The products better in quality are soft in texture, rich in sugar, and sweet in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and lungs. Functions: Nourishing Yin and moistening dryness, promoting secretion of fluid to quench thirst, softening the liver, and calming the wind; it’s often used for treatment of Yin impairment, dry mouth, dry throat, dry cough, vexation, diabetes, tuberculosis, cough, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, and rheumatic heart disease. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Thirst due to heat in the stomach: Polygonatum odoratum, gypsum 15  g, Ophiopogon japonicus 9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Heart disease: Polygonatum odoratum 15 g, decocted twice and concentrated, taken in 2 times, 1 dose a day, 30 days as a course of treatment. 3. Angina pectoris: A. Shenzhu ointment – Polygonatum odoratum 15 g, Codonopsis pilosula 9 g, made into extract for oral use, taken 1 dose daily in the evening. The prescription is more suitable for syndrome of deficiency of Yin and Qi. b. Hearttonifying decoction: Polygonatum odoratum, Polygonatum sibiricum 12  g, Codonopsis pilosula, Platycladus orientalis kernel, Carthamus tinctorius, Curcuma rcenyujin each 9 g, Rhizoma Ligustici 15 g, decocted in water for oral use, 1 dose per day.

342

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

343

3.51 Family: Liliaceae 3.51.1 Polygonatum prattii Chinese Name(s): kang ding yu zhu, ling dang cai, kao shan zhu. Source: This medicine is made of rhizomes of Polygonatum prattii (Polygonatum prattii Baker). Morphology: The plants are herbs. The rhizomes are terete, slender, 3–5 mm in diameter. The stems are 8–30  cm in height. There are 4–15 leaves, alternate or sometimes opposite at lower parts, mostly opposite at upper part, apically usually 3 whorled, elliptic to oblong, apically slightly subobtuse or acute, 2–6  cm long, 1–2 cm wide. The inflorescences have 2–3 flowers; the peduncles are 2–6 mm long; the pedicels are 2–5 mm, pendulous. The perianths are pale purple, 6–8 mm long; the tubes are smooth or papillose-scapillose inside; the lobes are 1.5–2.5 mm long. The filaments are very short; the anthers are ca. 1.5 mm long. The ovaries are ca. 1.5 mm long, with subequal or slightly shorter styles. The berries are purplish red to brown, 5–7 mm in diameter, with 1–2 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, or on hillside grasslands at altitudes of 2500–3300 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, exposed to the sun until soft, rubbed repeatedly until there is no hard core, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and stomach. Functions: Nourishing Yin and moistening dryness and promoting secretion of fluid to quench thirst; it’s often used for treatment of Yin impairment of the lungs and stomach, dry mouth, and internal heat caused by diabetes. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

344

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

345

3.52 Family: Liliaceae 3.52.1 Polygonatum punctatum Chinese Name(s): dian hua huang jing, yi ye huang jing, ban jing huang jing, xiao huang jing. Source: This medicine is made of roots of Polygonatum punctatum (Polygonatum punctatum Royle ex Kunth). Morphology: The plants are herbs. The rhizomes are moniliform, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, with densely fleshy roots. The stems are 30–70 cm in height, with purplish red spots, sometimes papillose distally. The leaves are alternate, ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 6–14 cm long, 1.5–5 cm wide, apically acute to acuminate, with short petioles. The inflorescences have 2–6 flowers; the pedicels are 5–12 mm long, spreading after anthesis; the pedicels are 2–10 mm long; the bracts are caducous or absent. The perianths are white, 7–9 mm long, the tubes are constricted, urceolate; the lobes are 1.5–2  mm long. The filaments are 0.5–1  mm long; the anthers are 1.5–2 mm long. The ovaries are 2–2.5 mm long; the styles are 1.5–2.5 mm long; the stigmas are slightly dilated. The berries are red, ca. 7 mm in diameter, with 8–10 seeds. The flowering period is from April to June. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows on rocks in forests or adjacent to trees at altitudes of 1100–2700 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Xizang, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan, as well as in Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, washed, exposed to the sun until soft, rubbed repeatedly until there is no hard core, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Detoxicating, relieving swelling, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of traumatic bleeding, carbuncle, gangrene, scabies, tinea capitis, anemia due to spleen deficiency, dizziness, anorexia, fatigue, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

346

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

347

3.53 Family: Liliaceae 3.53.1 Reineckia carnea Chinese Name(s): ji xiang cao. Source: This medicine is made of whole plants of Reineckia carnea (Reineckia carnea (Andr.) Kunth). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The stems are 2–3 mm thick, spreading on ground, with 1 persistent sheath on each node, sometimes borne in the middle of stems, the internodes are few centimeters to more than 10 cm apart. There are 3–8 leaves each cluster, linear to lanceolate, 10–38 cm long, 0.5–3.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, attenuated into petiole, dark green. The scapes are 5–15 cm long. The spikes are 2–6.5  cm long, sometimes with only stamens on upper flowers. The bracts are 5–7  mm long. The flowers are fragrant, pink. The lobes are oblong, 5–7 mm long, apically obtuse, slightly fleshy. The stamens are shorter than styles; the filaments are filiform; the anthers are nearly oblong, emarginate at both ends, 2–2.5 mm long. The ovaries are 3 mm long; the styles are filiform. The berries are 6–10 mm in diameter, bright red when mature. The flowering period and fruiting periods are from July to November. Habitat: It grows on wet slopes, in valleys, and in dense forests. It is also cultivated for ornamental purposes. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Macao, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Moistening the lungs to relieve coughing, dispelling pathogenic wind, and curing fractures; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, cough, hemoptysis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as for external treatment of injuries caused by knocks and fractures. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and stir-fried with alcohol and applied to the affected areas.

348

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

349

350

H. Ye et al.

3.54 Family: Liliaceae 3.54.1 Rohdea japonica Chinese Name(s): wan nian qing, zhan she jian, dong bu diao cao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizome or whole plants of Rohdea japonica

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

351

(Rohdea japonica (Thunb.) Roth). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. There are 3–6 leaves, thickly papery, oblong, lanceolate or oblanceolate, 15–50 cm long, 2.5–7 cm wide, apically acute, basally slightly narrow, green, obvious. The sheaths are lanceolate, 5–12 cm long. The scapes are shorter than leaves, 2.5–4 cm long. The spikes are 3–4 cm long, 1.2–1.7 cm wide, with many dense flowers. The bracts are ovate, membranous, shorter than flowers, 2.5–6 mm long, 2–4 mm wide. The perianths are 4–5 mm long, ca. 6 mm wide, pale yellow; the lobes are thick. The anthers are ovate, 1.4–1.5 mm long. The berries are ca. 8 mm in diameter, red when mature. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in the wet places in forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Sichuan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes or whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste, cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, strengthening the heart, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for prevention and treatment of diphtheria, myocarditis caused by diphtheria, sore throat, rabies bite, bacillary dysentery, and heart failure of rheumatic heart disease, as well as for external treatment of injuries, snakebites, burns, mastitis, carbuncle, and swelling. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose for rhizomes, 3–6 g per dose for the whole plants, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed for juice and applied to the affected areas, or mashed and applied.

352

H. Ye et al.

3.55 Family: Liliaceae 3.55.1 Smilacina henryi Chinese Name(s): guan hua lu yao, pan long qi, shi zi qi, tie guai zi. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizome of Smilacina henryi (Smilacina henryi (Baker) Wang et Tang). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are 50–80 cm in height. The rhizomes are 1–2 cm thick. The stems above the middle have short bristle or slight bristle, rarely glabrous. The leaves are papery, elliptic, ovate or oblong, 9–22 cm long, 3.5–11 cm wide, apically acuminate or short acute, strigose or subglabrous on both surfaces, basally with short petioles or nearly without petioles. The flowers are pale yellow or purplish brown, solitary, usually in racemes, sometimes basally with 1–2 branches or with many branches into panicles. The inflorescences are 3–7 cm

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

353

long, hairy. The pedicels are 1.5–5 mm, hairy. The perianths are tall; the tubes are 6–10  mm long, 2/3–3/4 the length of perianth; the lobes are spreading, 2–3  mm long. The stamens are borne on throat of tubes; the filaments are usually very short, rarely up to 1.5 mm long; the anthers are ca. 0.7 mm long. The styles are ca. 2–3 mm, slightly longer than ovaries; the stigmas are 3-lobed. The berries are globose, 7–9 mm in diameter, green and purplish spotted before maturity, red when mature, with 2–4 seeds. The flowering period is from May to June. The fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, on waterside wetlands, or along forest edges at altitudes of 1300–4000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan, and Xizang. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in autumn. After the fibrous roots, dead branches, and leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispelling wind, relieving pain, activating blood circulation, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic bone pain, cephalalgia nervosa, carbuncle, furuncle, injury caused by knocks and falls, abdominal distension, acute gastritis, jaundice hepatitis, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): Carbuncle on the back: Smilacina henryi 8 g, Aralia chinensis, lily 5 g, fresh and tiannanxing 4 g, mashed together, mixed with an egg, wrapped in cloth, and applied to the sore.

354

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

355

3.56 Family: Liliaceae 3.56.1 Smilacina lichiangensis Chinese Name(s):li jiang lu yao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizome of Smilacina lichiangensis (Smilacina lichiangensis (W. W. Smith) W. W. Smith). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are 7–20 cm in height. The rhizomes are slender, 1–1.5 mm thick. The stems are glabrous in lower part, hispid above the middle, with 2–4 leaves. The leaves are papery, ovate, broadly ovate or rectangular ovate, 2.5–5.5 cm long, 1.6–3.3 cm wide, apically acute or acuminate, basally obtuse or slightly cordate, with short strigose on both surfaces; the old leaves are sometimes subglabrous. The petioles are racemose, 3–10 mm long. The inflorescences are usually racemose, 1–2 cm long, with 2–4 flowers. The pedicels are 2–3 mm long. The flowers are white; the lower part of perianth is combined into campanulate; the tubes are 2.5–3  mm in height. The upper lobes are spreading,

356

H. Ye et al.

nearly rectangular, 4–5 mm long. The stamens are borne on throat of tubes. The filaments are triangular-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm long, ca. 3–4 times longer than anthers. The styles are 2.5–3  mm long, obviously higher than stamens. The stigmas are 3-lobed. The ovaries are 1.5–2 mm long, obviously shorter than styles. The berries are globose, 5–6 mm in diameter, red when mature, with 1–2 seeds. The flowering period is from June to July. The fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in forests or thickets on slopes at altitudes of 2800–3500 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, and Gansu. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, and after removing the fibrous roots, dead branches, and leaves, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispelling wind, relieving pain, activating blood circulation, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic bone pain, cephalalgia nervosa, carbuncle, furuncle, injury caused by knocks and falls, abdominal distension, acute gastritis, jaundice hepatitis, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

357

358

H. Ye et al.

3.57 Family: Liliaceae 3.57.1 Streptopus obtusatus Chinese Name(s): niu bing hua, qu geng suan pan qi. Source: This medicine is made of the roots of Streptopus obtusatus (Streptopus obtusatus Fassett). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The plants are 15–35 cm in height. The rhizomes are slender, ca. 1–2 mm thick. The roots are numerous and dense, hairy. The stems are erect, unbranched or distally branched, smooth. The leaves are ovate-­ lanceolate or rectangular-ovate, 5–8 cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide, apically mucronate, basally cordate, amplexicaul, ciliate-denticulate on margins. The flowers are solitary in upper axils, pale yellow, adaxially sometimes spotted with purple, nodding. The pedicels are 2–2.5 cm long, joint above the middle; the joints are geniculate, with a gland. The tepals are nearly distinct, 8–9 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, oblong-­ lanceolate or lanceolate, sickle-shaped in upper part. The stamens are less than half the length of tepals; the anthers are long sagittate, 3–4 mm long. The filaments are short, broad, slightly flat, triangular. The ovaries are globose, smooth. The styles are 4–5 mm long; the stigmas are deeply 3-lobed. The berries are 6–8 mm in diameter. The seeds are elliptic. The flowering period is in July. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in coniferous forests on slopes at altitudes of 2000–3600 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu. Acquisition and Processing: The roots are dug up from August to September. After the stems and leaves and removed, they are washed, tied into small bundles, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland and slightly sweet in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing the lungs and relieving coughing and invigorating the spleen and stomach; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to lung heat, disharmony between the spleen and stomach, palpitation, shortness of breath, muscle and bone pain, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

359

360

H. Ye et al.

3.58 Family: Liliaceae 3.58.1 Tulipa edulis Chinese Name(s): lao ya ban, shan ci gu, guang ci gu. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Tulipa edulis (Tulipa edulis (Miq.) Baker). Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The bulbs are ovate, 2–4  cm long, ca. 2 cm wide; the tunic are densely brown villous inside, including white fleshy bulbs.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

361

The stems are 10–25  cm, often unbranched, glabrous. There are 2 leaves, linear, 10–25 cm long, longer than flowers, 5–9 mm wide, less than 2 mm or up to 12 mm wide, glabrous. The flowers are solitary, terminal, with 2 opposite bracts (less in whorls of 3) near base of flowers; the bracts are narrowly linear, 2–3 cm long. The tepals are narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 20–30 mm long, 4–7 mm wide, white, with purple-red stripes. There are 3 long and 3 short stamens; the filaments are glabrous, slightly dilated in the middle, gradually narrowed toward both ends or from base to apex. The ovaries are oblong. The styles are ca. 4 mm long. The capsules are subglobose, apex long beaked, 5–7  mm long. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from May to June. Habitat: It grows on hillsides, grasslands, roadsides, and so on. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in spring and autumn; washed; scalded in boiling water or steamed for a while, with the fibrous roots and skin removed; and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste, cold in property, and toxic. Functions: Detoxicating, dissolving lumps, promoting blood circulation, and dissipating blood stasis; it is often used for treatment of sore throat, scrofula, carbuncle, sore, and postpartum blood stasis. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Notes: The toxicity of colchicine is very high, but it occurs slowly. It usually happens 3–6 h after administration, with symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, exhaustion, collapse and respiratory paralysis, or even serious consequences such as agranulocytosis and aplastic anemia if continued to be used.

362

H. Ye et al.

3.59 Family: Liliaceae 3.59.1 Tulipa iliensis Chinese Name(s): yi li yu jin xiang. Source: This medicine is made of the flowers of Tulipa iliensis (Tulipa iliensis Regel). Morphology: The plants are usually 10–30 cm in height. The bulbs are ovoid, l–2 cm in diameter, dark brown, thinly leathery, glabrous outside, distally appressed hairy inside, sometimes hairy in lower part. There are 3–4 leaves, linear or linear-­ lanceolate, arranged in sparsely or densely whorled, extended or reflexed, flat or undulate on margins. The flowers are usually solitary, terminal; the tepals are yellow, 25–35 mm long, 4–20 mm wide; the outer tepals are elliptic-rhombic, abaxially purple; the inner tepals are long obovate, yellow; the perianths’ color becomes darker, dark red or reddish yellow when flower withered. There are six stamens,

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

363

equal in length; the filaments are glabrous, slightly dilated in the middle, gradually narrowed at both ends. The ovaries are rectangular, nearly without styles. The capsules are elliptic, 15–25 mm long. The seeds are flattened, nearly triangular. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is in May. Habitat: It grows in plain deserts, low mountain deserts, and steppes. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Xinjiang, as well as in Central Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The flowers are harvested in spring when blooming. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, dissolving lumps, and dissipating blood stasis; it’s often used for treatment of dampness of the spleen and stomach, tightness of the chest and stomach, nausea, abdominal pain, halitosis, and greasy tongue coating. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are soaked in water for gargling.

364

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

365

3.60 Family: Liliaceae 3.60.1 Tupistra delavayi Chinese Name(s): tong hua kai kou jian. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Tupistra delavayi (Tupistra delavayi Franch.) Morphology: The herbs are perennial. The rhizomes are cylindric, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, light brown. There are 3–4 basal leaves, subleathery, rectangular or oblong, 25–45 cm long, 5–9 cm wide, undulate on margins. There are 2 sheaths, 3.5–5 cm long. The spikes are densely flowered, 5–6 cm long, 1.5–2.7 cm in diameter. The bracts are triangular-lanceolate, 4–7 mm long, 4–5 mm wide. The flowers are campaniform, yellow or greenish yellow, fleshy, 7–11 mm long. The tepals are 4–6 mm long; the lobes are ovate or suborbicular, 2–3 mm long, 2.5–3 mm wide. The pistils are 4.5–5 mm; the ovaries are ovoid; the stigmas are trigonous, apically 3-lobed. The berries are subglobose, 0.6–1 cm in diameter, purplish red. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from August to October.

366

H. Ye et al.

Habitat: It grows in thickets at an altitude of 1500–3500 m or in shady and humid places under miscellaneous trees. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, and Hunan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested all year round. After the leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, used when fresh, or sliced and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and slightly sweet in taste, cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, strengthening the heart and promoting diuresis, relaxing tendons, and activating blood circulation; it’s often used for treatment of cardiac edema, snakebite, traumatic injury, rheumatic pain, stomachache, bronchitis, sore throat, injury caused by knock and fall, fracture, traumatic bleeding, etc. Use and Dosage: 2–3 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or ground into powder and taken with water, 0.5–1 g per dose.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

367

3.61 Family: Liliaceae 3.61.1 Tupistra ensifolia Chinese Name(s): jian ye kai kou jian, zhu jie qi, xiao wan nian qing, yan qi. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Tupistra ensifolia (Tupistra ensifolia Wang et Tang). Morphology: The rhizomes are cylindric, brown or green, up to 10 cm in height. There are many leaves, obviously distichous, lorate, 35–50 cm long, 5–12 mm wide, basally broadly amplexicaul, slightly recurved on margins. The spikes are densely many flowered, 4–5.5 cm long, with several sterile bracts at apex. The bracts are lanceolate or triangular-lanceolate, 0.7–1.2  cm long. The perianths are tubular-­ campanulate, 5–5.5  mm long; the tubes are 2–2.5  mm long; the lobes are ovate, 2–2.5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, fleshy, erose on margins. The ovaries are ovoid; the stigmas are obtusely trigonous, apically 3-lobed. The berries are 5–8 mm in diameter, red-black. The flowering period is from May to June; the fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in damp forest on the mountains at altitudes of 1100–3200 m. Distribution: It is distributed in western and southeastern Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in summer. After the leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and slightly sweet in taste, cold in property, and toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis and relieving swelling, activating blood circulation, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of laryngitis, tonsillitis, nephritis, edema, swelling and pain of fracture, sores, injuries, lumbago, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or soaked in alcohol to take.

368

H. Ye et al.

3.62 Family: Liliaceae 3.62.1 Veratrum schindleri Chinese Name(s): gu ling li lu, qi li dan, tian mu li lu. Source: This medicine is made of the fibrous roots of Veratrum schindleri (Veratrum schindleri Loes. f.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, about 1 m in height, with brown reticulate fibers at base. The leaves in the lower parts of stems are broadly elliptic, sometimes narrowly oblong, about 30 cm long, (2–)5–10(–13) cm wide, glabrous on both surfaces, apically acuminate, basally clasping petiole. The petioles are usually 5–10 cm long. The panicles are long and spreading, with many subequal lateral

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

369

racemes. The rachises are gray-white woolly. The tepals are extended or reflexed, yellow-green, green-white or brown, subelliptic or obovate-elliptic, 6–8 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, apically obtuse, basally sessile, entire on margins. The outer tepals are pubescent at least at abaxial base. The bracteoles are shorter or nearly as long as pedicels, abaxially woolly. The pedicels of lateral inflorescence are about 6–8(14) mm long. The stamens are 2/3 the length of tepals. The ovaries are ovate-oblong. The capsules are erect, 1.5–2 cm long, about 1 cm wide. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to October. Habitat: It grows in valleys or on hillside. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, and Fujian. Acquisition and Processing: The fibrous roots are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste, cold in property, and toxic. Functions: Relieving stuffy nose, inducing emesis, removing blood stasis, and relieving swelling and pain; it’s often used for treatment of traumatic injury, pain due to blood stasis, rheumatic swelling, headache, nasal congestion, and toothache. Use and Dosage: 3–5 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. The product is poisonous; therefore, it should be used with caution.

370

H. Ye et al.

3  Medicinal Angiosperms of Liliaceae

371

Chapter 4

Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 4.1  F  amily: Trilliaceae 4.1.1  Paris cronquistii 4.2  Family: Trilliaceae 4.2.1  Paris delavayi 4.3  Family: Trilliaceae 4.3.1  Paris fargesii 4.4  Family: Trilliaceae 4.4.1  Paris fargesii var. petiolata 4.5  Family: Trilliaceae 4.5.1  Paris marmorata 4.6  Family: Trilliaceae 4.6.1  Paris polyphylla var. chinensis, Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis 4.7  Family: Trilliaceae 4.7.1  Paris polyphylla var. pseudothibetica

 375  375  377  377  379  379  381  381  384  384  386  386  391  391

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]. cn; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_4

373

374 4.8    Family: Trilliaceae 4.8.1  Paris thibetica 4.9    Family: Pontederiaceae 4.9.1  Eichhornia crassipes 4.10  Family: Pontederiaceae 4.10.1  Monochoria hastata 4.11  Family: Pontederiaceae 4.11.1  Monochoria korsakowii 4.12  Family: Pontederiaceae 4.12.1  Monochoria vaginalis 4.13  Family: Smilacaceae 4.13.1  Smilax aberrans 4.14  Family: Smilacaceae 4.14.1  Smilax china 4.15  Family: Smilacaceae 4.15.1  Smilax corbularia 4.16  Family: Smilacaceae 4.16.1  Smilax ferox 4.17  Family: Smilacaceae 4.17.1  Smilax glabra 4.18  Family: Smilacaceae 4.18.1  Smilax microphylla 4.19  Family: Smilacaceae 4.19.1  Smilax nipponica 4.20  Family: Smilacaceae 4.20.1  Smilax perfoliata 4.21  Family: Smilacaceae 4.21.1  Smilax riparia References

H. Ye et al.  392  392  395  395  397  397  400  400  401  401  404  404  406  406  409  409  412  412  413  413  418  418  420  420  422  422  424  424  427

This chapter introduces 22 species of medicinal plants in 3 families, mainly including Paris cronquistii, Paris delavayi, Paris fargesii, Paris fargesii var. petiolata, Paris marmorata, Paris polyphylla var. chinensis, Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis, Paris polyphylla var. pseudothibetica, Eichhornia crassipes, Monochoria hastata, Monochoria korsakowii, Monochoria vaginalis of Pontederiaceae, Smilax aberrans, Smilax china, Smilax corbularia, Smilax ferox, Smilax glabra, Smilax microphylla, Smilax nipponica, Smilax perfoliata, and Smilax riparia of Smilacaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

375

4.1 Family: Trilliaceae 4.1.1 Paris cronquistii Chinese Name(s): ling yun chong lou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris cronquistii (Paris cronquistii (Takht.) H. Li). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are 2–8.5 cm long, 2–3 cm thick, and the stems are 20–100 cm tall, often dark purple, scabrous. There are 4–6 leaves, green, adaxially sometimes with purple markings, abaxially purple or green, mottled with purple, ovate, 11–17 cm long, 6–11 cm wide, basally cordate, apically narrowly acute and caudate, with a pair of curved basal lateral veins. The petioles are 2.5–7.6 cm long. The peduncles are 12–60 cm long. The flowers are 5–6, equal to the number of leaves, occasionally slightly more than leaves. The stamens are in 3 whorls, occasionally in 4 or 2 whorls. The outer tepals are green, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, 3.5–11 cm long, 1.3–2 cm wide; the inter tepals are yellow-green, narrowly linear, sometimes slightly thick, 3.2–8 cm long, obliquely extended, shorter than outer tepals, rarely longer than outer tepals. The stamens are 19–30 mm long, higher than stigmas; the filaments are 3–10 mm long; the anthers are 10–15 mm long. The ovaries are green or pale purple, with 5–6 ribs and 1 locule. There are 5–6 parietal placentas, with many ovules, which are arranged in 2 rows. The stylopodia are purple or pale white, slightly emarginate, cornute-discoid, ca. 3  mm thick. The styles are blue-purple, thick, 2–3  mm long, with 5–6 stigmas, purple, and recurved. The capsules are green, red when mature, dehiscent. The seeds are subglobose, with red succulent arils. The flowering period is from May to June; the fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests in ravines at altitudes of 600–2100 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Chongqing. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the stems and leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun.

376

H. Ye et al.

Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

377

4.2 Family: Trilliaceae 4.2.1 Paris delavayi Chinese Name(s): jin xian chong lou, dian wang sun. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris delavayi (Paris delavayi Franch.) Morphology: The rhizomes are 3–5 cm long, about 1.5 cm thick, and the stems are 30–60 cm long. There are 6–8 leaves, green, membranous, narrowly lanceolate, linear oblong to ovate-lanceolate, apically acuminate, basally cuneate to elliptic, 5.5–11 cm long, 2–4.2 cm wide. The petioles are 0.6–2.5 cm long. The peduncles are 1–15 cm long. The flowers are 3–6, less than leaves. The outer tepals are green or purple, usually narrow, 1.5–4 cm long, 0.3–1 cm wide, usually recurved, sometimes obliquely extended; the inter tepals are often dark purple, rarely yellow-green, very short, only 0.5–1.5  cm long, and 0.5–0.7  mm wide. The stamens are in 2 whorls; the filaments are 3–5 mm long; the anthers are yellow, 5.5–13 mm long, and the free portion of connectives are purple, linear, acute or obtuse, 1.5–4 mm long. The ovaries are often conical, green or distally purple, with 1 locule and 5–6 parietal placentas. The stylopodia are thick and conical, tapering into styles ca. 3–5 mm, with 3–6 stigmas, 1.5–7 mm long. The capsules are conical, green when mature. The persistent styles are purple, often transversely dehiscent below stylopodium. The seeds are enveloped by red succulent arils. The flowering period is from April to May and the fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forest, bamboo forests, or shrubland at altitudes of 1300–2100 m.

378

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, Hubei, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn; after the stems and leaves removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

379

4.3 Family: Trilliaceae 4.3.1 Paris fargesii Chinese Name(s): qiu yao ge chong lou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris fargesii (Paris fargesii Franch.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are thick, 1–2 cm thick. There are 4–6 leaves, green, occasionally abaxially purple, papery, ovate, ovate-lanceolate or ovate-oblong, apically sharply acuminate, basally cordate or elliptic, 7.5–18  cm long, 4–11.5  cm wide, with 2–3 pairs of curved basal lateral veins. The petioles are 1.5–9.5 cm long. The peduncles are 3.3–70 cm long, gradually elongated from flowering period to fruiting period. The flowers are 4–5, often equal to or one less than the number of leaves. The outer tepals are green, ovate, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 4–6 cm long, apically acuminate to caudate, basally narrowing into a short claw; the inter tepals are linear, yellow-green or purple-black, and often reflexed under tepals, 1.3–4.5 cm long, much shorter than outer tepals, not elongated at fruiting period. The stamens are in 2 whorls; the filaments and free portion of connectives are purple-black; the anthers are pale blue to yellow-brown. The stamens are very short, quadrate-columnar, erect, 6–7 mm long; the filaments are 1–3 mm long; the anthers are 2–4 mm long; the free portion of connectives are very short, only 1.5 mm long, thick, equal to the anthers in length. The stamens are usually lower than pistils, occasionally parallel to stigmas. The ovary is obviously ribbed, with 1 locule and 4–5 placentas, equal to the number of calyxes, with many ovules, born on both sides of the placentas. The styles are thick and short; the stylopodia are obviously thickened, black or purple-black; the stigmas are 3–5 mm long, revolute at flowering period. The capsules are subglobose, with many seeds, with succulent arils, about 3  mm in diameter. The flowering period is from March to April; the fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests at altitudes of 1550–2200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, and Taiwan of China, as well as in Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the stems and leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic, and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied.

380

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

381

4.4 Family: Trilliaceae 4.4.1 Paris fargesii var. petiolata Chinese Name(s): ju bing chong lou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris fargesii (Paris fargegii Franch. var. petiolata (Baker ex C. H. Wright) Wang et Tang.)

382

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are stout, 1–2 cm thick. There are 4–6 leaves, green, occasionally abaxially purple, papery, broadly ovate, apically sharply acuminate, broadly subrounded, 7.5–18 cm long, 4–11.5 cm wide, with 2–3 pairs of basal curved lateral veins. The petioles are 1.5–9.5 cm long. The peduncles are 3.3–70 cm long, gradually elongated from flowering period to fruiting period. The flowers are 4–5, which are often equal to the number of leaves. The outer tepals are green, ovate, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 4–6 cm long, apically acuminate and caudate, basally narrowing into a short claw; the inter tepals are linear, yellow-green or purple-black, 4.5–5.5 cm long. There are 12 stamens, in 2 whorls, about 1.2 cm long; the free portion of anther connectives are shortly conical, ca. 1.2 cm long. The pistils are purple-black or purple. The styles and stylopodia are purple-black. The ovaries are obviously ribbed, often quadrate-columnar or pentagonal-­columnar, with 1 locule and 4–5 placentas, which are equal to the calyxes in number. The styles are thick and short; the stylopodia are obviously thickened, quadrate or pentagonal. The stigmas are 3–5 mm long, revolute during flowering period. The capsules are subglobose, dehiscent, with many seeds, enveloped by succulent aril, about 3 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from May to June; the fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in hillside valleys or forests at altitudes of 1200–2000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Jiangxi, Hubei, Guangdong, Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the stems and leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied to the affected areas.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

383

384

H. Ye et al.

4.5 Family: Trilliaceae 4.5.1 Paris marmorata Chinese Name(s): hua ye chong lou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris marmorata (Paris marmorata Stearn). Morphology: The plants are perennial, erect herbs, 7–18 cm in height. The rhizomes are thick and short, ca. 8 mm in diameter. There are 5–6 leaves, whorled, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 5.5–6.5 cm long, 1.4–2.1 cm wide, adaxially dark green, with white speckles along the veins, abaxially purple-red, nearly sessile. The peduncles are 7–20  mm long. There are 3–4 outer tepals, narrowly lanceolate, 2–3 cm long, 5–10 mm wide, apically acuminate; the inner tepals are filiform-linear, 1.7–2  cm long, slightly widened distally. There are 6–8 stamens; the anthers are 1.5 mm long; the connectives of anthers are inconspicuous. The ovaries are subglobose, green, ca. 3 mm long and 3.5 mm wide. The styles are thick and short, apically deeply 3-lobed. The capsules are deeply purple, dehiscent. The flowering period is from April to June; the fruiting period is from September to October.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

385

Habitat: It grows on mountains with broad-leaved forests or along forest edges at altitudes of 1800–3200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, and Tibet, as well as in Bhutan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. With the stems, leaves, and fibrous roots removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat tuberculosis, pneumonia, laryngitis, snakebite, lymphatic tuberculosis, mumps, anal prolapse, mastitis, nameless sores, cancer, and asthma. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

386

H. Ye et al.

4.6 Family: Trilliaceae 4.6.1 Paris polyphylla var. chinensis [1], Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis [1] Chinese Name(s): chong lou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris marmorata (Paris polyphylla Sm. var. chinensis (Franch.) Hara and Paris polyphylla Sm. var. yunnanensis (Franch.) Hand.-Mazz.) Morphology: A. Paris polyphylla var. chinensis: The plants are 35–100 cm in height, glabrous. The rhizomes are thick, 1–2.5 cm in diameter, with brown bark. The stems are usually purple-red, (0.8–)1–1.5 cm in diameter, with 1–3 gray-white dry membranous sheaths at base. There are 7–10 leaves, oblong, elliptic or obovatelanceolate, 7–15 cm long, 2.5–5 cm wide, apically short acute or acuminate, basally rounded or broadly cuneate. The petioles are obvious, 2–6 cm long, purple-red. The peduncles are 5–16 (30) cm long. The outer tepals are green, (3–)4–6-lobed, narrowly ovate-lanceolate, (3–)4.5–7 cm long; the inter tepals are narrowly linear, usually longer than outer ones. There are 8–12 stamens; the anthers are short, 5–8 mm long, subequal to or slightly longer than filaments; the connectives of anther are 0.5–1(–2)mm. The ovaries are subglobose, ribbed, with discoid stylopodia at apex; the styles are short and thick, (4–)5-lobed. The capsules are purple, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter, 3–6-lobed. There are many seeds, with red succulent aril. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from August to November. Habitat: It grows under the jungle. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet, as well as in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Vietnam.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

387

388

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Paris polyphylla Sm. var. yunnanensis: The plants are perennial herbs, 35–100 cm in height, glabrous. The rhizomes are thick, 1–2.5 cm in diameter, brown outside, with dense nodes and fibrous roots. The stems are usually purplered, (0.8–)1–1.5 cm in diameter, with 1–3 gray-white dry membranous sheaths at base. There are 7–10 leaves, whorled, oblong, elliptic or obovate-lanceolate, 7–15 cm long, 2.5–5 cm wide, apically short acute or acuminate, basally oblong or broadly cuneate. The petioles are obvious, 2–6 cm long, purple-red. The peduncles are 5–16 (30) cm long; the outer tepals are green, (3–)4–6-lobed, narrowly ovatelanceolate, 4.5–7 cm long; the inter tepals are narrowly linear, usually longer than outer ones. There are 8–12 stamens; the anthers are short, 5–8 mm long, subequal or slightly longer than filaments; the connectives of anther are 0.5–1 mm. The ovaries are subglobose, ribbed, with discoid stylopodia at apex; the styles are short and thick, 5-lobed. The capsules are purple, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter, 3–6-lobed. There are many seeds, with red succulent arils. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from August to November. Habitat: It grows under the forests at altitudes of 1800–3200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou, as well as in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Vietnam.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

389

390

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the stems and leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is nodular and compressed cylindrical, slightly curved, 5–12 cm long, 1–4.5 cm in diameter, yellowish brown or grayish brown on the surface, and white where the outer skin is peeled off. It has protuberant layers of thick, circular lines, and obvious nodules on one side. On the nodules, there are ovate sunken stem marks, and on the other side, there are sparse fibrous roots or verrucous fibrous root marks. On the top, there are residues of scaly leaves and stems. It’s solid, flat on sections, white to light brown, farinose or horny. It is slightly odored, slightly bitter, and numb in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridian of the liver.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

391

Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied to the affected areas.

4.7 Family: Trilliaceae 4.7.1 Paris polyphylla var. pseudothibetica Chinese Name(s): chang yao ge chong lou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris polyphylla (Paris polyphylla Sm. var. pseudothibetica H. Li). Morphology: The rhizomes are thick, up to 11 cm in height, 1–3 cm thick. The stems are 25–86 cm long, glabrous. There are 5–11 leaves, green, oblong, oblanceolate to oblong, membranous to papery, apically sharply acute to long acuminate, basally rounded to broadly cuneate, 7–17 cm long, 2.2–6 cm wide; the leaves of the same plant are often equal in length but not equal in width. The petioles are 0.1–3.3 cm long. The peduncles are 1.8–3.5 cm long, elongated in fruiting period. The flowers are 3–7. The outer tepals are green, lanceolate, 2.2–8 cm long, 0.5–2 cm wide, sometimes with short claws; the inter tepals are narrowly filiform-linear, 3.5–10 cm long, 0.1–0.3 mm wide, yellow-green, basally sometimes yellow-green, apically purple. The stamens are in 2 whorls, 9–18  mm long; the filaments are 3–7 mm long; the anthers are 5–10 mm long; the free portion of connectives are obvious, 3–10 mm long. The ovaries are green, ribbed or winged, with 1 locule and 3–7 placentas. The stylopodia are purple, thickened, usually cornute-discoid. The styles are purple, 0–2 mm long; the stigmas are purple, 4–10 mm long. The capsules are subglobose, irregularly dehiscent, ca. 4  cm in diameter. The seeds are ovoid, with red aril. The flowering period is from April to June; the fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests, bamboo forests, and shrubs and on grassy slopes at altitudes of 1700–2700 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Hubei. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn. After the stems, leaves, and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied to the affected areas.

392

H. Ye et al.

4.8 Family: Trilliaceae 4.8.1 Paris thibetica Chinese Name(s): hei zi chong lou, du jiao lian, jiu chong tai. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Paris thibetica (Paris thibetica Franch.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are yellow-brown, up to 12 cm in height, 0.5–1.5 cm thick, with sparse nodes. The stems are green, glabrous, 20–47  cm long. There are 8–12 leaves, green, glabrous, linear, linear oblong or lanceolate, apically long acuminate, basally cuneate, 6.5–15  cm long, 1–1.6 cm wide, usually sessile. The peduncles are 3.5–11 cm long, slightly elongated in fruiting period, basally reflexed. The flowers are 4–5, less than the number of leaves. The outer tepals are green, linear lanceolate, lanceolate, 3.5–8 cm long, 1–1.8  cm wide, spreading; the inter tepals are pale green, filiform, obliquely

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

393

extended, shorter than outer tepals, 3–5.8 cm long. The stamens are in 2 whorls; the filaments are pale green, 5–10 mm long; the anthers are 8–15 mm long; the free portion of connectives are very long, pale green, 8–27 mm long. The ovaries are long conical, green, obviously ribbed, with 1 locule, 4–5 parietal placentas and many ovules; the ovules are white. The stylopodia are purple; the styles are 0–1 mm long; the stigmas are green, 3–7 mm long, spreading. The capsules are subglobose, 0.7–1.5 cm in diameter, and the wings are not obvious. The seeds are ovoid, 2–3 mm long, 2–2.5 mm in diameter, brightly black, smooth, hard, with deep red succulent arils on one side. The flowering period is from April to May; the fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It grows in evergreen broad-leaved forests and shrubs at altitudes of 2400–3000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan to southern Gansu. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, and after the stems, leaves, and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling and pain, cooling the liver, and arresting convulsion; it is often used to treat sore, carbuncle, sore throat, snakebite, injury caused by falls and knocks, and convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are ground into powder and applied to the affected areas.

394

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

395

4.9 Family: Pontederiaceae 4.9.1 Eichhornia crassipes Chinese Name(s): feng yan lan, shui hu lu, shui fu lian. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Eichhornia crassipes (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms). Morphology: The plants are floating herbs, 30–60 cm in height. The stems are extremely short, with long stolons, which are pale green or purple, and apically producing new plants. The leaves are basal and cespitose, rosulate, 5–10-lobed, orbicular, broadly ovate or broadly rhombic, 4.5–14.5 cm long, 5–14 cm wide, apically obtuse-rounded or slightly acute, basally broadly cuneate or shallowly cordate when young, entire on margins, with curved veins, adaxially deep green, glabrous, leathery, slightly revolute on margins, apically slightly recurved. The length of the petioles varies, and the petioles are swollen into sacs and spindles in the middle. There are many polygonal columnar cells in chambers, and the vascular bundles are scattered among them, yellow-green to green, smooth. The petioles have sheathlike bracts at base, 8–11  cm long, yellow-green, thin and translucent. The scapes are protruding from the axillary of the sheath’s bract at basal petioles, 34–46 cm long, ribbed. The spikes are 17–20 cm long, usually 9–12-flowered. There are 6 perianths, petaloid, ovate, oblong, or obovate, purple-blue. The corollas are slightly symmetrical on both sides, 4–6 cm in diameter; the upper one is larger, about 3.5 cm long and 2.4 cm wide, pale purple-red around, blue in the middle, with yellow blotch in the center adaxially; the rest are about 3 cm long and 1.5–1.8 cm wide; the lower one is narrower, 1.2–1.5 cm wide. The perianths are basally connate into tubes, glandular hairy near the base. There are 6 stamens, attached to perianth tubes, in which 3 are long and 3 are short; the long ones are exserted from the throats of the perianth tubes, 1.6–2 cm long; the short ones are near the throats, 3–5 mm long. The filaments are glandular hairy, about 0.5 mm long. The anthers are sagittate, basal, blue-­ gray, with 2 locules, longitudinally dehiscent. The ovaries are superior, long pyriform, ca. 6  mm long, with 3 locules. The capsules are ovoid. The flowering period is from July to October; the fruiting period is from August to November. Habitat: It grows in river water, ponds, or rice fields. Distribution: Originating from America, it is cultivated or grows in the wild all over northern and southern China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing away summer heat, promoting diuresis, and relieving swelling; it’s often used for treatment of heatstroke, thirst, nephritis, edema, and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

396

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

397

4.10 Family: Pontederiaceae 4.10.1 Monochoria hastata Chinese Name(s): jian ye yu jiu hua, yan meng hua. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Monochoria hastata (Monochoria hastata (Linn.) Solms). Morphology: The plants are perennial aquatic herbs, glabrous. The rhizomes are long and thick, procumbent, with persistent old sheaths and many fiber roots. The stems are erect or oblique, 50–90(–125)cm in height. The basal leaves are triangular-­ ovate or triangular, 5–15(–25)cm long, 3–9 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally sagittate to hastate, rarely cordate, papery, entire on margins, extending on basal margins, with curved veins. The petioles are 30–50 (70) cm long, with cracked sheaths in the lower part, which is apically long ligulate. The petioles of cauline leaves are 7–10  cm long; the sheaths are broadened. The racemes are axillary, 10–40-flowered. The peduncles are 1–3  cm long, longer in the upper part of the inflorescences. The flowers are 7–10  mm in diameter. The perianths are ovate, 10–14 mm long, pale blue, membranous, with green median veins and red blotches. There are 6 stamens; the largest one is blue, ca. 6 mm long; the others are yellow, ca. 3 mm long. The filaments are filiform, white. The ovaries have white blotches on the surfaces. The styles are pilose at apex. The capsules are oblong, about 1 cm long. The seeds are numerous, small, oblong, brown, longitudinally ribbed, horizontally striate between ribs. The flowering period is from August to March of the following year. Habitat: It grows on plains; in freshwater ponds, trenches, and rice fields; or on coastal wetlands at an altitude of 700 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia.

398

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing the lungs and relieving coughing, reducing swelling and drawing out the pus, and inducing diuresis for treating stranguria; it’s often used for treatment of dysentery, enteritis, gingival swelling and pain, acute tonsillitis, laryngitis, sores, boils, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

399

400

H. Ye et al.

4.11 Family: Pontederiaceae 4.11.1 Monochoria korsakowii Chinese Name(s): yu jiu hua, lan niao hua. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Monochoria korsakowii (Monochoria korsakowii Regel et Maack). Morphology: The plants are perennial, aquatic herbs. The rhizomes are thick, with soft and fibrous roots. The stems are erect, 30–70 cm in height. The plants are glabrous, basally sometimes purple-red. The leaves are basal and cauline. The basal leaves are broadly ovate-cordate, 4–10 cm long and 3–8 cm wide, apically acute or acuminate, basally cordate, entire on margins, with many curved veins. The petioles are up to 30 cm long, sometimes swollen into sacs. The petioles of cauline leaves are gradually shorter, basally expanded into a sheath, amplexicaul. The racemes are apical, sometimes connate into panicles, 10-flowered or more, with pedicels 5–10 mm long. The perianths are elliptic, 10–14 mm long, apically rounded-obtuse, blue. There are 6 stamens, 1 of which is larger, and the anthers are oblong, pale blue; the other stamens are smaller; the anthers are yellow; the filaments are filiform. The capsules are long-ovoid, 10–12  mm long, hidden in the persistent perianths. The seeds are oblong, about 1.5 mm long, longitudinally ribbed. The flowering period is from July to August; the fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in shallow water in ponds, lakes, and marshes or paddy fields and often becomes a single-dominant large-area community. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, and Shaanxi, as well as in North Korea, Japan, and Russia (Siberia and Far East). Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn. With the impurities removed, they are cut into sections, washed and used when fresh, or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving cough and asthma, dispelling dampness, reducing swelling, and improving eyesight; it’s often used for treatment of high fever, cough, infantile erysipelas, emphysema, and hemorrhoids. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): High fever and cough of children: Monochoria korsakowii 10  g, decocted in water and taken twice a day.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

401

4.12 Family: Pontederiaceae 4.12.1 Monochoria vaginalis Chinese Name(s): ya she cao, ya zai cai. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Monochoria vaginalis (Monochoria vaginalis (Burm. f.) Presl ex Kunth). Morphology: The plants are aquatic herbs, glabrous. The rhizomes are extremely short, with soft fibrous roots. The stems are erect or oblique, 12–40 cm in height. The leaves are basal and cauline. The leaves are varied in shape and size, cordate, broadly rounded, long ovate to lanceolate, 2–7 cm long, 0.8–5 cm wide, apically

402

H. Ye et al.

short acute or acuminate, basally rounded or shallowly cordate, entire on margins, with curved veins. The petioles are 10–20 cm long, basally expanded into a cracked sheath; the sheath is 2–4 cm long, apically ligulate, 7–10 mm long. The racemes are exserted from the middle of the petioles, where the petioles expanding into a sheath. The peduncles are short, 1–1.5 cm long, basally with a lanceolate bract. The inflorescences are erect at anthesis and soon reflexed after anthesis, usually 3–5-­flowered, blue. The perianths are ovate-lanceolate or oblong, 10–15 mm long. The pedicels are less than 1 cm. There are 6 stamens, one of which is larger, and the anthers are oblong; the other stamens are smaller, and the filaments are filiform. The capsules are ovoid to oblong, about 1 cm long. There are many seeds, elliptic, about 1 mm long, gray-brown, with 8–12 longitudinal stripes. The flowering period is from August to September; the fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in wetlands and shallow water ponds. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in northern and southern China, as well as in Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of dysentery, enteritis, sore throat, and parulis, as well as for external treatment of snakebite and sore. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

403

404

H. Ye et al.

4.13 Family: Smilacaceae 4.13.1 Smilax aberrans Chinese Name(s): wan geng ba qia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax aberrans (Smilax aberrans Gagnep.) Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs or subshrubs. The stems are 0.5–2 m long; the branches are slightly sulcate or obtuse ribbed, without prickles. The leaves are thinly papery, elliptic or ovate-elliptic, 7–12 cm long, 2.5–6.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally nearly cuneate or rounded, pale white in the lower part, papillose-pubescent or pruinose-scabrous particularly on reticulate veins. The petioles are 1–1.5 cm long, papillose in the upper part, basally broad, with semicircular membranous sheaths, without tendrils; the abscission zones are in the upper part. The umbels are borne in axil of leaf or scalelike bract on young branches which is exserted from leaves, 5–20-lowered. The peduncles are 3–5 cm long. The receptacles are hardly inflated. The male flowers are green-yellow or pale purple; the inner and outer tepals are similar, 2–2.5 mm long, about 1 mm wide. The stamens are very short and crowded in the center of the flower. The berries are 8–11 mm in diameter, and the carpopodia are recurved. The flowering period is from March to April; the fruiting period is from October to December. Habitat: It grows in forests and shrubs below 1600 m above sea level. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan, as well as in Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round. With the impurities removed, they are washed, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Removing dampness and turbidity, dispelling pathogenic wind and relieving arthralgia, detoxicating, and dispersing blood stasis; it’s often used for treatment of turbid urine, leucorrhea, rheumatic arthralgia, sore, and carbuncle. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

405

406

H. Ye et al.

4.14 Family: Smilacaceae 4.14.1 Smilax china [2] Chinese Name(s): ba qia, jin gang teng, tie leng jiao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax china (Smilax china Linn.) Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs, up to 3 m in height, with hard and thick rhizomes, 2–3  cm thick. The stems are sparsely prickly, 1–3  m long. The leaves are alternate, thinly leathery or hard papery, reddish brown or bronze when dry, elliptic or ovate, 3–10  cm long, 1.5–6  cm wide, abaxially pale green, rarely glaucous, sometimes pruinose. The petioles are 5–15 mm long, with thick and long tendrils. The umbels are axillary, 10-flowered or more, globose. The peduncles are 1–2  cm long; the tepals are yellow-green, 3.5–4.5  mm long. The female flowers have 6 staminodes. The berries are globose, 6–15 mm in diameter, red when ripe, pruinose. The flowering period is from February to May; the fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in a thicket in forests. Distribution: It is distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Shandong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and sour in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, detoxicating, and relieving swelling; it is used for treatment of rheumatic joint pain, injury caused by knocks and falls, gastroenteritis, dysentery, dyspepsia, diabetes, chyluria, leucorrhea, and cancer. The leaves are used externally for treatment of carbuncle, furuncle, sore, and scald. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of leaves are ground into powder, mixed with oil, and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Rheumatoid arthritis: Smilax china, Polygonum cuspidatum 30  g each, Aristolochia mollissima 15 g, soaked in 750 g of liquor for 7 days, and taken one cup (about 15 g) per dose in the morning and evening. 2. Gastroenteritis: Smilax rhizome 60–120 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Chyluria: Smilax rhizome, Aralia root 30 g each, decocted in water and taken one dose daily. 4. Cancer: Smilax china rhizome 500–750 g, washed, sliced, and dried in the sun, soaked in water for 1h, decocted with slow fire for 3h, removed the residue,

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

407

added with 30–60 g of pig fat, and boiled for 1h. Take 500 ml of medicine solution and finish it in several times in a day. 5. Icteric hepatitis: Smilax china rhizome, Rosa laevigata root 60 g, Lobelia chinensis 15 g, decocted in water for oral use. 6. Diabetes: fresh Smilax rhizome 60–120 g, pig pancreas 1, stewed to take. 7. Pulmonary abscess: Smilax rhizome 60  g, decocted in water for oral use, or added with Houttuynia cordata 15–30  g, Codonopsis lanceolata root 30  g, Momordica charantia vine 9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 8. Enteritis: Smilax china rhizome 30–60  g, Momordica charantia vine 9  g, decocted in water for oral use. 9. Gout: Smilax rhizome is ground into powder and taken 3–5 g each time, three times a day. 10. Hematuria: Smilax rhizome, Glochidion puberum root 30 g each, decocted in water for oral use. 11. Hematemesis: Smilax rhizome 30–60 g, Japanese Ardisia 9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 12. Psoriasis: Smilax china rhizome 20–40 g, soaked for 10h, decocted in water for oral use, or Smilax china rhizome 60  g, Fructus mume 30  g, licorice 15  g, soaked in water for 24h, decocted, and taken for 40–60 days. 13. Uterine prolapse: Smilax china rhizome 30  g, Ficus hirta 15  g, decocted in water for oral use. 14. Metrorrhagia: Smilax china rhizome, palm charcoal 30  g, Schisandra 15  g, decocted in water for oral use.

408

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae 4.15 

409

Family: Smilacaceae

4.15.1 Smilax corbularia Chinese Name(s): kuang tiao ba qia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax corbularia (Smilax corbularia Kunth). Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs. The stems are 3–9 m long, and the branches are sometimes slightly 4-angled, without prickles. The leaves are leathery, ovate-oblong, ovate to narrowly elliptic, 5–14 cm long, 2–4.5(–7) cm wide, apically short acuminate, basally oblong, recurved on the margin, pale white in the lower part, with 5 primary veins; the reticulate veins are impressed. The petioles are 8–14 mm long, apically with abscission zones. The petioles of basal branches are generally with tendrils; the sheaths are 1/2 the length of petioles, extended forward (in the parallel direction to the petiole) into a pair of auricles. The auricles are lanceolate, 2–4(–6)mm long. The umbels are axillary, 10–20-flowered. The peduncles are 4–15 mm long, 2/3 length of the petioles or subequal to them, rarely longer than the petioles, slightly compressed. The receptacles are inflated, with many persistent bracteoles. The flowers are green-yellow, erect, not spreading. The outer tepals of the male flowers are cymbiform, 2.5–3 mm long, and about 2 mm wide; the inner tepals are slightly shorter, ca. 1 mm wide, thick, abaxially concave. The filaments are very short, forming a short column. The female flowers are similar to male flowers, but the inner tepals are thinner, with 3 staminodes. The berries are 6–7 mm in diameter and dark red when ripe. The flowering period is from May to July; the fruiting period is in December. Habitat: It grows in forest or thickets. Distribution: It is distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China, as well as in Vietnam and Burma. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and sour in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and relieving pain; it is often used for treatment swelling and pain caused by knocks and falls and rheumatic pain. Use and Dosage: 20–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

410

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

411

412

H. Ye et al.

4.16 Family: Smilacaceae 4.16.1 Smilax ferox Chinese Name(s): chang tuo ba qia, ci bi xie. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax ferox (Smilax ferox Wall. ex Kunth). Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs. The stems are up to 5 m in height, and the branches are longitudinally striate, sparsely prickly. The leaves are thick leathery to hard papery, grayish green-yellow or dark gray when dry, elliptic, ovate-­ elliptic to oblong, 3–16 cm long, 1.5–9 cm wide, pale white in the lower part, rarely green, with 3 primary veins, rarely 5. The petioles are 5–25 mm long, with sheaths about 1/2–3/4 the length of petioles. There are only a few petioles with tendrils. The abscission zones are located above the sheaths. The umbels are axillary, 4–10-­flowered. The peduncles are 1–2.5 cm long, occasionally with pulvini. The inflorescences are usually racemose due to elongated receptacles, with persistent bracteoles. The flowers are yellow-green or white; the outer tepals of male flowers are 4–8 mm long and 2–3 mm wide, and the inner tepals are slightly narrow. The tepals of female flowers are slightly smaller than male ones, 3–6 mm long, with 6 staminodes. The berries are 8–15 mm in diameter and red when ripe. The flowering period is from March to April; the fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in forests, in thickets, or in the shade on hillsides. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan, as well as in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Burma, and Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and cool in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and relieving pain, inducing diuresis, and curing sore; it is often used for treatment of rheumatic arthralgia, turbid urine, rash, itching, and sore. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are decocted and used for washing the affected areas.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

413

4.17 Family: Smilacaceae 4.17.1 Smilax glabra [3] Chinese Name(s): tu fu ling, leng fan tuan, guang ye ba qia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax glabra (Smilax glabra Roxb.) Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs, with rhizomes. Their stems are without prickles. The leaves are leathery, elliptic, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 3–13 cm long, 1.5–6 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally rounded obtuse; there are

414

H. Ye et al.

5 palmate veins, and the outer pair is close to the edge and thick; the petioles are 5–15(–20) mm long, with 2 slender tendrils. The flowers are dioecious. The umbels are solitary and axillary. The peduncles are 1–6 mm long, obviously shorter than the petioles. The receptacles are inflated, with many persistent rosulate bracteoles, 2–5 mm wide. The flower buds are triangular. There are 6 perianths, arranged in 2 whorls; the inner tepals are obcordate and the outer tepals are oblong. There are 6 stamens, almost without filaments; the filaments are extremely short. There are 3 staminodes in the female flowers. The berries are globose, 7–8  mm in diameter, blue-black when ripe, white pruinose. The flowering period is from July to November; the fruiting period is from November to April of the following year. Habitat: It grows in shrubs along riverbanks and on hillsides. Distribution: It is distributed in the southern provinces and regions of Gansu and the Yangtze River Basin; in Taiwan, Hainan, and Yunnan of China; as well as in Vietnam, Thailand, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is slightly cylindrical, compressed or irregular, protuberant on nodules, 5–22 cm long, 2–5 cm in diameter, yellowish brown or grayish brown, scattered with hard fibrous root residues, and with round bud marks on the top of branches. It’s hard and difficult to break. The slices are round or irregular in shape, 1–5  mm thick, irregular on margins. The incised surface is grayish white to reddish brown, farinose, and with many shinning spots. It is slightly tough in texture. Dust is released when it breaks. After being wettened with water, it feels sticky and slippery. It’s odorless, slightly sweet, and astringent in taste. The products light white in the cross-section and farinose are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and stomach. Functions: Clearing heat, detoxicating, and dispelling dampness; it is often used for treatment of leptospirosis, syphilis, rheumatoid arthritis, carbuncle, furuncle, eczema, dermatitis, leucorrhea, scrofula, scabies, and chronic poisoning of mercury powder and cinnabar. Use and Dosage: 15–100  g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Patients with renal insufficiency should use it with caution. Prescription Example(s): 1. Prevention of leptospirosis: Smilax glabra, Houttuynia cordata, Prunella vulgaris, Lygodium japonicum, plantain, Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum, Dryopteris crassirhizoma, Kalimeris indica each 9 g, decocted in water and taken one dose daily instead of tea in epidemic season. 2. Leptospirosis: Smilax glabra 60 g, licorice 9 g, decocted in water and taken one dose daily. For patients with good constitution but severe situation, Smilax glabra can be added to 150 g. For patients with high fever, glucose solution and vitamin C can be injected intravenously. 3. Chronic brucellosis: Smilax glabra 30 g; Saposhnikovia divaricata 3 g; papaya, myrrh, and angelica 9 g each; honeysuckle 12 g, decocted in water and taken one

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

415

dose a day, in the morning and evening, 10 days as a course of treatment. Continue the second course after an interval of 5–7 days. 4. Carbuncle, gangrene, and sore: Smilax glabra 25–50 g, lean pork 150 g, stewed in water to take. 5. Stranguria complicated with hematuria: Smilax glabra, Camellia sinensis root 25 g each, decocted in water and taken with sugar. 6. Mumps: fresh Smilax glabra, washed, ground into thick juice with vinegar, immersed into gauze block, and applied onto the swollen parotid gland. Change the gauze four times a day. 7. Dermatitis: Smilax glabra 100–150 g, decocted in water and taken instead of tea. Patients with liver dysfunction should use it with cautions.

416

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

417

418

H. Ye et al.

4.18 Family: Smilacaceae 4.18.1 Smilax microphylla Chinese Name(s): xiao ye ba qia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax microphylla (Smilax microphylla C. H. Wright). Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs. The branches are more or less prickly. The leaves are papery or thinly leathery, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 3.5–9  cm long, 1–5  cm wide, apically acute, basally obtuse or cordate, dark green when dry, pale white in the lower part. The petioles are

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

419

0.5–1.5  cm long, with narrow sheaths about 1/2–2/3 the length of petioles; the abscission zones are apical, commonly with tendrils. The umbels are several or m flowered. The peduncles are slightly compressed or subcylindric, about 0.5  mm wide, usually minutely scabrous, and obviously shorter than petioles. The receptacles are inflated, with many persistent rosulate bracteoles. The flowers are green. The outer tepals of male flowers are 2–2.5 mm long and about 1 mm wide, and the inner tepals are slightly narrow and short. The female flowers are slightly smaller than male flowers, with 3 staminodes. The berries are 5–7 mm in diameter and blue-­ black when ripe. The flowering period is from June to August; the fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in forests, on shrubland, or in hillside shade at altitudes of 500–1600 m. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round. After the impurities are removed, they are washed, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly bitter in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Removing dampness and turbidity, dispelling wind and curing arthralgia, detoxicating, and dispersing blood stasis; it’s often used for treatment of turbid urine, leucorrhea, rheumatic arthralgia, sore, and carbuncle. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

420

H. Ye et al.

4.19 Family: Smilacaceae 4.19.1 Smilax nipponica Chinese Name(s): bai bei niu wei cai, da shen jin. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes and roots of Smilax nipponica (Smilax nipponica Miq.) Morphology: The plants are annual or perennial herbs, erect or sometimes slightly climbing, with rhizomes. The stems are 20–100 cm long, hollow, slightly pithy, without prickles. The leaves are ovate to oblong, 4–20  cm long, 2–14  cm wide, apically acuminate, basally shallowly cordate to suboblong, abaxially

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

421

glaucous and usually pruinose-pubescent, rarely glabrous. The petioles are 1.5–4.5 cm long; the abscission zones are on the upper part; the tendrils are sometimes present. The umbels are 20–30-flowered. The peduncles are 3–9  cm long, slightly compressed, sometimes thick. The receptacles are inflated. The bracteoles are minimal and caducous. The flowers are green-yellow or white. The tepals are usually reflexed at anthesis, about 4 mm long; the outer tepals and inner tepals are similar. The filaments of the stamens are longer than the anthers. The female flowers are similar to male flowers, with 6 staminodes. The berries are 6–7 mm in diameter, black when ripe, white pruinose. The flowering period is from April to May; the fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in forests, by the water, or in the grass on hillside. Distribution: It is distributed in Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Henan, Shandong, Liaoning, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Japan and North Korea. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes and roots are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Strengthening muscles and bones, benefiting joints, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain; it is often used for treatment of waist and leg pain, sluggishness of joint movement, irregular menstruation, and traumatic injury. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

422

H. Ye et al.

4.20 Family: Smilacaceae 4.20.1 Smilax perfoliata Chinese Name(s): chuan qiao ba qia, chi bing ba qia, da tuoye ba qia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Smilax perfoliata (Smilax perfoliata Lour.) Morphology: The plants are climbing shrubs. The stems are 4–7 m long, usually sparsely prickly. The leaves are leathery, ovate to elliptic, 9–20 cm long, 4.5–15 cm wide, apically short acuminate, basally broadly cuneate to shallowly cordate. The petioles are 2–3.5 cm long, with auricular sheaths on both sides at base, amplexicaul, with tendrils; the abscission zones are in the middle. The panicles are composed of 2–10 umbels, 4–10 cm long, with 1 scale at base. There are 10–30 flowers in each umbel. The peduncles are 2–3 cm long, with a bract at base. The receptacles

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

423

are inflated, subglobose. The outer tepals are yellow-green, slightly red, 5–6 mm long, about 1 mm wide. The stamens are 6–10 mm long, and the lower part of the filaments are connate into a column. The staminodes are invisible of female flowers. The berries are dark red, globose, 6–8 mm in diameter. The flowering period is from March to June; the fruiting period is from July to October. Habitat: It grows on mountains, on roadsides, and in thickets and climbs on the trees. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, as well as in Laos, Thailand, Burma, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes and roots are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Strengthening the spleen and stomach and benefiting tendons and bones; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic arthralgia. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

424

H. Ye et al.

4.21 Family: Smilacaceae 4.21.1 Smilax riparia Chinese Name(s): niu wei cai, niu wei jie, cao ba qia. Source: This medicine is made of the fibrous roots of Smilax riparia (Smilax riparia A. DC.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbaceous vines, with several fleshy fibrous roots. The aerial stems are ca. 2.5  m long, hollow, slightly pithy, striate, without prickles. The leaves are membranous or nearly papery, oblong-ovate, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 6–15 cm long, 2–11 cm wide, apically acuminate or short acuminate, basally sharply acute, rounded obtuse or truncate. The leaves are abaxially green, glabrous, with 3–5 palmate veins. The petioles are 0.7–2 cm long,

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

425

with tendrils in the middle. The umbels are solitary and axillary; the peduncles are 2.5–10 cm long. The bracteoles are not caducous at anthesis. The tepals are yellow-­ green to white, 4–5 mm long. The filaments of stamens are longer than anthers; the female flowers are slightly smaller than male flowers. The staminodes are subulate, or invisible. The berries are black, globose, 5–9  mm in diameter. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows in forests, shrubs, grass on hillsides, or the sand of river valleys at altitudes of 100–1600 m. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Shaanxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan, as well as in North Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. Acquisition and Processing: The fibrous roots are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The roots are slender and curved, 20–40  cm long and 2 mm in diameter, cylindrical, yellowish white to brownish yellow on surface, with fine longitudinal lines, transverse cracks, and sometimes fine xylem core in the cracks. It is tough and not easily broken. There is a yellowish white pith in the center of the cross-section. It is slightly odored and tastes bitter and astringent. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, lungs, and spleen. Functions: Dispelling wind, activating blood circulation, resolving sputum, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, bone pain, injury, lumbar muscle strain, bronchitis, tuberculosis, cough, and hemoptysis. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water or soaked in alcohol for oral use.

426

H. Ye et al.

4  Medicinal Angiosperms of Trilliaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Smilacaceae

427

References 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 243) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 290) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 3. Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (Part 1: 17) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015.

Chapter 5

Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 5.1  F  amily: Araceae 5.1.1  Acorus calamus 5.2  Family: Araceae 5.2.1  Acorus gramineus 5.3  Family: Araceae 5.3.1  Acorus tatarinowii 5.4  Family: Araceae 5.4.1  Aglaonema modestum 5.5  Family: Araceae 5.5.1  Alocasia cucullata 5.6  Family: Araceae 5.6.1  Alocasia macrorrhiza

                                   

431 431 434 434 437 437 440 440 442 442 445 445

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_5

429

430 5.7  Family: Araceae 5.7.1  Arisaema amurense, Arisaema erubescens, Arisaema heterophyllum 5.8  Family: Araceae 5.8.1  Arisaema clavatum 5.9  Family: Araceae 5.9.1  Arisaema ciliatum 5.10  Family: Araceae 5.10.1  Arisaema consanguineum 5.11  Family: Araceae 5.11.1  Colocasia antiquorum 5.12  Family: Araceae 5.12.1  Colocasia esculenta 5.13  Family: Araceae 5.13.1  Gonatanthus pumilus 5.14  Family: Araceae 5.14.1  Homalomena occulta 5.15  Family: Araceae 5.15.1  Lasia spinosa 5.16  Family: Araceae 5.16.1  Pinellia cordata 5.17  Family: Araceae 5.17.1  Pinellia pedatisecta 5.18  Family: Araceae 5.18.1  Pinellia ternata 5.19  Family: Araceae 5.19.1  Pistia stratiotes 5.20  Family: Araceae 5.20.1  Pothos chinensis 5.21  Family: Araceae 5.21.1  Rhaphidophora hongkongensis 5.22  Family: Araceae 5.22.1  Rhaphidophora hookeri 5.23  Family: Araceae 5.23.1  Typhonium blumei 5.24  Family: Araceae 5.24.1  Typhonium giganteum

H. Ye et al.                                                                                                            

448 448 454 455 458 458 460 460 464 464 466 466 467 467 472 469 476 474 480 478 483 481 486 484 488 487 491 489 493 492 496 494 500 498 503 501

This chapter introduces 26 species of medicinal plants in 1 family, mainly including Acorus calamus, Acorus gramineus, Acorus tatarinowii, Aglaonema modestum, Alocasia cucullata, Alocasia macrorrhiza, Arisaema amurense, Arisaema erubescens, Arisaema heterophyllum, Arisaema clavatum, Arisaema ciliatum, Arisaema consanguineum, Colocasia antiquorum, Colocasia esculenta, Gonatanthus pumilus, Homalomena occulta, Lasia spinosa, Pinellia cordata, Pinellia pedatisecta, Pinellia ternata, Pistia stratiotes, Pothos chinensis, Rhaphidophora hongkongensis, Rhaphidophora hookeri, Typhonium blumei, and Typhonium giganteum of Araceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

431

5.1 Family: Araceae 5.1.1 Acorus calamus Chinese Name(s): chang pu, shui chang pu, bai chang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Acorus calamus (Acorus calamus Linn.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are procumbent, slightly compressed, branched, 5–10 mm in diameter, with yellow-brown bark, aromatic. There are several fleshy roots, 5–6  cm long, with hairy fibrous roots. The leaves are basal; the membranous sheaths are 4–5 mm wide on both sides at base, tapering toward apex, gradually disappeared to the 1/3 the length of leaves and deciduous. The leaves are ensiform, 90–100 cm long, 1–2 cm wide in the middle, basally broad, tapering toward apex in the middle, herbaceous, green, bright. The midribs are conspicuous on both surfaces, with 3–5 pairs of lateral veins, parallel and weak, mostly extending to the leaf tip. The peduncles are triangular, 40–50 cm long. The spathes are ensiform, 30–40 cm long. The spadices are erect or slightly oblique, narrowly conical to subcylindric, 4.5–6.5 cm long, 6–12 mm in diameter. The flowers are yellow-green; the tepals are about 2.5 mm long, about 1 mm wide. The filaments are ca. 2.5 mm long and 1 mm wide; the ovaries are cylindric, ca. 3 mm long and 1.25 mm thick. The berries are oblong and red. The flowering period is from June to September. Habitat: It grows on the water edge, on swamp wetlands, or on floating islands in lakes. Distribution: It is distributed in all provinces and regions of China, as well as in temperate and subtropical regions in the north and south hemispheres. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is compressed cylindrical, slightly curved, 3–20 cm long, 0.8–2 cm in diameter, grayish brown or brown on the surface. There are many nodes which are obvious, and internodes of 0.5–1.5 cm. It’s longitudinally wrinkled, and densely dotted with root marks on one side; the leaf marks are oblique triangle, arranged alternately left and right, and there are scaly leaf bases and hairy fibrous roots around the lateral stem base marks. It’s is hard in texture, and the cross-sections are light brown; the endothelium rings are obvious, dotted with many brown oil cells. The product is extremely fragrant in smell and pungent in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and stomach. Functions: Opening orifices, resolving phlegm, dispelling filth, and killing parasites; it’s often used for treatment of obstruction of phlegm and saliva, unconsciousness, chronic tracheitis, dysentery, enteritis, abdominal distension and pain, loss of appetite, and arthralgia due to wind-cold-dampness. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water, or ground into powder and taken 0.3–0.6 g per dose, three times a day. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are ground into powder, mixed with oil, and applied to scabies.

432

H. Ye et al.

Prescription Example(s): 1. Dysentery: sliced Acorus calamus is dried in the sun, powdered, and packed in capsules, 0.3 g per capsule. Take 3 times a day, 3 capsules per time with warm water. The dosage should be reduced for children. 2. Chronic tracheitis: Acorus calamus capsule (0.3 g Acorus calamus root powder per capsule), 2 capsules each time, 2–3 times a day, 10 days as a course of treatment. 3. Suppurative keratitis: Acorus calamus root 60  g added with 300  ml of water, decocted to 100 ml over slow fire, filtered to remove the residue, adjusted the pH to neutral, and sterilized in the autoclave. a. Eye drops: 3 times a day, 2–3 drops each time; b. Eye bath: 1 time a day, 10 min each time.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

433

434

H. Ye et al.

5.2 Family: Araceae 5.2.1 Acorus gramineus Chinese Name(s): jin qian pu, qian pu, shi chang pu, shui shou xiang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Acorus gramineus (Acorus gramineus Soland.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, 20–30 cm tall. The rhizomes are slender, 5–10 cm long, procumbent or oblique, aromatic, with pale yellow bark; the internodes are 1–5 mm long. The roots are fleshy, many, up to 15 cm long, with dense fibrous roots. The upper part of the rhizomes is branched and cespitose. The membranous sheaths are brown on both sides of leaves, 2–3 mm wide on the lower part, and extending below the middle of the leaves, gradually narrower and deciduous. The leaves are thick, linear, green, 20–30 cm long, extremely narrow, less than 6 mm in width, apically long-acuminate, without midribs, but with parallel veins. The peduncles are 2.5–9(–15)cm long. The spathes are short, 3–9(–14)cm long, 1–2 times as long as spadices, rarely shorter than spadices, narrow, 1–2 mm wide. The spadices are yellow-green, cylindric, 3–9.5 cm long, 3–5 mm thick. The infructescences are up to 1 cm thick; the berries are yellow-green. The flowering period is from May to June; the fruiting period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows by the stream and on wet rocks. Distribution: It is distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and stomach. Functions: Regulating Qi and relieving pain, expelling wind, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, dyspepsia, and chest and abdominal distension, as well as for external treatment of joint sprain. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Notes: The whole plant contains volatile oil, as arone, palmitic acid, and acid phenols, and may cause dyspepsia, gastroenteritis, abdominal distension, and intractable constipation if taking an overdose.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

435

436

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

437

5.3 Family: Araceae 5.3.1 Acorus tatarinowii Chinese Name(s): shi chang pu, qian pu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Acorus tatarinowii (Acorus tatarinowii Schott [A. gramineus Soland. var. pusillus (Sieb.) Engl.]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are aromatic, 2–5 mm thick, with pale brown bark; the internodes are 3–5 mm long. The roots are fleshy, with many fibrous roots. The plants are densely branched on the upper part of the roots and stems, cespitose; the branches are covered with fibrous, persistent leaf base. The leaves are sessile, thin; the membranous sheaths are 5 mm thick at base, and extending to the middle of the leaves, gradually narrower and deciduous.

438

H. Ye et al.

The leaves are dark green, linear, 20–30 (50) cm long, spreading above the middle, 7–13 mm wide, tapering toward apex, without midribs. There are several parallel veins, slightly raised. The peduncles are axillary, 4–15  cm long, triangular. The spathes are 13–25 cm long, 2–5 times as long as spadices or longer, rarely subequal in length. The spadices are cylindric, (2.5) 4–6.5(8.5) cm long, 4–7 mm thick, acuminate on the upper part, erect or slightly curved. The flowers are white. The infructescences are 7–8 cm long when mature, up to 1 cm thick. The berries are green, yellow-green, or yellow-white when ripe. The flowering and fruiting periods are from February to June. Habitat: It grows on stream banks and wet rocks. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces and regions south of the Yellow River, as well as in southern and southeastern Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun after removing the stems, leaves, and fibrous roots. Medicinal Properties: The products are compressed cylindrical, curved, with longitudinal wrinkles, and often 2–3 short branches, 3–20  cm long, 0.5–2  cm in diameter. The surfaces are brown or reddish brown, rough, with many dense nodes, and internodes of 0.2–0.8 cm long. There are alternate, slightly flat triangular leaf marks on the upper side; sometimes there are scaly leaf stem remnants on the upper side, and fibrous root remnants or residual roots on the lower side. The products are hard in texture, fibrous in the fractures, white or light brown. The endothelium rings are obvious in the cross-sections, and with many punctate vascular bundles and brown oil cells inside. They are fragrant in smell, and bitter in taste. The products better in quality are long, thick, white in sections, and with less fibers. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and liver. Functions: Opening the orifices and expelling phlegm, inducing resuscitation and boosting intelligence, removing dampness, relaxing the chest, and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of arthralgia caused by wind, cold, and dampness, chest and abdomen cold pain, dizziness caused by dampness and phlegm in the orifices, forgetfulness, dreaminess, epilepsy, deafness, and chest and abdomen distension, as well as for external treatment of carbuncle and furuncle. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Dizziness caused by dampness and phlegm in the orifices: Acorus tatarinowii, Polygala tenuifolia, Curcuma, Pinellia ternata, Poria cocos each 9 g, Arisaema cum bile 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Chest and abdomen distension and loss of appetite: Acorus tatarinowii 9 g, tangerine peel, Cyperus, cardamom 6 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

439

440

H. Ye et al.

5.4 Family: Araceae 5.4.1 Aglaonema modestum Chinese Name(s): guang dong wan nian qing, da ye wan nian qing. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Aglaonema modestum (Aglaonema modestum Schott ex Engl.) Morphology: The plants are perennial evergreen herbs, with erect or ascending stems, 40–70 cm tall, ca. 1.5 cm thick; the internodes are 2–5 cm long, contracted in the upper part. The cataphylls are herbaceous, lanceolate, 7–8  cm long, long-­ acuminate, basally broadly amplexicaul. The leaves are dark green, ovate or

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

441

ovate-lanceolate, 15–25  cm long, 8–13  cm wide, unequal, apically acuminate, basally obtuse or broadly cuneate. There are 4 or 5 primary lateral veins, ascending, adaxially impressed, abaxially raised; the secondary veins are indistinct. The petioles are (5–)20  cm long, with sheaths more than 1/2 length. The peduncles are slender, (5–)10–12.5  cm long. The spathes are 6–7  cm long, ca. 1.5  cm wide, oblong-lanceolate, apically long-acuminate. The spadices are 2/3 the length of spathes, with a pedicel ca. 1 cm, cylindric, slender, acuminate; the pistillate inflorescences are 5–7.5  mm long, about 5  mm thick; the staminate inflorescences are 2–3 cm long, 3–4 mm thick. The stamens are often quadrangular at apex; there are 1(–2) circular pores in each anther. The pistils are subglobose, apically contracting into short styles; the stigmas are disciform. The berries are green to yellow-red, oblong, ca. 2 cm long and 8 mm thick, with persistent stigmas. There is one seed, oblong, ca. 1.7 cm long. The flowering period is in May. The fruiting period is from October to November. Habitat: It grows in wet place under the dense forest. Distribution: It is distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan of China, as well as in Vietnam and the Philippines. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical, slightly flat, curved, 3–10 mm in diameter, light brownish red on the surface, and with longitudinal wrinkles and nodes. Below the nodes, there are fibrous roots, which are 5–10 cm and gray; the internodes are 10 mm and there are residual stem marks on the node which are protuberant and punctate. They are easily broken, uneven on the cross-sections, farinose, light white or light reddish brown. They have no odor and taste bland. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste, cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, reducing swelling, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of snakebite, sore throat, urethritis, enteritis, and cough due to heat in the lungs, as well as for external treatment of carbuncle and sore. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

442

H. Ye et al.

5.5 Family: Araceae 5.5.1 Alocasia cucullata Chinese Name(s): jia hai yu, jian wei yu. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Alocasia cucullata (Alocasia cucullata (Lour.) Schott). Morphology: The plants are erect herbs. The aerial stems are cylindric, 3–6 cm thick, dark brown, with circular cicatrices, basally multibranched, cespitose. The leaves are membranous to nearly leathery, dark green, pale green abaxially, broadly ovate-cordate, apically acute, 10–16(–40) cm tall, 7–18(–28) cm wide, basally

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

443

shallowly cordate. The midribs and primary veins are thicker; the primary veins are in 5–8 pairs, radiating from petioles, arching. The petioles are green, 25–30(–80) cm long, expanding into a broad sheath from the middle to the base. The peduncles are cylindric, slightly thick, usually solitary, 20–30 cm long. The spathes are nearly fleshy; the tubes are oblong-ovoid, pale green to dark green, 4–8 cm long, 2.5–5 cm thick. The limbs are narrowly cymbiform, involute on margins, apically narrowly acute, 5–10 cm long, 3–5 cm wide, pale yellow in upper part and green in lower part. The spadices are shorter than the spathes, about 10  cm long. The pistillate inflorescences are 1.5–2.5  cm long, cylindric, basally obliquely truncate, 7  mm thick in the middle. The sterile staminate inflorescences are 2–3  cm long, about 3 mm thick; the fertile staminate inflorescences are nearly fusiform, 3.5 cm long, ca. 8 mm thick in the middle, pale yellow and yellow. The appendixes are pale green, yellow-green, narrowly conic, ca. 3.5 cm long, ca. 6 mm thick in lower part. The berries are subglobose, 6–8  mm in diameter, usually with 1 seed. The flowering period is in May. Habitat: It grows near village houses. Distribution: It is distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. Acquisition and Processing: It’s dug up in autumn and winter and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste, cold in property, and extremely toxic. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, reducing swelling, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of leptospirosis, enteric typhoid, tuberculosis, and bronchitis, as well as for external treatment for snakebite, wasp stinging, and cellulitis. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. After long-term decocting, the toxicity decreased and the dosage would be increased appropriately. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Wasp sting: appropriate amount of Alocasia cucullata, the rough skin scraped off, mashed, and applied to the affected area, 5–10 min each time. 2. Leptospirosis: fresh Alocasia cucullata 120 g, sliced and dried in the sun, added with steamed rice or raw rice stir-fried until black, decocted for a long time, and taken three times, one dose a day. Notes: This product should be decocted for more than 4 hours to avoid poisoning; in case of poisoning, the decoctum of licorice, Saposhnikovia divaricata, and Stamen nelumbinis can be used for detoxification.

444

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

445

5.6 Family: Araceae 5.6.1 Alocasia macrorrhiza Chinese Name(s): guang dong lang du, ye yu tou, hen yu tou, lang du. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Alocasia macrorrhiza (Alocasia macrorrhiza (Linn.) Schott [A. odora (Roxb.) C. Koch]). Morphology: The plants are large evergreen herbs, with stolons and erect stems, 3–5 m tall, 10–30 cm thick, with adventitious buds at base. There are many leaves, green, sagittate-ovate, undulate on margins, 50–90 cm long, 40–90 cm wide; the length and width of some leaves are more than 1 m. The posterior lobes are 1/5–1/10 the length of leaves. The terminal lobes are triangular-ovate, apically acute, with 9–12 pairs of primary lateral veins; the lower parts are as thick as a finger and

446

H. Ye et al.

tapering toward apex. The basal lobes are oblong, sometimes reaching to the petioles. The petioles are green or dark purple, spirally arranged, thick, up to 1.5  m long, 5–10 cm wide at base with the sheath, spreading. The inflorescences are 2 or 3 together, cylindric, 12–60  cm long, usually green, sometimes dark purple. The tubes of spathes are green, 3–5 cm long, 3–4 cm thick, ovoid or short elliptic. The limbs are green, yellow-green, and green-white when flowering, yellow and white when withered, cymbiform, broadly oblong-lanceolate, slightly incurved, 10–30 cm long, 4–8 cm thick. The spadices are fragrant; the pistillate inflorescences are white, 2–4  cm long; the sterile staminate inflorescences are green-white, (2.5–)5–6  cm long; the fertile staminate inflorescences are pale yellow, 3–7 cm long. The appendixes are pale green to creamy yellow, 3–5.5 cm long, 1–2 cm thick, narrowly conic. The berries are red, ovoid, 8–10 mm long, 5–8 mm thick, with 1–2 seeds. The flowering period is all year round. Habitat: It grows in valleys and near ditches or villages. Distribute:It is distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Bangladesh, India, Malay Peninsula, Indochina Peninsula, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round. After the scales and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, sliced, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are subrounded or irregular strips, sheets, or small pieces, curled or shrunk, 1–3 mm thick. The cortexes are thin, brownish yellow, sometimes with residual scaly leaves; the cross-sections are white or yellowish white, with granular protrusions and wrinkles. The products are brittle, easily broken, and farinose. They are slightly odored and bland in taste. When chewed, they benumb the tongue and prick the throat. The products better in quality are yellow and white on cross-sections and very farinose. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly pungent and astringent in taste, cold in property, and extremely toxic and belongs to the meridians of the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and large intestine. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, influenza, enteric typhoid, insect bite and snakebite, sore, and boil. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. It should be decocted for long if given orally. For external use, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected area but not the normal skin. Prescription Example(s): 1. Influenza: fresh Alocasia macrorrhiza rhizome 5 kg, peeled and washed, cut into thin slices, added with rice 120 g and salt 15 g, stir-fried until the rice is brownish black, added with 10 kg of water, boiled for 2h, and filtered. Prevention: take 150 ml once a day for 3 days. Treatment: take 150 ml twice a day. 2. Tuberculosis: dried Alocasia macrorrhiza rhizome slices 500 g, added with 5 kg of water, decocted to 1.5 kg, filtered, then concentrated to 0.5 kg, and added with appropriate amount of sugar for preservatives. Take 10–15 ml each time, 3 times

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

447

a day, and the dosage should be reduced for children, 15–30 days as a course of treatment.

448

H. Ye et al.

5.7 Family: Araceae 5.7.1 Arisaema amurense, Arisaema erubescens, Arisaema heterophyllum Chinese Name(s): tian nan xing, hu zhang nan xing, dan nan xing. Source: This medicine is made of the dried rhizomes of Arisaema amurense (Arisaema amurense Maxim.), Arisaema erubescens (Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott [Arisaema consanguineum Schott]), and Arisaema heterophyllum (Arisaema heterophyllum Bl. [Arisaema ambiguum Engl.]) Morphology: A. Arisaema amurense: The plants are perennial herbs, 35–60 cm tall. The tubers are subglobose or oblate, 2.5  cm in diameter, above which the

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

449

fibrous roots radiate out. The leaves are solitary, pedate, with 5 leaflets (3 annual leaflets), obovate or broadly obovate, 11–15 cm long, 6–8 cm wide, basally cuneate, entire or irregularly denticulate. The peduncles are 20–40 cm long, lower than the leaves; the spathes are 11–14 cm long, tube-shaped at lower part, green or purple; the appendixes at the top of inflorescence rachises are clavate. The berries are red. The flowering period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows in ravine or wet forests. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, and other places.

450

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B Arisaema erubescens: The plants are perennial herbs. The tubers are oblate, up to 6 cm in diameter, with yellow-brown bark. The leaves are solitary and basal, radiate. There are 18–23 leaflets, lanceolate, oblong to elliptic, 8–24  cm long, apically long-acuminate and caudate. The petioles are 40–80  cm long. The peduncles are shorter than the petioles. The spathes are green or purple, sometimes with white stripes. The spadices are unisexual, and pistillate inflorescences have clavate appendixes, with most neutral flowers. The ovaries are ovoid; the appendixes of the staminate inflorescences are smooth or have a few neutral flowers. There are 2–4 stamens; the chambers are subglobose, dehiscent by apical pores. The berries are red and globose. The flowering period is from May to July. Habitat: It grows in ravine or wet forests. Distribution: It is distributed in most provinces of China, except Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang. It is also distributed in northern and northeastern India, Nepal to Burma, and northern Thailand.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

451

452

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: C. Arisaema heterophyllum: The plants are perennial root herbs, 15–30 cm in height. The tubers are oblate, 2–4 cm in diameter. The leaves are solitary, pedate, with 13–19 leaflets, oblong, oblanceolate or oblong-ovate, apically narrowly acuminate, basally cuneate, entire on margins. The lateral leaflets are 7.7–24.2 cm long and 2–6.5 cm wide, in which central leaflets are the smallest. The peduncles are 30–55 cm long, exserted from the leaf sheaths; the spathes are green, tubular in the lower part, helmet-shaped in the upper part. The spadices are bisexual and unisexual, with unisexual male flowers in the lower part. The female flowers are in the lower part of the bisexual inflorescences, in which male flowers are sparsely in the upper part. The appendixes at the top of the inflorescence rachises are rattailed, exserted. The berries are red when ripe. The flowering period is from April to May; the fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows in ravines or wet forests. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and other provinces.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

453

454

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter when the stems and leaves wither. After the fibrous roots and skin are removed, they are dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: The products of Arisaema amurense, Arisaema erubescens, and Arisaema heterophyllum are all tubers, which are not easily distinguishable. The product is oblate, 1–2 cm high, 1.5–6.5 cm in diameter, grayish white to light brown, smooth or wrinkled, with sunken stem marks in the center of the apex, scattered punctate root marks around, and sometimes spherical lateral buds. It is hard in quality, not easily broken, uneven on cross-sections, white, and farinose. It’s slightly pungent in smell and spicy in taste. The products big, white, and farinose are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, warm in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridians of the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and large intestine. Functions: Dispelling wind and arresting convulsion, resolving phlegm, and dissolving lumps; it’s often used for treatment of sticky phlegm, cough due to dampness and phlegm, distension of the chest and diaphragm, vertigo due to wind and phlegm, apoplexy and phlegm obstruction, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, infantile convulsion, tetanus, and epilepsy, as well as for external treatment of sore, boil, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 2.4–4.5 g per dose. For external use, proper amounts of products are ground to powder, mixed with vinegar, and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Children with fever, convulsion, and excessive phlegm: Arisaema 30 g, Poria cocos 15  g, scorpion 4.5  g, Bombyx batryticatus 9  g, Bambusa textilis 4.5  g, ground to powder and added with 1.2 g of bezoar, 7.5 g of amber, 7.5 g of realgar, 4.5 g of cinnabar, and 0.6 g of musk, added with honey, and made into pills. Each pill weighs 1.5 g, coated with cinnabar and sealed with wax. Take one pill every time, twice a day, with warm water. The dosage should be decreased for children under 3 years old.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

455

2. Facial paralysis: fresh Arisaema, grounded with appropriate amount of vinegar, applied to the cheek of affected side before going to bed, covered with gauze, and removed in the next morning, once every night. For treatment of chronic facial paralysis, Siegesbeckia orientalis 30  g, Belamcanda chinensis 9  g, decocted in water. 3. Tetanus: Arisaema heterophyllum, Notopterygium incisum, Rhizoma Rhei, Ligusticum wallichii Franch., Aconitum kusnezoffii, Saposhnikovia divaricata, centipede, scorpion, Gastrodia elata, Bombyx batryticatus, cicada slough, licorice 9 g each, processed Typhonium giganteum 12 g, decocted into 600 ml and take in three times, one dose a day. Also, 6 g of amber, 3 g of cinnabar, ground to powder, divided into 3 packages, 1 package a time, for 3–6 days. At the same time, 30,000–60,000 units of tetanus antitoxin are injected intramuscularly. Use a small amount of sedative if necessary. 4. Neurodermatitis: appropriate amount of Rhizoma Arisaematis, ground to powder, mixed with kerosene to make a paste. Apply the paste on the affected area, 1–2 times a day. Notes: this product is highly toxic and needs to be processed for oral use. It should be decocted over fire and should not overdose.

5.8 Family: Araceae 5.8.1 Arisaema clavatum Chinese Name(s): bang tou nan xing, she bao gu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Arisaema clavatum (Arisaema clavatum Buchet). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The tubers are subglobose or ovate-globose, 2–4 cm in diameter. There are 3 cataphylls, membranous, 1–2 cm long outside, 10–20 cm long inside, tube-shaped in the lower part, lanceolate in the upper part. There are 2 leaves; the petioles are 40–60  cm long, proximally half sheathing. The leaves are pedate, with 11–15 leaflets, papery, oblong to lanceolate, basally cuneate, sessile. The peduncles are shorter than the petioles, 30–46 cm long. The spathes are 7.5–16 cm long, green, purple on the tube; there are 5 pale stripes on the inner surfaces of the limb, and the central one is lost to the top; the tubes are cylindric or narrowly funnelform, 3.5–8 cm long, 1.3–2.5 cm thick at the upper part; the throats are obliquely truncate or rounded on margins, not recurved; the limbs are nearly rhombic or short-elliptic, 1.5–3 cm wide, basally slightly narrow. The spadices are unisexual; the staminate inflorescences are cylindric, 1.2–1.7  cm long, slightly narrow upward; the pistillate inflorescences are elliptical, 2–2.5  cm long and 7–8  mm thick. The appendixes are 6–7  cm long, tapering toward apex. The male flowers are purple, with 2–3 anthers; the ovaries are pale green, obovate; the

456

H. Ye et al.

styles are about 1 mm long, and the stigmas are hemispherical. The flowering period is from February to April; the fruiting period is from April to June. Habitat: It grows in forest or on wetland at altitudes of 650–1400 m. Distribution: It is distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up when the aboveground parts wither and dried after removing the stem leaves and fibrous roots. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, warm in property, and toxic. Functions: Eliminating dampness and phlegm, dispelling wind, and relieving convulsion; it’s often used for treatment of cough with sticky phlegm, vertigo due to wind and phlegm, apoplexy and phlegm obstruction, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, epilepsy, convulsion, and tetanus, as well as for external treatment of carbuncle, insect bite, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external use, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

457

458

H. Ye et al.

5.9 Family: Araceae 5.9.1 Arisaema ciliatum Chinese Name(s): yuan mao nan xing. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Arisaema ciliatum (Arisaema ciliatum H. Li). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The tubers are globose, 2–4 cm in diameter. There are 3 cataphylls, membranous, cylindric at lower part, oblong at upper part, 10–14 cm long in innermost part. The leaves are solitary; the petioles are 20–27 cm long, basal 12–15 cm sheathing. The leaves are radiate, with 14 leaflets, elliptic, 4–7.5 cm long, 1.2–1.4 cm wide, basally narrowly cuneate, apically long-­ acuminate. The peduncles are shorter than the petioles; the spathes are about 10 cm long, purple, with numerous white stripes; the tubes are cylindric; the throats are without auricles on the margins; the limbs are oblong-lanceolate, suberect to incurved, 4–4.5 cm long, 1.7–2.1 cm wide, blue-purple. The spadices are unisexual; the staminate inflorescences are long-conic, 2.0–2.3 cm long, about 3 mm at base. The flowers are lax; the male flowers have short pedicels. The appendixes are thinly clavate, erect, blue-purple, 5–5.5 cm long, about 2 mm thick, basally gradually narrower, with subulate neutral flowers, apically obtuse. The flowering period is in June; the fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows in pine forests about 3000 m above sea level. Distribution: It is endemic to Lijiang, Yunnan of China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn. After the stem leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and used when fresh or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, warm in property, and toxic. Functions: Eliminating dampness and phlegm, dispelling wind, relieving swelling, and dissolving lumps; it’s often used for treatment of cough with phlegm, apoplexy, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, infantile convulsion, carbuncle, snakebite, etc. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

459

460

H. Ye et al.

5.10 Family: Araceae 5.10.1 Arisaema consanguineum Chinese Name(s): chang xing tian nan xing, bai nan xing, ban bian san, da she bang. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Arisaema consanguineum (Arisaema consanguineum Schott). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs; the tubers are depressed globose, up to 6 cm in diam., yellow or reddish purple. The scale leaves are green-white, with purple-brown striae. There are 1–2 leaves; the petioles are 40–80  cm long, with sheath below the middle; the leaf blades are radiate, up to 20 leaflets; the leaflets are lanceolate to elliptic, 8–24 cm long, 6–35 mm wide, with filiform tail. The spathes are green, abaxially with white stripes; the tubes are cylindric, 4–8  mm long, 9–20 mm wide. The spadices are unisexual; the male inflorescences are 2–2.5 cm long, densely flowered, with smooth appendix or a few sterile zones at base. The pistillate inflorescences are about 2 cm long, 6–7 mm wide, with many sterile zones; the appendixes are clavate or cylindric, slightly dilated in the middle, 2–4.5  cm long, 2.5–5 mm wide in the middle. The staminate inflorescences have short peduncles, purple to dark-brown; there are 2–4 stamens. The ovaries of female flower are ovate; the stigmas are sessile. The berries are red, 1–2-seeded, globose, pale brown. The flowering period is from May to July; the fruiting period is in September. Habitat: It grows in forests, in shrubs, on grassy slopes, or on wasteland below an altitude of 3200 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in China except Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Xinjiang, as well as in India, Nepal, Burma, and Thailand. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter when the stems and leaves wither and dried, after removing the fibrous roots and skin. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, warm in property, and toxic. Functions: Eliminating dampness and phlegm, dispelling wind, relieving convulsion reducing swelling, and dissolving lumps; it’s often used for treatment of apoplexy, phlegm obstruction, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, epilepsy, convulsion, tetanus, dizziness due to wind and phlegm, laryngeal obstruction, scrofula, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: 4–8 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

461

462

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

463

464

H. Ye et al.

5.11 Family: Araceae 5.11.1 Colocasia antiquorum Chinese Name(s): ye yu, ye yu tou, shan yu. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants and rhizomes of Colocasia antiquorum (Colocasia antiquorum Schott). Morphology: The plants are perennial hygrophytes; the tubers are globose, with many fibrous roots; the stolons often extend from tuber base, long or short, with small bulblets. The petioles are thicker, erect, up to 1.2 m long; the leaves are thinly leathery, slightly shiny, peltate, ovate-cordate to sagittate-cordate, up to 50 cm long or longer; the terminal segments are broadly ovate, apically acute, slightly longer than width; the lateral veins are in 4–8 pairs; the basal lobes are ovate, apically obtuse, about 1/2 as long as terminal segments to completely united, basally broadly triangular or rounded. The peduncles are shorter than petioles; the spathes are pale yellow, 15–25 cm long; the tubes are light green, oblong, 1/2–1/5 as long as the limb; the limbs are narrowly linear-lanceolate, apically gradually acute; the spadices are shorter than spathe; the pistillate inflorescences are equal to sterile staminate inflorescences, 2–4 cm long; the fertile staminate inflorescences and appendix are 4–8 cm long; the ovaries have very short styles. Habitat: It grows on waterside in valleys and on other wetlands. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces to the south of the Yangtze River. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants and rhizomes are dug up in autumn, sliced and dried, or used when fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, cold in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Detoxicating and relieving swelling and pain; it is often used for treatment of carbuncle, furuncle, acute cervical lymphadenitis, snakehead whitlow, traumatic bleeding, insect bite, and snakebite. Use and Dosage: For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh or dried products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

465

466

H. Ye et al.

5.12 Family: Araceae 5.12.1 Colocasia esculenta Chinese Name(s): yu, yu tou. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes, leaves, petioles, and flowers of Colocasia esculenta (Colocasia esculenta (Linn.) Schott). Morphology: The plants are perennial hygrophytes; the tubers are usually ovate, often with small bulblets, rich in starch. There are 2 or 3 or more leaves; the petioles are longer than leaves, 20–90 cm long, green, ovate, 20–50 cm long, apically shortly acute or shortly acuminate; the lateral veins are in 4 pairs, oblique to margins; the basal lobes are rounded. The peduncles are usually solitary, shorter than petioles; the spathes are long or short, generally about 20 cm; the tubes are green, about 4 cm long, ca. 2.2 cm in diam., narrowly ovate; the limbs are lanceolate or elliptic, about 17 cm long, navicular, involute on margins, light yellow to green-white; the spadices are about 10 cm long, shorter than spathe; the pistillate inflorescences are narrowly paniculate, 3–3.5 cm long, ca. 1.2 cm in diam. in the lower part; the sterile zones are about 3–3.3 cm long, narrowly cylindric; the staminate inflorescences are cylindric, 4–4.5 cm long, ca. 7 mm in diam., apically abruptly narrowed; the appendixes are narrowly conic, about 1 cm long, less than 1 mm in diam.. The flowering period is from February to April (Yunnan) and August to September (Qinling). Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It’s cultivated in southern China. It originated from southern Asia and widely planted in tropical areas. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes, leaves, petioles, and flowers are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, neutral in property, and a little toxic. Functions: This medicine strengthens the stomach and intestines, breaks blood stasis, removes the rot, regulates the middle Qi, tonifies Qi deficiency, promotes Qi circulation, reduces distension, strengthens the muscles and bones, and replenishes Qi. The rhizomes are often used for treatment of thirst due to blood heat and furuncle on the head. The stems and leaves are used for treatment of threatening miscarriage, snakebite, carbuncle, bee stinging, impetigo, etc. The flowers are often used for treatment of uterine prolapse, infantile prolapse of the anus, prolapse of hemorrhoids, and hematemesis. Use and Dosage: 12–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

467

5.13 Family: Araceae 5.13.1 Gonatanthus pumilus Chinese Name(s): qu bao yu, ye mu yu, yan yu. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Gonatanthus pumilus (Gonatanthus pumilus (D. Don) Engl.) Morphology: The plants are herbs. The tubers are small, globose, 1–2  cm in diam., yellowish brown outside; the bulbiferous stolons are slender, usually 20–30 cm long, branched, with linear scales, apically recurved; the scale leaves are many, narrowly lanceolate, 2–3 cm long, often fibrous, persistent. The petioles are cylindric, green, 25–40 cm long, proximal 1/3 are with sheath. The leaves are leathery, dark green adaxially, light green or purplish green abaxially, ovate or oblongovate, apically acute, basally cordate, 8–20 cm long, 7–12 cm wide; the primary

468

H. Ye et al.

veins are in 3–4 pairs, slightly arched; the posterior lobes are semicircular, rounded, 3–5 cm long. The peduncles are cylindric, 6–10 cm long, light green. The spathe tubes are green, oblong-ovate, 1.2–1.5 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diam.; the limbs are yellow or yellow-green, erect, backward at anthesis, basally swollen into a tube, 1–2  cm in diam.; the flowering period is semispreading, forming navicular long limbs, proximal part of limb separated into 2 parts by a constriction, 13–19 cm long, 1.8–2.5 cm wide, oblong-lanceolate, apically long-acuminate. The spadices are sessile; the pistillate inflorescences are light green, short, 6–8  mm long; the sterile zones are yellow, slender, 4–5 mm long; the male zone are shortly clavate, blunt, purplish green, ca. 1 cm long and 4 mm wide; the pollens are yellow; the sterile flowers are rhombic or oblong, flat. The female flowers have green ovary, without style, with oblate stigma; the ovules are many, ovate-oblong; the funicles are slender, basal. The flowering period is from May to July. Habitat: It grows in dense forests or thickets at altitudes of 1450–2400 m, often growing on limestone. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan and Tibet, as well as in India and Thailand. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn, used when fresh or cut into sections, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s peppery in taste, warm in property, and toxic. Functions: Relieving swelling and pain; it’s often used for treatment of carbuncle, sore rheumatic arthritis, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

469

5.14 Family: Araceae 5.14.1 Homalomena occulta Chinese Name(s): qian nian jian, xiang yu, tuan yu, jia su yu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Homalomena occulta (Homalomena occulta (Lour.) Schott). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs; the rhizomes are creeping, ca. 1.5 cm in diam.; the roots are fleshy, cylindric, about 3–4 mm in diam., light brown velutinous, with few fibrous roots. The stems are erect, 30–50 cm high. The scale leaves are linear-lanceolate, 15–16  cm long, ca. 2.5  cm wide at base, upwardly attenuated, apically acute; the petioles are 25–40 cm long, with a sheath of 3–5 mm wide in the lower part; the leaves are membranous to papery, sagittate to cordate, 15–30 cm long, 15–28 cm wide, sometimes larger, apically abruptly narrowed and acuminate; the primary veins are in 7 pairs, 3–4 of these basal, downward to basal lobes and then arching into leaf margin; secondary and tertiary ones are thinner. The inflorescences are 1–3 together, axillary; the peduncles are shorter than petioles, 10–15 cm long. The spathes are green and white, oblong to elliptic, 5–6.5 cm long, fusiform before anthesis, 3–3.2  cm in diam., distal part slightly spreading and shortly navicular at anthesis, 5–6 cm wide when spreading out completely, with a beak about 1 cm long. The spadices are sessile or shortly stipitate, 3–5 cm long; the pistillate inflorescences are 1–1.5 cm long, 4–5 mm in diam.; the staminate inflorescences are 2–3 cm long, 3–4 mm in diam.; the ovaries are oblong, with 1 staminode on one side of the base, with disciform stigma, 3-loculed; the ovules are many and placentation axile. The seeds are brown, oblong. The flowering period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows in forests or on wetland in valleys.

470

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan, as well as in Indochina Peninsula. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round. After the aboveground parts and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are long cylindrical, sometimes slightly compressed and curved, usually 15–40 cm long, 1–2 cm in diameter. They are green when fresh and brownish red or sometimes brownish yellow when dry. The outer skins are rough, with dense, stacked, twisted longitudinal grooves, and scattered needlelike protrusions. They are hard in texture, brittle, and easily broken. There are bundles of needlelike fibers protruding from the broken section, so they are called “needle package.” The cross-sections are yellowish brown, with scattered yellow fibrous dots, and round glossy oil spots. They are fragrant, but odorous if smelled for a long time. They are slightly spicy in taste. The products better in quality are strong, crispy, brownish red, and fragrant. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and slightly bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and kidneys. Functions: Expelling wind and dampness, strengthening muscles and bones, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain; it is often used to treat rheumatic arthralgia, tendon and bone pain, stomachache, numbness of limbs, contracture of tendons and veins, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

471

472

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

473

474

H. Ye et al.

5.15 Family: Araceae 5.15.1 Lasia spinosa Chinese Name(s): le ci gu, ci ci gu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Lasia spinosa (Lasia spinosa (Linn.) Thwait.)

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

475

Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, spiny, up to 1 m tall. The stems are gray-white and terete, ca. 4 cm in diam., procumbent, with prickles; the internodes are 2–5 cm long; the roots are cylindric, fleshy, fibrous, many branched; the nodes are ring-shaped, dilated. The petioles are longer than leaves, 20–50 cm long; the leaf blades are variable, hastate when young, 6–10 cm long, 9–10 cm wide, pedately pinnatiparted when mature, 20–60 cm long, 20–60 cm wide, green adaxially, light green abaxially and sparsely prickly on vein, basally arched and short, rarely truncate; there are 2–3 lateral lobes, linear-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, tapering toward the base, divided into three parts on lowest lobes; the lobules are 15–20  cm long, 2–3  cm wide. The peduncles are 20–35  cm long, 0.75–1  cm in diam.; the spathes are 15–30 cm long; the tubes are 3–5 cm long; the limbs are about 25 cm long, spirally rotated on upper part; the spadices are cylindric, blunt, 2–3(–4) cm long, 0.75  cm in diam., yellow-green. The infructescences are 6–8  cm long, 3–3.5 cm wide. The berries are obovate, apically 4-angled, ca. 1 cm long, apically densely verrucose. The seeds are ca. 5 mm long and 3.5 mm in diam. The flowering period is in September. The fruiting period is in February of the next year. Habitat: It grows in forests or on valley wetland. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Yunnan, Guangxi, and Taiwan of China, as well as in Bangladesh, India, Burma, Thailand, Malay Peninsula, Indochina Peninsula to Indonesia, and Malaysia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are strips or obliquely cut slices, 6–8 cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, 2–6 mm thick, wrinkled, and curled. The outer skin is brown with nodules and sharp prickles. The cross-sections are reddish brown. They are tough in texture, easily breakable, and with sparse yellow and white fibers exposed on the cross-section. They are odorless and bitter and pungent in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Relieving inflammation and pain, helping digestion, and strengthening the stomach; it’s often used for treatment of chronic gastritis, dyspepsia, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as for external treatment of snakebite, lymphadenitis, and lymph node tuberculosis. Use and Dosage: 15–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

476

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

477

478

H. Ye et al.

5.16 Family: Araceae 5.16.1 Pinellia cordata Chinese Name(s): di shui zhu, xin ye ban xia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Pinellia cordata (Pinellia cordata N. E. Brown). Morphology: The plants are small perennial herbs. The tubers are globose, ovoid to oblong, 2–4 cm long, 1–1.8 cm in diam., densely with fibrous roots. There is 1 leaf; the petiole is 12–25 cm long, usually purple or green, nearly sheathless; the bulbils are present in the basal part of petiole and at apex of the petiole; the young leaves are cordate-oblong, ca. 4 cm long and 2 cm wide; the perennial leaves are cordate, cordate-triangular, cordate-oblong, or cordate to sagittate, green or dark green adaxially, light green or red-purple abaxially, apically long-acuminate, sometimes caudate, basally cordate, 6–25 cm long, 2.5–7.5 cm wide; the basal lobes are

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

479

rounded or acute, slightly extended. The inflorescences including peduncles are shorter than petioles, 3.7–18  cm long; the spathes are green, purplish yellow, or violet, 3–7 cm long; the tubes are 1.2–2 cm long, 4–7 mm in diam.; the limbs are elliptic, 1.8–4.5  cm long, apically obtuse or acute, erect or slightly incurved, 1.2–3 cm when spreading out completely; the inflorescence are spadices; the pistillate inflorescences are 1–1.2  cm long; the staminate inflorescences are 5–7  mm long; the appendixes are violet-green, 6.5–20 cm long, linear. The flowering period is from March to June. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on edge of villages, on wet grassland, or on rocks. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, and Guizhou. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, warm in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Detoxicating, relieving pain and swelling, and dissolving lumps; it’s often used for treatment of snakebite, mastitis, headache, neuralgia, stomachache, abdominal pain, lumbago, lacquer sore, allergic dermatitis, cervical lymph node tuberculosis, stomachache, and lumbago, as well as for external treatment of carbuncle, sore, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 0.3–0.6 g per dose, ground to powder and put into capsules to swallow, or 1–3 cubes of rhizome to swallow (do not chew). For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Snakebite: fresh Pinellia cordata rhizome 0.9 g, chopped, packed in capsules, and swallowed with warm water (do not chew). Meanwhile, mash fresh products and apply around the wound. 2. Headache, neuralgia, stomachache, abdominal pain, low back pain, lacquer sores, and allergic dermatitis: Pinellia cordata rhizome ground to powder, packed in capsules, and taken 0.5 g each time, 3 times a day. 3. Cervical lymph node tuberculosis and breast pain: Pinellia cordata, Begonia fimbristipula in equal amount, ground into fine powder, blended with lard, and applied externally to the affected areas. 4. Deep abscess: Pinellia cordata 1.5 g, Aconitum kusnezoffii 0.3 g, fresh Rhizoma Arisaema a half, mashed for application to the affected areas.

480

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

481

5.17 Family: Araceae 5.17.1 Pinellia pedatisecta Chinese Name(s): hu zhang, zhang ye ban xia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Pinellia pedatisecta (Pinellia pedatisecta Schott). Morphology: The tubers are subglobose, ca. 4 cm in diam., with some surrounding tubercles; the roots are dense, fleshy, 5–6 cm long. There are 1–3 or more leaves; the petioles are light green, 20–70 cm long, sheathed at in the lower part; the leaf blades are pedately divided; there are 6–11 leaflets, lanceolate, apically acuminate, basally attenuated, cuneate; the central leaflets are 15–18 cm long, about 3 cm wide, gradually shorter on both sides; the outermost ones are only 4–5 cm long; the lateral

482

H. Ye et al.

veins are in 6–7 pairs, 3–4 mm long, arching into leaf margin, connected to collective veins; the reticulate veins are inconspicuous. The peduncles are 20–50 cm long, erect; the spathes are light green; the tubes are oblong, 2–4 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diam., gradually downward constricted; the limbs are long lanceolate, apically acute, 8–15 cm long, ca. 1.5 cm wide at base; the inflorescences are spadices; the pistillate inflorescences are 1.5–3 cm long; the staminate inflorescences are 5–7 mm long; the appendixes are yellow-green, filiform, up to 10 cm long, erect or slightly sigmoid. The berries are ovoid, green to yellowish white, hidden in persistent spathe tube. The flowering period is from June to July. The fruiting period is from September to November. Habitat: It grows in forests, valleys, or dank valleys below 1000  m above sea level. Distribution: It’s distributed in Beijing and provinces of Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, warm in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Eliminating dampness and swelling, dispelling wind, and reliving convulsion; it is often used for treatment of coughing with sticky phlegm, vertigo caused by wind and phlegm, stroke, facial paralysis, hemiplegia, epilepsy, convulsion, and tetanus, as well as for external treatment of carbuncle and snakebite. The product is toxic; therefore, the dosage should be strictly controlled. Pregnant women should use it with caution. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are ground to powder and mixed with vinegar and applied to the affected areas.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

483

484

H. Ye et al.

5.18 Family: Araceae 5.18.1 Pinellia ternata Chinese Name(s): ban xia, san ye ban xia, yan zi wei, di ci gu, qiu ban xia, jian ye ban xia. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Pinellia ternata (Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit. [P. tuberifera Ten.]) Morphology: The tubers are globose, 1–2 cm in diam., with fibrous roots. There are 2–5 leaves, sometimes 1. The petioles are 15–20 cm long, basally sheathed. The bulbils are 3–5 mm in diam., present in sheath, in the proximal or middle part of the petiole, and at base of the leaf blade, germinating on mother plants or after landing on the ground. The young leaves are ovate-cordate to hastate, entire, simple, 2–3 cm long, 2–2.5 cm wide, 3-foliolate when old; the leaflets are green adaxially, greenish abaxially, oblong-elliptic or lanceolate, acute at both ends; the central leaflets are 3–10  cm long, 1–3  cm wide; the lateral leaflets are slightly shorter, entire, or obscurely shallowly undulate-serrate; the lateral veins are in 8–10 pairs, slender; the veinlets are reticulate, dense, forming a collective vein along margin. The inflorescences, including peduncles, are 25–30(–35) cm long, longer than the petioles. The spathes are green or green-white; the tubes are narrowly cylindric, 1.5–2 cm long; the limbs are rounded, green, sometimes violet on margins, 4–5 cm long, ca. 1.5 cm wide, obtuse or acute. The inflorescences are spadices; the pistillate inflorescences are 2  cm long; the staminate inflorescences are 5–7  mm long; the sterile zones between female and male flowers are about 3 mm long; the appendixes are green to purplish green, 6–10 cm long, erect or sometimes sigmoid. The berries are ovoid,

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

485

yellow-green, apically attenuated to obvious styles. The flowering period is from May to July. The fruiting period is in August. Habitat: It grows on wet fertile soil. Distribution: It’s distributed all over China except Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Tibet, as well as in North Korea and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn. After the silt is shaken off and the outer skin and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are nearly spherical or slightly skewed, 0.5–1.6 cm, white or light yellow on the surface, with sunken stem marks at the apex, and brown punctate root marks around the stem marks. The bottoms are obtuse and smooth. They are solid in texture, white on cross-sections, farinose, slightly odored, pungent and spicy in taste, tongue-numbing, and throat-pricking. The products better in quality are big, white, uniform sized, solid, and farinose. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, warm in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Drying dampness and removing phlegm, downbearing counterflow and checking vomiting, relieving distension, and dissolving lumps; it’s often used for treatment of cough with phlegm, vertigo and headache due to wind and phlegm, chest tightness and fullness, nausea, and vomiting. The fresh products are used for external treatment of boils and snakebite as well. Use and Dosage: 6–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cough, vomiting: Pinellia ternata, tangerine peel, Poria cocos each 9 g, honey-­ fried licorice root 3 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Neurogenic vomiting: Pinellia ternata, Poria cocos, ginger 9 g each, decocted in water for oral use; added with Coptis chinensis 3 g, Evodia rutaecarpa 1 g for patients with sour regurgitation; added with Ophiopogon japonicus and loquat leaf 9 g each, for patients with red tongue and little moss. 3. Acute mastitis: fresh Pinellia ternata 3–6 g, scallion 2–3, mashed, kneaded, and put in the opposite nostril of the affected breast, twice a day, half an hour each time. 4. Acute and chronic suppurative otitis media: 1 portion of fresh Pinellia ternata, ground into fine powder, added with 3 portions of white spirits or 75% ethanol, and soaked for 24 h. Take the supernatant (the lower powder is not used), wash the affected ear, and drop it into the canal, 1–2 times a day.

486

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

487

5.19 Family: Araceae 5.19.1 Pistia stratiotes Chinese Name(s): da piao, shui fu lian, shui fu ping. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Pistia stratiotes (Pistia stratiotes Linn.) Morphology: The plants are free-floating aquatic herbs. The roots are many, long, and pendulous in water; the fibrous roots are feathery and dense. The leaves cluster in rosettes; the leaf blades are varied according to the development stage, obtriangular, obovate, fan-shaped, obovate-cuneate to obovate-oblong, 1.3–10 cm long, 1.5–6 cm wide, apically truncate or rounded, pilose on both surfaces, densely pilose basally; the veins are fan-shaped, abaxially obviously raised. The spathes are white, 0.5–1.2 cm long, velutinous outside; the flowers are unisexual; the pistillate inflorescences are 1-flowered; the staminate inflorescences are 2–8-flowered in whorls; the male flowers are with 2 connate stamens which are very short; the ovaries are ovoid, obliquely adnate to axis of spadix, 1-loculed. The seeds are cylindric. The flowering period is from May to November. Habitat: It grows in ponds. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Shandong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are collected in summer when the leaves are lush. With the fibrous roots removed, they are dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The whole plants shrink into clumps and have no stems. The leaves are caespitose, when flattened; they are obovate flabellate, 3–10 cm long and 3–4 cm wide, light green to yellowish green, soft and slightly tough, pubescent

488

H. Ye et al.

on both surfaces. The veins spread flabellately from the base. There are fibrous roots in the lower part sometimes. It’s slightly odored, and salty in taste. The products with big, green leaves and without fibrous roots are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and bladder. Functions: Dispelling wind and inducing sweating, dispelling wind and relieving exterior symptoms, expelling dampness and relieving itching, promoting diuresis, and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of cold, edema, dysuria, rheumatic pain, pruritus, urticaria, and measles, as well as for external treatment of perspiration and eczema. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed for juice and applied to the affected areas, or decocted for washing the wound. Pregnant women shouldn’t take it. The root of Pistia stratiotes is poisonous; therefore, it should be removed when the medicine is taken orally. Prescription Example(s): Urticaria: Pistia stratiotes, Sesamum indicum, Gleditsia sinensis, Tribulus terrestris, Aralia chinensis, 9–15 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

489

5.20 Family: Araceae 5.20.1 Pothos chinensis Chinese Name(s): shi gan zi, teng ju. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Pothos chinensis (Pothos chinensis (Raf.) Merr.) Morphology: The plants are root-climbing lianas, up to 6 m long. The stems are woody, light brown, nearly terete, with longitudinal stripes, ca. 2 cm in diam.; the internodes are 1–4 cm long, with 1–3 cm aerial roots on node. The leaves are papery, elliptic, lanceolate-ovate to lanceolate-oblong, 6–13 cm long, 1.5–5.6 cm wide, apically acuminate to long-acuminate, mucronate, basally obtuse; the lateral veins are

490

H. Ye et al.

in 4 pairs; the lower pair veins arise from base, curved; there are many veinlets, nearly parallel; the petioles are obovate-oblong or cuneate, 1–4  cm long. The peduncles are 0.8–2  cm long; the spathes are green, ovate, about 8  mm long, 10–15 mm wide, apically acute. The spadices are greenish or yellowish, ovoid to subglobose, 7–11 mm long; the peduncles are 3–8 mm long. The berries are yellow-­ green to red, ovoid or ellipsoid, about 1 cm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are throughout the year. Habitat: It grows in forests or on rocks beside streams. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Taiwan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are collected in summer and autumn, cut into sections, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste, neutral in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis, removing food stagnation, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of traumatic injury, hepatosplenomegaly in advanced schistosomiasis, rheumatoid arthritis, infantile malnutrition, cough, fracture, otitis media, and sinusitis. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water or soaked in alcohol for oral use. Pregnant women shouldn’t take it. For external treatment, fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas or mashed for juice which is then dropped onto the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): Hepatosplenomegaly in advanced schistosomiasis: Pothos chinensis 30  g, decocted in water for oral use, 1 dose per day, 10 days as a course of treatment.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

491

492

H. Ye et al.

5.21 Family: Araceae 5.21.1 Rhaphidophora hongkongensis Chinese Name(s): shi zi wei, yan jiao teng, shui di wu gong. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Rhaphidophora hongkongensis (Rhaphidophora hongkongensis Schott). Morphology: The plants are epiphytic lianas, creeping on the ground and climbing on rocks or trees. The stems are slightly fleshy, thick, cylindric, 0.5–1 cm in diam.; the internodes are 1–4  cm long, rooting. The leaves are papery or nearly leathery, usually falcate-elliptic, sometimes oblong-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 20–35  cm long, 5–6(–14) cm wide, apically acute to long-acuminate, attenuated from middle to base, green adaxially, light green abaxially; the midribs are flat adaxially, raised abaxially, about 3 mm wide at base; the lateral veins are many, thin, oblique, diverging at 45° from midribs, arching into leaf margins; the petioles are 5–10  cm long, adaxially grooved; the lateral sheaths reach the joints, which are 4–10 mm long. The juvenile stems with leaf blade are obliquely elliptic, 4.5–9 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, apically acute, basally narrowly cuneate on one side, rounded on the other side. The inflorescences are terminal and axillary; the peduncles are cylindric, 4–5 cm long, ca. 1 cm in diam. at apex; the spathes are green to light yellow, ovate, apically acuminate, 6–9 cm long, involute when bud, caducous in flower; the spadices are cylindric, slightly narrowed upward, apically obtuse, 5–8  cm long, 1.5–3 cm in diam., pink-green or light yellow; the ovaries are hexagonal-cylindric, apically truncate, ca. 4 mm long and 2 mm wide; the stigmas are black, nearly capitate, slightly raised. The berries are yellow-green. The flowering period is from April to August; the fruiting period is mature in next year. Habitat: It grows in forests or thickets, climbing on tree trunks or rock cliffs. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China, as well as in Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Kalimantan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are dug up in autumn, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste, cool in property, and toxic. Functions: Relieving inflammation and killing pain, setting fracture and promoting granulation, dispersing lumps, cooling blood, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of splenomegaly, traumatic injury, stomachache, flatulence, bronchitis, and pertussis, as well as for external treatment of fracture, bee and insect bites, snakebites, burns, and scalds. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water or soaked in alcohol for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

493

494

H. Ye et al.

5.22 Family: Araceae 5.22.1 Rhaphidophora hookeri Chinese Name(s): mao guo shan long, da yan teng, long zui cao. Source: This medicine is made of the rattans of Rhaphidophora hookeri (Rhaphidophora hookeri Schott). Morphology: The plants are climbing lianas. The stems are cylindric, 8–12 mm in diam.; the internodes are short, 0.5–1 cm long. The leaves are papery, obliquely oblong, 27.5–45 cm long, 15–30 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally rounded or subcordate, glabrous on both surfaces; the midribs are adaxially impressed, abaxially raised and usually pubescent. The petioles are 12–30 cm long, adaxially shallowly grooved; petiolar sheath reaching to or just short of apical pulvinus. The peduncles are thick and short, 3–5  cm long, basally subtended by 1–2 ovate or ovate-lanceolate cataphylls, 3–6 cm long; the spathes are thick, green outside, yellow inside, oblong-ovate, 5–6  cm long; the spadices are sessile, obovate or oval, yellow, 4.5–5.5 cm long and 1.5–1.75 cm in diam.; the ovaries are about 6 mm long; the stigmas are oblong, yellow; the filaments are about 2 mm long; the anthers are rounded, slightly shorter than filament; there are 4 staminodes, usually around base of ovaries in the distal part of spadix, less than 1 mm long. The flowering period is from March to July; the fruiting period is from June to October. Habitat: It grows in dense forest in the valley at an altitude of 280–2200 m, mostly climbing on large trees. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor Island, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rattans are harvested all year round, sliced, and dried in the sun after removing the leaves. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and cold in property. Functions: Setting fracture and relieving swelling, activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, moistening the lungs and relieving coughing, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of traumatic injury, fracture, snakebite, carbuncle, furuncle, cough, sore throat, rheumatism, and lumbocrural pain. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

495

496

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

497

498

H. Ye et al.

5.23 Family: Araceae 5.23.1 Typhonium blumei Chinese Name(s): li tou jian, li tou qi. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Typhonium blumei (Typhonium blumei Nicols. & Sivadasan [T. divaricatum (Linn.) Decne.]) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The tubers are nearly subglobose, capitate or ellipsoid, 1–2 cm in diam., brown, with ring nodes and traces of yellow roots in the internodes; there are yellow-white fibrous roots on the neck, 1–4 cm long, with scattered verrucose bud eyes. There are 1–2 leaves of the juvenile stems, deeply cordate, ovate-cordate to hastate, 3–5 cm long, 2–4 cm wide; there are 4–8 leaves of the perennial plants, adaxially green, abaxially pale green, hastate-­triangle; the terminal lobes are ovate, 7–10 cm long, 7–9 cm wide. The petioles are 20–24 cm long, basally with 4  cm long sheath, light green, apically cylindric, green. The

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

499

Inflorescences are single, appearing alongside leaves, 9–11  cm long, light green, cylindric, ca. 2 mm in diam., erect; the spathe tubes are green, ovate, 1.6–3 cm long, 0.8–1.5 cm in diam.; the limbs are greenish purple, long-cuspidate, 12–18 cm long and ca. 6 mm in diam., spreading in flower, ovate-lanceolate, 4–5 cm wide, pendent, apically convolute, dark purple inside, green outside; the spadices are sessile; the pistillate inflorescences are conic, 1.5–3  mm long, 3–4  mm in diam.; the sterile zones are 1.7–4 cm long, proximal 7–8 mm covered with densely congested staminodes; the staminate inflorescences are 4–9 mm long, about 4 mm in diam., orange; the appendixes are dark purple, 10–13 cm long, basally obliquely truncate, obviously petiolate, ca. 4  mm in diam., tapering to sharply acute apex, nearly erect, proximally corrugate below 1/3 part, distally smooth. The male flowers are subsessile; there are 2 stamens, 2-loculed. The ovaries of female flowers are ovate, yellow; the stigmas are sessile, discoid, papillate, red. The neutral flowers are similar, linear, about 4 mm long, ascending or variously curved, yellow on both ends, basally reddish. The flowering period is from May to July. Habitat: It grows on roadsides, in gardens, on grassy slopes, or in stone crevices in villages. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India, Burma, Vietnam, Thailand to Indonesia, Timor Island, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn, and after the leaves are removed, they are sliced and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste, warm in property, and poisonous. Functions: Detoxicating, relieving swelling, dispersing lumps, and stopping bleeding; it is often used for treatment of snakebite, carbuncle, furuncle, hemangioma, lymph node tuberculosis, traumatic injury, and bleeding. Use and Dosage: For external treatment, the rhizomes are mashed for juice and applied to the affected areas. The product is poisonous and should not be taken orally. Prescription Example(s): 1. Snakebite: fresh Typhonium blumei rhizome 3–9 g, mashed and applied around the wound. 2. Carbuncle and furuncle: proper amounts of fresh Typhonium blumei rhizome, ground to powder, added with a little realgar, ground again, added with vinegar, and pounded into paste for external application. 3. Hemangioma: fresh Typhonium blumei rhizome, ground for juice with rice spirits, applied externally, 3–4 times a day. 4. Lymph node tuberculosis: proper amounts of fresh Typhonium blumei, in whole grass, ground with vinegar and glutinous rice and applied to the affected areas. Change fresh dressing 2 times a day.

500

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

501

5.24 Family: Araceae 5.24.1 Typhonium giganteum Chinese Name(s): bai fu zi, di shui shen, tian nan xing, ye yu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Typhonium giganteum (Typhonium giganteum Engl.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs; the tubers are obovoid, ovoid, or ovate-ellipsoid, unequal, 2–4 cm in diam., covered with dark brown scales outside, with many fibrous roots around the neck; there are 7–8 circular nodes. There are 1 leaf of 1–2-year-old plants and 3–4 leaves of 3–4-year-old plants. The leaves are simultaneous with inflorescences; the petioles are cylindric, about 60  cm long, densely with purple spots, membranous sheathed below the middle; the young leaves are angular involute, then spreading to hastate, 15–45  cm long, 9–25  cm wide, apically acuminate, basally hastate; the midribs are abaxially raised; the

502

H. Ye et al.

lateral veins are in 7–8 pairs, with 5–6 mm long form collective vein to margins. The peduncles are about 15 cm long; the spathes are purple; the tubes are cylindric or oblong-ovate, about 6 cm long and 3 cm in diam.; the limbs are ovate, spreading to ca. 15 cm long, apically acuminate, often recurved; the spadices are sessile, ca. 14 cm long; the pistillate inflorescences are cylindric, about 3 cm long and 1.5 cm in diam.; the sterile zones are about 3 cm long and 5 mm in diam.; the staminate inflorescences are ca. 2 cm long and 8 mm in diam.; the appendixes are purple, ca. 6 cm long and 5 mm in diam., cylindric, erect, basally sessile, apically obtuse; the male flowers are sessile; the anthers are ovoid, opening by apical pore; the female flower ovaries are cylindric, apically truncate, 2-ovuled; the stigmas are sessile, rounded. The flowering period is from June to August; the fruiting period is from July to September. Habitat: It grows near wasteland, on hillsides, and by ditches below 1500  m above sea level. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Jilin, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sichuan to southern Tibet. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Morphology: The products are ovate, elliptic, or oblong, 2–5 cm long, 1–3 cm in diameter, white to yellowish white and slightly rough on the surface, with annular lines, fibrous root marks, and stem marks or bud marks at the apex. They are hard, white on the cross-sections, and farinose. They are slightly odored, bland in taste, and tongue-pricking. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste, warm in property, and poisonous and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and liver. Functions: Expelling wind and phlegm, unblocking meridians and collaterals, detoxicating, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of stroke, phlegm, migraine, tetanus, snakebite, tuberculosis, and swelling. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the rhizomes are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

503

504

H. Ye et al.

5  Medicinal Angiosperms of Araceae

505

Chapter 6

Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae, and Amaryllidaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 6.1  F  amily: Lemnaceae 6.1.1  Lemna minor 6.2  Family: Lemnaceae 6.2.1  Spirodela polyrrhiza 6.3  Family: Sparganiaceae 6.3.1  Sparganium stoloniferum 6.4  Family: Typhaceae 6.4.1  Typha angustifolia, Typha orientalis 6.5  Family: Typhaceae 6.5.1  Typha minima 6.6  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.6.1  Allium carolinianum

                                   

508 508 511 511 513 513 519 519 522 523 527 527

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_6

507

508 6.7  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.7.1  Allium chinense, Allium macrostemon 6.8  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.8.1  Allium fistulosum 6.9  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.9.1  Allium prattii 6.10  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.10.1  Allium sativum 6.11  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.11.1  Allium sikkimense 6.12  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.12.1  Allium tuberosum 6.13  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.13.1  Allium victorialis 6.14  Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.14.1  Crinum asiaticum var. sinicum

H. Ye et al.                                                

530 530 533 534 535 535 538 538 541 541 542 542 546 546 548 548

This chapter introduces 16 species of medicinal plants in 3 families, mainly including Lemna minor, Spirodela polyrrhiza of Lemnaceae, Sparganium stoloniferum of Sparganiaceae, Typha angustifolia, Typha orientalis of Typhaceae, Typha minima, Allium carolinianum, Allium chinense, Allium macrostemon, Allium fistulosum, Allium prattii, Allium sativum, Allium sikkimense, Allium tuberosum, Allium victorialis, and Crinum asiaticum var. sinicum of Amaryllidaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

6.1 Family: Lemnaceae 6.1.1 Lemna minor Chinese Name(s): fu ping, qing ping, shui fu ping. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Lemna minor (Lemna minor Linn.). Morphology: The plants are small and free-floating on water surface. The fronds are symmetric, green on upper surface, pale yellow or green-white or usually purple on lower surface, nearly rounded, obovate or obovate-elliptic, entire, 1.5–5  mm long, 2–3 mm wide, slightly raised on the upper surface or raised along the middle line, 3-veined and obscure, abaxially with 1 pendulous-filiform root; the root is white, 3–4 cm long, apically mostly rounded, and the root sheath is not winged. The fronds have pouches on the lower surface; the new fronds are born in pouches and exserted, connected to mother frond by a thin stalk, deciduous later; there is 1 campylotropous ovule in each female flower. The fruits are not winged, nearly turbinate; the seeds are with raised endosperm and 12–15 longitudinal ribs. Habitat: It grows in paddy fields, ponds, swamps, lakes, or still waters.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

509

Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in the north and south of China, as well as in warm regions of the world. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste, warm in property, and poisonous and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and liver. Functions: Dispersing wind, inducing sweating, and promoting eruption of rash and diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of cold of wind-heat type, measles, urticaria, and edema. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are decocted for fumigating with the wounds. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cold of wind-heat type: Lemna minor 9 g, 9 g Saposhnikovia 9 g, Arctium lappa, mint, perilla leaf each 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Edema and dysuria: Lemna minor 9 g, Alisma orientale 12 g, Plantago asiatica 12 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Measles without adequate eruption: Lemna minor 6  g, decocted in water and taken instead of tea, or proper amounts of Lemna minor decocted and used for washing the chest and back and limes when hot.

510

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

511

6.2 Family: Lemnaceae 6.2.1 Spirodela polyrrhiza Chinese Name(s): zi ping, hong fu ping. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Spirodela polyrrhiza (Spirodela polyrrhiza (Linn.) Schleid. [Lemma polyrrhiza Linn.]). Morphology: The plants are small and free-floating on water surface. The fronds are flat, broadly obovate, 5–8 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, apically obtuse, green on the upper surface, purple on the lower surface; there are 5–11 palmate veins; there are 5–11 roots in the central part of lower surfaces, 3–5 cm long, white-green, apically acute, deciduous; the round new buds are born in one lateral pouch near root base, exserted from the pouch after germination, connecting to mother fronds by a slender stalk. There are two male flowers and one female flower in the spadices. Habitat: It grows in paddy fields, ponds, swamps, lakes, or still waters. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in the north and south of China, as well as in temperate and tropical regions of the world. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Morphology: The product is flat, scaly, ovate or ovate-oblong, 2–5 mm long, single or 2–3 in fascicles. The adaxial surface is light green to grayish green, with a small pit on one side, neat or slightly curly on the margins. The abaxial surface is purplish green to purplish brown with several fibrous roots. It is light, soft, and easily broken when twisted by the hand. It’s slightly odored and bland in taste. The products better in quality are green on the top and purple on the back. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and bladder. Functions: Dispelling wind, inducing sweating, and promoting eruption of rash and diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of cold of wind-heat type, measles, urticaria, and edema. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are decocted for fumigating with the wounds. Prescription Example(s): 1. Cold of wind-heat type: Spirodela polyrrhiza 9 g, 9 g Saposhnikovia 9 g, Arctium lappa, mint, perilla leaf each 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Edema and dysuria: Spirodela polyrrhiza 9 g, Alisma orientale 12 g, Plantago asiatica 12 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Measles without adequate eruption: Spirodela polyrrhiza 6 g, decocted in water and taken instead of tea, or proper amounts of Lemna minor decocted and used for washing the chest and back and limes when hot.

512

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

513

6.3 Family: Sparganiaceae 6.3.1 Sparganium stoloniferum Chinese Name(s): san leng. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Sparganium stoloniferum (Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham.) Morphology: The plants are perennial aquatic or biogenic herbs. The tubers are dilated, 2–3 times larger than stems, or thicker; the rhizomes are stout. The stems are erect, robust, 0.7–1.2  m tall, or higher, emersed. The leaf blades are (20– )40–90 cm long, 0.7–16 cm wide, with midveins, flattened in the upper part, abaxially keeled in the lower part, or trigonous, basally sheathed. The panicles are spreading, 20–60 cm long, with 3–7 lateral branches; each branch is with (1 or)7–11 male capitula and 1 or 2 female capitula; the main axis consists of 3–5 or more male capitula, without female capitula; the male capitula are spherical at anthesis, about 10 mm in diam.; the perianth segments are spatulate, membranous, apically lobate, caducous; the filaments are about 3 mm long, filiform, recurved, brown; the anthers are obconic, 1–1.2 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. The female perianth segments are 5–7 mm long and 1–1.5 mm wide in ovary base, persistent; the styles are forked or simple, about 3–4 mm long, acuminate; the styles are about 1.5 mm long; the ovaries are sessile. The fruits are 6–9 mm long, obconic, dilated on upper part, angulate, brown. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows in shallow water of lakes, rivers, and swamps. Distribution: It’s distributed in regions of northeastern China, northern China, eastern China, and southwestern China and in provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and dried in the sun. Morphology: The products are conical, slightly flat, 2–6 cm long and 2–4 cm in diameter. Their surfaces are yellow or gray, with knife-cut marks and small dots of fibrous root marks, which are slightly yellow and arranged annularly. They are solid and heavy, slightly odored, bland, and tongue-numbing in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and spleen. Functions: Breaking blood stasis and promoting Qi, eliminating accumulation, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of amenorrhea due to blood stasis, dysmenorrhea, pain caused by food accumulation, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Patients with Qi deficiency, weakness, amenorrhea caused by blood depletion, and menorrhagia and who are pregnant are prohibited from using it.

514

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

515

516

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

517

518

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

519

6.4 Family: Typhaceae 6.4.1 Typha angustifolia, Typha orientalis Chinese Name(s): pu huang, shui la zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the pollens of Typha angustifolia (Typha angustifolia Linn.) and Typha orientalis (Typha orientalis Presl.). Morphology: A. Typha angustifolia: The plants are perennial herbs, 1.5–3  m tall, with knotty and stout rhizomes. The leaves are narrowly linear, 50–120  cm long, 5–9 mm wide, acuminate, basally sheathed. The spikes are cylindric, 30–60 cm long; the male and female flowers are separated. The male flowers are in the upper part, 20–30 cm long, with 2–3 stamens; the hairs are longer than anthers. The female flowers are in the lower part, 10–30 cm long, 10–25 mm in diam. when mature; the bracteoles are shorter than the stigmas. The nutlets are oblong, with brownish spots, longitudinally cleft. The flowering and fruiting period is in summer and autumn. Habitat: It grows on the edges of water and in ponds and swamps. Distribution: It’s distributed in regions of northeastern China, northern China, and eastern China and in provinces of Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, and so on, as well as in Nepal, India, Pakistan, Japan, Russia, Europe, America, and Oceania.

520

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Typha orientalis: The plants are perennial herbs, 1.5–2 m tall, with knotty and stout rhizomes. The leaves are narrowly linear, 40–70  cm long, 5–9  mm wide, acuminate, basally sheathed. The spikes are cylindric. The male flowers are 4–6 cm long in the upper part, connected with female flowers, small, without perianth; there are 2–4 stamens, with a single pollen. The female flowers are 6–15 cm long in the lower part, without bracteoles, densely white pilose, 6–7 mm long; the stigmas are spatulate. The nutlets are about 1  mm long. The flowering period is in summer and autumn. Habitat: It grows in water or marshes. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Henan, Hebei, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang of China, as well as in the Philippines, Japan, Russia, and Oceania.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

521

522

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: In summer, the yellow tassel in the upper part of inflorescence are harvested, dried, crushed, and sieved for pollen. Morphology: The medicinal materials of Typha angustifolia and Typha orientalis are pollens, which are minute and difficult to be distinguished. The products are yellow and powdery. They are light and floating if put in water. When twisted by hand, they feel greasy and easily attached to fingers. They are slightly odored and bland in taste. The products better in quality are fine, light weighed, bright yellow in color, and greasy in feeling. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and pericardium. Functions: It functions in activating blood circulation, removing blood stasis, and relieving pain if used freshly and stopping bleeding if stir-fried before use. It is often used for treatment of hematemesis, hemoptysis, bleeding, dysentery, hematochezia, metrorrhagia, traumatic bleeding, abdominal pain, postpartum blood stasis, traumatic injury, strangury complicated with blood in the urine, leucorrhea, congenital deformity of the tongue, aphthous ulcer, and vaginal itching.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

523

Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose. The fresh products are used for removing blood stasis and relieving pain; the stir-fried products are used for stanching; and half fresh, half stir-fried products are used for stopping bleeding due to blood stasis. For external treatment, the products are ground to powder and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Abdominal pain and postpartum blood stasis (Shixiao powder): Typha angustifolia, Trogopterus dung, in equal amount, ground to fine powder and taken 3 g per dose, twice a day with yellow rice spirits or rice vinegar. 2. Functional uterine bleeding: charcoal of Typha angustifolia pollen 9  g, Rehmannia glutinosa 12 g, Platycladus orientalis leaf (stir-fried to yellow) 15 g, decocted in water for oral use.

6.5 Family: Typhaceae 6.5.1 Typha minima Chinese Name(s): xiao xiang pu, shui la zhu, shui zhu. Source: This medicine is made of the pollens of Typha minima (Typha minima Linn.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs in marshes; the rhizomes are yellow or yellow-brown, apically white. The stems are erect, 30–80 cm tall. The leaves are basal, sheathlike, 15–40 cm long, 1–2 mm wide, shorter than scapes; the leaf sheaths are membranous on margins; the auricles are 0.5 cm–1 cm long. The female part of spikes is distinctly separated from the male part; the male part of spikes is about 3–8 cm long, glabrous on axis, with 1 deciduous bract at base, 4–6 cm long, 4–6 mm wide; the female flowers are 1.6–4.5 cm long, with bracteoles; the bracteoles are distinctly wider than leaves. The male flowers are uncovered; there is 1 stamen; the anthers are about 1.5  mm long; the pollen grains are in tetrads. The female flowers have bracteoles; the stigmas of fertile female flowers are linear, about 0.5 mm long; the styles are about 0.5 mm long; the ovaries are 0.8–1 mm long, fusiform; the ovary stalks are about 4 mm long; the ovaries of sterile female flowers are 1–1.3 mm long, obconic; the hairs are white arachnoid and swollen at the tip, on the base of ovary stalk. The nutlets are ellipsoid, longitudinal; the pericarps are membranous. The seeds are yellowish brown, ellipsoid. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to August. Habitat: It grows in shallow water near ponds and ditches, and it is common in some dry wetlands and in low-lying areas. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Xinjiang, Hubei, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, etc., as well as in Pakistan, the former Soviet Union, northern Asia, Europe, and other places.

524

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: In summer, the yellow male spicae on the upper part of inflorescence are harvested, dried, crushed, and sieved for pollen. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, and pericardium. Functions: Stopping bleeding, removing blood stasis, and relieving strangury; it is often used for treatment of hematemesis, bleeding, hemoptysis, metrorrhagia, traumatic bleeding, amenorrhea, epigastric stabbing pain, swelling and pain caused by knocks and falls, strangury complicated with blood in the urine, etc. Use and Dosage: 10–20 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed for sprinkling on or applying to the affected areas.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

525

526

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

527

6.6 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.6.1 Allium carolinianum Chinese Name(s): lian ye jiu, bian cong, duo ye cong. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Allium carolinianum (Allium carolinianum DC). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The bulbs are stout, solitary or 2–3-clustered, narrowly ovoid to ovoid-cylindric, 1–2.5 cm in diam.; the tunics are brown to yellowish brown. The leaves are broadly linear, flat, smooth, falcate, 5–15 mm wide. The scapes are thick, 20–40 cm long, 2–4 mm in diam., sheathed in the lower part; the involucres are purple, 2-lobed; the umbels are globose, densely many flowered; the flowers are purplish or purple-red; the perianths are narrowly

528

H. Ye et al.

rectangular and rounded, 6–8 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide, slightly longer than the inner ones; the filaments are conic, longer than perianths; the ovaries are subglobose, with concave nectaries at base; the styles are exserted from the perianths. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to September. Habitat: It grows on gravel hillside, in forests, and on grasslands at altitudes of 2500–5000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Tibet, as well as in Russia, Afghanistan, and Nepal. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn. After the dead leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Promoting blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, stopping bleeding and relieving pain, and dispersing cold; it’s often used for treatment of cold, headache, nasal congestion, epigastric cold pain, dyspepsia, injury, fracture, blood stasis, swelling, bleeding, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

529

530

H. Ye et al.

6.7 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.7.1 Allium chinense, Allium macrostemon Chinese Name(s): xie bai, jiao tou, xie. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Allium chinense (Allium chinense G. Don) and Allium macrostemon (Allium macrostemon Bunge). Morphology: A. Allium chinense: The plants are annual herbs, with several bulbs, narrowly ovoid, (0.5–)1–2 cm in diam.; the tunics are white or reddish, membranous, entire. There are 2–5 leaves, 3–5-angled, fistulose, as long as the scapes, 1–3 mm wide. The scapes are lateral, cylindric, 20–40 cm tall, sheathed in the lower part; the involucres are 2-lobed, shorter than umbel; the umbels are nearly hemispheric, sparsely flowered; the pedicels are subequal, 1–4 times longer than the perianths, basally bracteolate; the flowers are broadly campanulate, pale purple to dull purple; the perianths are broadly elliptic to suborbicular, apically obtuse, 4–6 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, slightly shorter than the inner; the filaments are equal, about 1.5 times as long as perianth segments, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments; the inner ones are broadened at base, 1-denticulate on each side; the outer ones are subulate and toothless; the ovaries are obovoid-globose, with concave nectaries covered by hoodlike projections at base; the styles are exserted from the perianths. The flowering and fruiting periods are from October to November. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It is widely cultivated in the Yangtze River Basin and southern provinces. It originated from China and cultivated in Japan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the United States.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

531

Morphology: B. Allium macrostemon: The plants are perennial herbs. The bulbs are subglobose, 1–2 cm in diam.; the tunics are gray-black, papery. The scapes are cylindric, 30–60 cm high, covered with leaf sheaths for 1/4–1/3 its length. There are 3–5 leaves, semiterete or linear, fistulose, adaxially channeled, 15–30 cm long. The involucres are about 1/2 as long as inflorescence, persistent; the umbels are hemispheric to globose, densely many flowered, bearing bulblets and flowers or bulblets only; the pedicels are equal, 3–4 times as long as the perianths, basally bracteolate; the perianths are broadly campanulate, red to pink; the segments are 4–5 mm long, oblong to oblong-lanceolate, apically obtuse; the filaments are 1/4–1/3 longer than the perianths, basally triangular upward into a cone, connate and adnate to perianth segments; the inner ones are 1.5 times as wide as outer at base; the styles are exserted from perianth. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to July. Habitat: It grows on hillsides, on grasslands, and along field ridges. Distribution: It’s distributed in all provinces and regions of China.

532

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

533

Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are harvested in summer, cooked, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: Allium chinense: the products are slightly compressed ovate-oblong, 1–3 cm high, 3–12 mm in diameter, yellowish brown or brown, with shallow longitudinal wrinkles on the surface. They are soft in texture, with 2–3 layers of scaly leaves in the cross-sections, and sticky when chewed. Allium macrostemon: irregular ovate, 5–15 mm high, 5–18 mm in diameter, yellowish white or light yellowish brown on the surface, wrinkled, translucent, covered with white membranous scales, and with a protruding bulb disk at the bottom. It’s hard and horny, smells stinky like garlic, and tastes slightly spicy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, lungs, stomach, and large intestine. Functions: Warming the center and activating Yang, regulating Qi, and relaxing the chest; it’s often used for treatment of chest pain, chest tightness, angina pectoris, flank pain, cough, chronic bronchitis, chronic stomachache, and dysentery.

534

H. Ye et al.

Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Angina pectoris: A. Allium chinense, Sparganium stoloni, each 18 g, Paeonia lactiflora, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Carthamus tinctorius, Corydalis yanhusuo, Dalbergia odorifera each 15  g, Spatholobus suberectus 30  g, Impatiens balsamina seed 12  g, as daily dose, made into soluble preparation or extract. b. Allium chinense, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Curcuma rcenyujin, Angelica sinensis, Paeonia lactiflora, each 9 g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 30 g, raw Flos Sophorae 15 g, safflower 4.5 g, Santalum album 1.5 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Chronic bronchitis: Allium chinense, ground to powder and taken 3 g per dose, 3 times a day, with sugar.

6.8 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.8.1 Allium fistulosum Chinese Name(s): cong, da cong, cong bai. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs or whole plants of Allium fistulosum (Allium fistulosum Linn.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs. The bulbs are solitary, cylindric, rarely ovoid-cylindric, 1–2 cm in diam., sometimes up to 4.5 cm in diam; the tunics are white, rarely red-brown, membranous to thinly leathery, entire. The leaves are cylindric, fistulose, tapering toward apex, about as long as scape, thicker than 0.5 cm. The scapes are cylindric, fistulose, 30–50(–100) cm high, expanded under the middle part, narrowed toward the apex, covered with leaf sheaths for ca. 1/3 its length; the involucres are membranous, 2-lobed; the umbels are globose, many sparsely flowered; the pedicels are slender, equal or 2–3 times as long as perianth, ebracteolate; the flowers are white; the perianths are 6–8.5 mm long, nearly ovate, apically acuminate, with a reflexed point; the outer ones are rounded and slightly shorter than inner ones; the filaments are 1.5–2 times as long as perianth segments, conic, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments; the ovaries are obovate, with inconspicuous nectaries at base; the styles are slender, exserted from perianth. The flowering and fruiting periods are from April to July. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It is widely cultivated all over China. It’s distributed in temperate zone to subtropical zone. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs or whole plants are harvested all year round and used when fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Sweating, relieving exterior symptoms, activating Yang, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of cold, headache, and stuffy nose, as well as for external treatment of dysuria, carbuncle, and boil.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

535

Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed and applied to the umbilicus or affected areas.

6.9 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.9.1 Allium prattii Chinese Name(s): tai bai jiu, ye cong, ye suan, tai bai shan cong. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Allium prattii (Allium prattii C. H. Wright). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The bulbs are solitary or 2–3-­clustered, nearly cylindric; the tunics are grayish brown to blackish brown. There are 2 leaves, subopposite, linear to elliptic-oblanceolate, 0.5–4 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally gradually narrowed. The scapes are cylindric, 10–60 cm

536

H. Ye et al.

high, covered with leaf sheaths in the lower part; the umbels are hemispheric, densely many flowered; the flowers are purple-red to pale red; the inner perianth segments are lanceolate-oblong to narrowly oblong, 4–7 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide, apically obtuse or retuse; the outer perianth segments are narrowly ovate or oblong, 3.2–5.5 mm long, 1.4–2 mm wide, apically obtuse or retuse; the filaments are connate at base; the inner ones are narrowly triangular; the ovaries are 3-angled; there is 1 ovule per locule. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to September. Habitat: It grows on wet hillsides, by gullies, in shrubs, or in forests at altitudes of 2500–5000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, and Anhui, as well as in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn. After the dead leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Sweating, dispersing cold, invigorating the stomach, setting fracture, and relieving swelling; it’s often used for treatment of cold, abdominal pain, headache, nasal obstruction, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, fracture, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

537

538

H. Ye et al.

6.10 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.10.1  Allium sativum Chinese Name(s): suan, da suan. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Allium sativum (Allium sativum Linn.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs. The bulbs are globose to applanate-­ globose, usually consisting of several fleshy bulbils; the tunics are white to purple, membranous. The leaves are broadly linear to linear-lanceolate, flat, apically acuminate, shorter than the scapes, up to 2.5 cm wide. The scapes are solid, terete, up to 60 cm high, covered with leaf sheaths for ca. 1/2 its length; the beaks of involucres are 7–20 cm long, caducous; the umbel has dense bulbils and few flowers; the pedicels are slender; the bracteoles are large, ovate, membranous, apically acute; the flowers are usually pale red; the outer perianth segments are lanceolate to ovate-­ lanceolate, 3–4 mm long; the inner ones are shorter; the filaments are shorter than perianth segments, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments; the inner ones are broaden at base, 1-denticulate on each side; the teeth are apically filiform and longer than perianth segments; the outer ones are subulate; the ovaries are globose; the styles are not exserted from the perianths. The flowering period is in July. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It is cultivated in north and south of China. It originated from West Asia and Europe. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are harvested in spring and dried in ventilated place. Medicinal Properties: The products are spherical, 3–6 cm in diameter, covered with white, lavender, or purplish red membranous scales on the surface. They are slightly acute at the apex, with residual scapes in the middle and most fibrous root marks at the base. When peeled off, they can be single headed or consists of 6–16

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

539

petallike bulblets, which grow around the base of the residual flower stems. The bulbs are slightly ovate in shape, membranous on the outer skin, slightly pointed apically, and arched on one side. They are white and fleshy when peeled off. They are specially odored and spicy in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and lungs. Functions: Strengthening the stomach, stopping dysentery, relieving coughing, disinfecting, and deworming; it’s often used for prevention of influenza and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis and treatment of tuberculosis, pertussis, loss of appetite, dyspepsia, bacillary dysentery, amoebic dysentery, enteritis, pinworm disease, and hookworm disease, as well as for external treatment of trichomonas vaginalis and acute appendicitis. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Prevention of influenza: Allium sativum mashed for juice, added with 10 times of water, dropped into nostrils. 2. Prevention of epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis: a. Allium sativum (peeled) 5 g, (decrease the dosage to half for children under 15 years old), once a day, taken with meals, for 3 days. b. Allium sativum 15 g, mashed, added with 40 ml of water, soaked, then added with 10% sugar, and taken in two times for 5 days. 3. Pertussis: purple Allium sativum 30 g, mashed, added with 1 small bowl of cold water, and soaked for 5–6 hours. Take out the extract, add an appropriate amount of sugar, and take half a spoonful for children under 3 years old and one spoonful for children between 3 and 5 years old, three times a day. 4. Bacillary dysentery and amoebic dysentery: Allium sativum 9–15 g, mashed and taken with white sugar or made into garlic syrup and taken 5–20 ml each time, or 5% garlic solution used for retention enema. 5. Acute appendicitis: Allium sativum 12 g, mirabilite, rhubarb powder each 60 g, vinegar in proper amount. Peel and wash the Allium sativum and mash it with mirabilite into paste. Apply vinegar on the aching areas, then apply the medicine, and surround it with gauze to prevent the outflow of the medicine, remove it after 2 hours, wash it with warm water, and then apply rhubarb powder mixed with vinegar for 12 hours. 6. Pinworm disease: Allium sativum 90  g, mashed, soaked in cold water for 24 hours, filtered for the juice, and used 20–30 ml for retention enema every night before going to bed, 7 days as a course of treatment.

540

H. Ye et al.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

541

6.11 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.11.1 Allium sikkimense Chinese Name(s): gao shan jiu. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Allium sikkimense (Allium sikkimense). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The bulbs are clustered, cylindric, 3–5 mm in diam.; the tunics are dark brown, fibrous. The leaves are narrowly linear, flat, shorter than the scapes, 2–5 mm wide. The scapes are cylindric, 15–40 cm tall, covered with leaf sheaths in the lower part; the involucres are 1-valved, deciduous; the umbels are hemispheric, densely many flowered; the pedicels are subequal, as long as the perianths or shorter, basally ebracteolate; the flowers are campanulate, blue; the perianth segments are ovate to ovate-oblong, 6–10 mm long, 3–4.5 mm wide; the inner ones are usually 1-denticulate to many irregularly remotely denticulate on margins, longer and wider than outer ones; the filaments are equal, connate and adnate to perianth segments for about 1 mm, broadened at base; the ovaries are subglobose, with concave nectaries covered by short and hoodlike projections at base; the styles are shorter than or subequal to the ovaries. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to September. Habitat: It grows on hillside grasslands, on forest edges, or in shrubs at altitudes of 2500–5000 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Ningxia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan, as well as in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn. After the dead leaves are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispersing cold, relieving exterior symptoms, strengthening the stomach, and setting fracture; it’s often used for treatment of cold, abdominal pain, headache, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

542

H. Ye et al.

6.12 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.12.1 Allium tuberosum Chinese Name(s): jiu cai zi, jiu, qi yang cao, lan ren cai, chang sheng jiu, zhuang yang cao, bian cai. Source: This medicine is made of the seeds of Allium tuberosum (Allium tuberosum Rottl.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, with oblique and procumbent rhizomes. The bulbs are clustered, nearly cylindric; the tunics are dull yellow to yellowish brown, fibrous, reticulate to subreticulate. The leaves are linear, flat, solid,

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

543

shorter than the scapes, 1.5–8 mm wide, smooth on margins. The scapes are cylindric, usually 2-angled, 25–60 cm high, covered with leaf sheaths at lower part; the involucres are valved in one side, or 2- or 3-valved, persistent; the umbels are hemispheric to subglobose, sparsely many flowered; the pedicels are subequal, 2–4 times longer than the perianths, bracteolate and several covered with a common bract at base; the flowers are white; the perianth segments usually have green or yellow-­ green midvein; the inner ones are oblong-obovate, rarely oblong-ovate, apically obtuse or mucronate, 4–7(–8)mm long, 2.1–3.5 mm wide; the outer ones are usually narrowed, oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, apically mucronate, 4–7(–8) mm long, 1.8–3 mm wide; the filaments are equal, 2/3–4/5 as long as perianth segments, connate at base and adnate to perianth segments; the connate parts are 0.5–1 mm high; the separate parts are narrowly triangular; the inner ones are slightly wider; the ovaries are obconical-globose, 3-angled, minutely tuberculate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to September. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It’s widely cultivated all over China. It originated from Southeast Asia. Acquisition and Processing: The seeds are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are semicircular or semi-ovate, slightly flat, 2–4 mm long and 1.5–3 mm wide, black on the surface. They are protuberant on one side, rough, with fine and dense reticular wrinkles, and slightly concave on the other side, with unobvious wrinkles. The apexes are obtuse; the bases are slightly pointed, and the hilum is punctate. The products are hard in texture, specially odored, and pungent in taste and belong to the meridians of the liver and kidneys. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and sweet in taste and warm in property. Functions: Tonifying kidneys and Yang and strengthening essence; it’s often used for treatment of impotence, enuresis, frequent urination, and leucorrhea. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Spermatorrhea due to kidney deficiency and waist and knee weakness: Allium tuberosum seed, Cuscuta chinensis seed, astragalus, wolfberry each 9 g, Psoralea corylifolia 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Dysphagia and nausea (including esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, dysphagia, vomiting after eating, or chest pain): Allium tuberosum seed washed and pound for juice. Take a spoonful of this juice each time and put it into half a cup of milk. After boiling, swallow it slowly while it’s warm for several times a day. 3. Scleroderma neonatorum: Allium tuberosum 60  g, rice spirits 60  g. Chop the Allium tuberosum and stir-fry it hot, mix it with rice spirits, wrap it in the gauze, and rub the affected part with it, 10–15 minutes each time, once a day, 3–7 days as a course of treatment. 4. Bleeding and swelling of injury and bruise: Allium tuberosum or Allium tuberosum root, mashed and applied to the affected areas.

544

H. Ye et al.

5. Postpartum hemorrhage, coma, and unconsciousness: a handful of Allium tuberosum, a large bowl of vinegar; cut the Allium tuberosum into pieces and put them into a large teapot, boil the vinegar, pour it into the teapot, aim the mouth of the teapot at the patient’s nostrils, and smoke the nose, so as to make the patient wake up. 6. Limbs muscle injury, joint sprain, or contusion with local swelling and pain or even cyanosis but no fracture and skin damage: proper amount of Allium tuberosum is mashed and applied to the affected area, once a day. 7. Night sweats due to Yin deficiency: Allium tuberosum root 60  g, decocted in water for oral use.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

545

546

H. Ye et al.

6.13 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.13.1 Allium victorialis Chinese Name(s): ge cong, han cong, shan cong, lu er cong, ge cong, tian jiu. Source: This medicine is made of the bulbs of Allium victorialis (Allium victorialis Linn.) Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The bulbs are solitary or 2–3-­clustered, nearly cylindric; the tunics are grayish brown to blackish brown, fibrous, obviously reticulate. There are 2–3 leaves, oblanceolate-elliptic to elliptic, 8–20 cm long, 3–9.5 cm wide, basally cuneate, slightly decurrent into petiole, apically acute or acuminate; the petioles are 1/5–1/2 the length of leaves. The scapes are cylindric, 25–80 cm high, covered with leaf sheaths for 1/4–1/2 its length; the involucres are 2-valved, persistent; the umbels are globose, densely flowered; the pedicels are subequal, 2–4 times the length of perianth, elongated when fruiting, basally ebracteolate; the flowers are white or greenish, very rarely tinged with red; the inner ones are elliptic-ovate, (4.5–)5–6 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, apically obtuse, usually denticulate; the outer ones are narrow and short, navicular, 4–5 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, apically obtuse; the filaments are 1/4–1 times longer than perianth, basally connate and adnate to perianth; the inner ones are narrowly triangular, 1–1.5 mm wide at base; the outer ones are subulate, more narrowed than inner ones at base; the ovaries are 3-angled, basally constricted into a short stipe which is about 1 mm; the ovule is 1 per locule. The flowering period is from June to July; the fruiting period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows on wet hillsides, in mountain forests, and in meadows by forests and shrubs. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, and Hubei, as well as in North Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, eastern Siberia and Far East, Europe, and North America. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in spring and autumn. After the fibrous roots and silt are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and slightly warm in property. Functions: Stopping bleeding, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of blood stasis, bleeding, traumatic injury, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, stomach disease, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

547

548

H. Ye et al.

6.14 Family: Amaryllidaceae 6.14.1 Crinum asiaticum Linn. var. sinicum Chinese Name(s): wen shu lan, shi ba xue shi, wen zhu lan. Source: This medicine is made of the leaves and bulks of Crinum asiaticum Linn. var. sinicum (Crinum asiaticum Linn. var. sinicum (Roxb. ex Herb.) Baker). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, stout, up to 1.3 m tall. The bulbs are long-cylindric. There are 20–30 leaves, many-seriate, linear-lanceolate, up to 1 m long, 7–12 cm wide or wider, apically acuminate, sharply pointed, undulate on margins, dark green. The flowering stems are erect, almost as long as the leaves. The umbels are 10–24-flowered; the involucre-like spathes are lanceolate, 6–10  cm long, membranous; the bracteoles are narrowly linear, 3–7 cm long; the pedicels are 0.5–2.5  cm long; the perianths are salverform, aromatic; the tubes are slender, straight, ca. 10 cm long, 1.5–2 cm in diam., greenish white; the perianth lobes are linear, 4.5–9 cm long, 6–9 cm wide, apically tapering, white; the stamens are reddish; the anthers are linear, apically acuminate, ca. 1.5 cm or longer; the ovaries are fusiform, less than 2 cm long. The capsules are subglobose, 3–5 cm in diam., usually 1-seeded. The flowering period is in summer. Habitat: It is often found in coastal areas or on riverside sands.

6  Medicinal Angiosperms of Lemnaceae, Sparganiaceae, Typhaceae…

549

Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Guangxi, and other provinces and regions of China. Acquisition and Processing: The leaves and bulks are harvested all year round, used freshly, or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste, cool in property, and a little toxic. Functions: Activating blood circulation, removing stasis and swellings, and relieving pain; it is often used for the treatment of pharyngolaryngitis, injuries due to falls, furuncles, and carbuncles, as well as snakebites. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): Closed fractures and soft tissue injury: Crinum asiaticum Linn. var. sinicum, Emilia sonchifolia, Platycladus orientalis, Breynia fruticosa, Artemisia lactiflora, Wikstroemia indica in equal amounts, mashed, added with a little flour, mashed with a chick (with the viscera removed), stir-fried with alcohol, and mixed for external application. Notes: The whole plant is poisonous, especially the bulb; therefore, it should be taken cautiously. The poisoning symptoms are abdominal pain, firstly constipation and then severe diarrhea, increased pulse rate, irregular breathing, and rise in body temperature. To rescue: gastric lavage may be operated in early stage; take strong tea or tannic acid; pay special attention to shock; or use rice vinegar 120 g and ginger juice 60 g, gargled for mild case and taken orally for severe cases.

550

H. Ye et al.

Chapter 7

Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae, Palmae, Pandanaceae, and Hypoxidaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 7.1  F  amily: Iridaceae 7.1.1  Crocus sativus 7.2  Family: Iridaceae 7.2.1  Belamcanda chinensis 7.3  Family: Iridaceae 7.3.1  Iris bulleyana 7.4  Family: Iridaceae 7.4.1  Iris tectorum 7.5  Family: Iridaceae 7.5.1  Iris tenuifolia 7.6  Family: Stemonaceae 7.6.1  Stemona parviflora

                                   

553 553 556 556 561 561 564 564 566 566 568 568

The original version of the chapter has been revised. A correction to this chapter can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_11 H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021, corrected publication 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_7

551

552 7.7  F  amily: Stemonaceae 7.7.1  Stemona japonica, Stemona sessilifolia, Stemona tuberosa 7.8  Family:Dioscoreaceae 7.8.1  Dioscorea alata 7.9  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.9.1  Dioscorea bulbifera 7.10  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.10.1  Dioscorea cirrhosa 7.11  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.11.1  Dioscorea futschauensis 7.12  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.12.1  Dioscorea japonica 7.13  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.13.1  Dioscorea nipponica 7.14  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.14.1  Dioscorea opposita 7.15  Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.15.1  Dioscorea simulans 7.16  Family: Agavaceae 7.16.1  Dracaena cambodiana 7.17  Family: Palmae 7.17.1  Areca catechu 7.18  Family: Palmae 7.18.1  Livistona chinensis 7.19  Family: Palmae 7.19.1  Trachycarpus fortunei 7.20  Family: Pandanaceae 7.20.1  Pandanus tectorius 7.21  Family: Hypoxidaceae 7.21.1  Curculigo orchioides

H. Ye et al.                                                                                          

570 570 579 579 581 581 586 586 589 589 592 592 595 595 598 598 603 603 605 605 608 608 611 611 613 613 615 615 619 619

This chapter introduces 23 species of medicinal plants in 7 families, mainly including Crocus sativus, Belamcanda chinensis, Iris bulleyana, Iris tectorum, and Iris tenuifolia of Iridaceae; Stemona parviflora, Stemona japonica, Stemona sessilifolia, and Stemona tuberosa of Stemonaceae; Dioscorea alata, Dioscorea bulbifera, Dioscorea cirrhosa, Dioscorea futschauensis, Dioscorea japonica, Dioscorea nipponica, Dioscorea opposita, and Dioscorea simulans of Dioscoreaceae; Dracaena cambodiana of Agavaceae; Areca catechu, Livistona chinensis, and Trachycarpus fortunei of Palmae; Pandanus tectorius of Pandanaceae; and Curculigo orchioides of Hypoxidaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines for each plant.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

553

7.1 Family: Iridaceae 7.1.1 Crocus sativus Chinese Name(s): fan hong hua, zang hong hua, xi hong hua. Source: This medicine is made of the upper parts of style and stigmas of Crocus sativus (Crocus sativus Linn.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The bulbs are depressed globose, different in size, 0.5–10  cm in diam., covered with brown membranous scales, 2–14-clustered; there are 2–13 leaves per cluster; there are 3–5 broad scales at base, dark, linear, 15–35 cm long, 2–4 mm wide, reflexed on margins, finely hairy. The flowers are terminal; there are 6 perianth segments, obovate, purple; there are 3 stamens; the anthers are basally hastate; the ovaries are inferior, 3-loculed; the styles are slender, yellow; there are 3 stigmas, funnel-shaped, exserted from perianth tubes and pendulous, dark red. The capsules are oblong, 3-angled. The seeds are numerous, globose. The flowering period is from October to November. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It is cultivated in Beijing, Shanghai, and provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, etc. It originated from southern Europe. Acquisition and Processing: The flowers are harvested in the morning on a sunny day from September to October and dried over fire after the stigmas are removed, which produces “dry safflower.” If processed further, the products become oily and lustrous and are called “wet safflower.” The quality of dried safflower is better. It should be stored in a cool and dry place and kept in a sealed place. Medicinal Properties: The products are linear, three-branched, about 3 cm long, dark red, wider and compressed in the upper part, irregularly dentate on the upper margins; there is a short crack on the inner side, and sometimes a small section of yellow style remains at the lower end. They are light in weight, soft in texture, lackluster, brittle, and easily broken after drying. They have a special odor, which is slightly irritating and they are slightly bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, unblocking collaterals, cooling blood and detoxicating, relieving depression, and calming the nerves; it is often used for treatment of amenorrhea, postpartum blood stasis, epidemic heat syndrome with macules, depression, palpitation, and madness. Use and Dosage: 1–3  g per dose, decocted in water or brew in hot water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. All kinds of stuffiness and lumps: styles of one Crocus sativus flower, taken with soup. Do not take oil, meat, and salt during the treatment. It’s better to take light porridge.

554

H. Ye et al.

2. Hematemesis (no matter deficiency or excess syndromes, or meridian tropism): styles of one Crocus sativus flower, a cup of alcohol. Put the styles into the alcohol and stew them in a pot to take.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

555

556

H. Ye et al.

7.2 Family: Iridaceae 7.2.1 Belamcanda chinensis Chinese Name(s): she gan, she gan yuan wei. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis (Belamcanda chinensis (Linn.) DC.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are irregular, massive, yellow or yellow-brown. The stems are 1–1.5  m tall, solid. The leaves are alternate, sword-shaped, 20–60 cm long, 2–4 cm wide, basally sheathed-­amplexicaul, apically acuminate. The inflorescences are terminal, branched; there are many flowers clustered at the apex of each branch; the pedicels are slender, about 1.5 cm long; the peduncles and rachises are covered with membranous bracts; the bracts are lanceolate or ovate; the flowers are reddish orange, with scattered purple-brown spots, 4–5  cm in diam.; there are 6 perianth segments, arranged in 2-seriate; the outer perianth segments are obovate or elliptic, about 2.5 cm long, about 1 cm wide, apically obtuse or slightly emarginate, the inner ones are slightly shorter and narrower than the outer ones; there are 3 stamens, 1.8–2 cm long; the anthers are linear, dehiscent outward; the filaments are subcylindric; the styles are slightly flat in the upper part, apically 3-lobed, slightly revolute on margins; the ovaries are inferior, obovate, 3-loculed, with axile placentation and numerous ovules. The capsules are obovate or oblong, 2.5–3 cm long, 1.5–2.5 cm in diam., apically beakless, with persistent withered perianths. The seeds are rounded, black-purple, shiny, about 5  mm in diam. The flowering period is from July to August; the fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on dry hillsides, in meadow grasslands and sunny grasslands, etc.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

557

Distribution: It’s distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet of China, as well as in North Korea, Russia (Far East), Japan, India, and Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in spring and summer. After the fibrous roots and silt are removed, they are washed, dried in the sun, and sliced for storage or used when fresh. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular and nodular, 3–10 cm long, 1–2 cm in diameter, yellowish brown, brown or dark brown on the surface, wrinkled, and with dense annular lines. There are several discoid concave stem marks on the top, occasionally residual stem bases, and residual fibrous roots and root marks at the bottom. They are hard in texture, yellow on the cross-sections, and granular. They are slightly odored, bitter, and slightly pungent in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, cold in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, eliminating phlegm, and relieving sore throat; it’s often used for treatment of sore throat, cough and asthma with phlegm, phlegm and saliva obstruction, acute tonsillitis, mumps, painful swollen gums, constipation, amenorrhea, knocks and falls, and dermatitis in paddy fields. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. It is not suitable for patients without repletion fire or with loose stool due to spleen deficiency to use. Pregnant women should not take it. Prescription Example(s): 1. Sore throat: Belamcanda chinensis 15  g, decocted in water for oral use; Belamcanda chinensis, Euchresta japonica, 10 g each, Platycodon grandiflorus, Lonicera japonica, Scrophularia ningpoensis 15 g each, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Paddy field dermatitis: Belamcanda chinensis 0.75  kg, added with 13  kg of water, decocted for 1 hour, added with 200 g of salt, keep the liquid at temperature of 30–40 oC, and applied to the affected areas. 3. Hepatic coma: Belamcanda chinensis, Polygonum cuspidatum 25 g each, 3 pig gallbladders, alcohol 200 g. The former two medicines decocted in water, then added with pig bile, and then mixed with alcohol. Take 1 dose four times a day by gavage. 4. Mumps: fresh Belamcanda chinensis root 15–25 g, decocted in water and taken two times after meals.

558

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

559

560

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

561

7.3 Family: Iridaceae 7.3.1 Iris bulleyana Chinese Name(s): xi nan yuan wei, kong jing yuan wei. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Iris bulleyana (Iris bulleyana Dykes). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are thick, oblique, with dense nodes. The leaves are basal, linear, 15–45  cm long, 0.5–1  cm wide, basally sheathed, reddish. The flower stems are hollow, smooth, 20–35  cm high, 4–6 mm in diam., with 2–3 cauline leaves; there are a few red-purple sheath leaves around the base; there are 2–3 bracts, slightly reddish brown on margins, 1–2-­flowered inside; the flowers are blue, 6.5–7.5 cm in diam.; the perianth tubes are trigonous-columnar, 1–1.2 cm long; the outer perianth segments are obovate, 4.5–5 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, with blue-purple spots and markings in the center; the inner perianth segments are straight, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, about 4 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, bluish violet; the style branches are lamellate, dark violet; the ovaries are green, obtusely triangular, about 2 cm long. The capsules are 3-angled and cylindric, 4–5.5 cm long, 1.5–1.8 cm in diam. The flowering period is from June to July; the fruiting period is from August to October. Habitat: It grows on hillside grasslands or wetlands by streams at altitudes of 2300–3500 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in autumn. After the dead leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, chopped, and used when fresh or dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and bitter in taste, cold in property, and toxic. Functions: Dissolving accumulations, drastically removing blood stasis, regulating metabolism of body fluids, and detoxicating; it is used for treatment of food stagnation, fullness, accumulation and lump in the abdomen causing distension and pain, swelling and toxin, hemorrhoids and fistula, injury caused by knocks and falls, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

562

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

563

564

H. Ye et al.

7.4 Family: Iridaceae 7.4.1 Iris tectorum Chinese Name(s): chuan she gan, lan hu die, tu zhi mu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Iris tectorum (Iris tectorum Maxim.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, basally surrounded by sheath and fiber. The rhizomes are stout, dichotomous, about 1  cm in diam. The leaves are basal, broadly sword-shaped, 15–50 cm long, 1.5–3.5 cm wide, basally sheathed. The flower stems are 20–40 cm tall, with 1–2 short lateral branches at apex, 1- or 2-leaved below the middle; the spathes are lanceolate or oblong, 5–7.5  cm long, 2–2.5 cm wide, 1–2-flowered; the flowers are bluish violet, about 10 cm in diam.; the perianth tubes are slender, up to 3 cm long, apically inflated to trumpet-shaped; the style branches are flat, pale bluish violet, about 3.5  cm long; the ovaries are cylindric, 1.8–2  cm long. The capsules are ellipsoid or obovoid, 4.5–6  cm long, 2–2.5 cm in diam., 3-valved form apex to base when mature; the seeds are black-­ brown. The flowering period is from April to May; the fruiting period is from June to August. Habitat: It grows on sunny slopes, along forest margins, and in waterfront wetlands. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested all year round. After the dead leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular strips or conical, slightly compressed, branched, 3–10 cm long, 1–2.5 cm in diameter, grayish yellow or brown on the surface, with annular lines and longitudinal grooves. There are also residual fibrous root pits or punctate raised fibrous root marks. They are brittle and easily broken, yellowish white, or yellowish brown in sections. They are slightly odored, sweet, and bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, neutral in property, and toxic and belongs to the meridian of lungs. Functions: Promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, dispelling wind and dampness, and detoxifying and eliminating accumulation; it is often used to treat swelling of the throat, sore throat, distension caused by food stagnation, malaria, carbuncle, furuncle, bleeding due to external injuries, etc. Use and Dosage: 6–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

565

566

H. Ye et al.

7.5 Family: Iridaceae 7.5.1 Iris tenuifolia Chinese Name(s): xi ye yuan wei, lao niu zhuai, xi ye ma lin, si ye ma lin. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Iris tenuifolia (Iris tenuifolia Pall.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, dense, 10–35 cm tall, with reddish brown or yellow-brown persistent sheaths; the rhizomes are stubby, dark brown; the roots are tough, slender, few-branched. The leaves are basal; the leaf blades are slender to filiform, tough, 20–70 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide; the midveins are obscure. The flower stems are 10–20 cm long, with degenerated sheathlike leaves. There are 4 bracts, lanceolate, 5–10 cm long, 2–3-flowered; the pedicels are slender, 3–4 mm long; the flowers are blue-purple, about 7 cm in diam.; there are 6 perianth lobes, 4.5–5.5 cm long, slender-tubular; there are 3 stamens; the ovaries are inferior; the styles are 3-branched, petaloid, apically 2-lobed; the ovaries are thinly cylindric, 0.7–1.2  cm long and 2  mm in diam. The capsules are ovoid, 3.5–4.5  cm long, 1.2–1.8 cm in diam. The flowering period is from April to May. The fruiting period is from August to September. Habitat: It grows on dunes, gravels, grasslands, or hillsides. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Tibet, as well as in Russia, Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Turkey. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn, washed, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cool in property.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

567

Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of sore throat, jaundice due to dampness and heat, dysuria, hematemesis, bleeding, and metrorrhagia. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, decocted in water or made into pills and powder for oral use.

568

H. Ye et al.

7.6 Family: Stemonaceae 7.6.1 Stemona parviflora Chinese Name(s): xi hua bai bu, xiao hua bai bu, pi zhen ye bai bu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Stemona parviflora (Stemona parviflora C. H. Wright). Morphology: The plants are vines. The root tubers are fleshy, long fusiform, up to 9  cm long. The stems are 40–70  cm long, many branched, climbing, basally woody. The branches are finely tough, longitudinally ribbed. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, 5–9.5 cm long, 0.6–4.5 cm wide, apically long acuminate, minutely undulate on margins, adaxially bright green, abaxially pale green; there are 5 main veins, basal, subparallel, abaxially raised; the transverse veins are thin, dense, parallel, abaxially obscure; the petioles are slender, 1–1.2 cm long, sometimes curved. The racemes are axillary, with ca. 4 mm long peduncles, 2–6-flowered; the pedicels are slender, about 5 mm long, articulate in the middle; the bracts are small, subulate;

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

569

the flowers are purplish red; the perianths are broadly ovate-lanceolate, ca. 1 cm long and 3 mm wide, apically acute, 7–9-veined; the stamens are slightly shorter than perianth; the filaments are thinly short; the anthers are small, ca. 2 mm long; the styles are sessile; the ovaries are ovoid, ca. 1.5 mm long and 1 mm wide, with 3 erect ovules. The flowering period is from April to May. Habitat: It grows in hillside thickets. Distribution: It’s only distributed in Hainan province. It is cultivated in Guangdong province. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste and slightly warm in property. Functions: Warming and moistening the lungs, directing Qi downward and relieving cough, and killing parasites; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, chronic cough, and pertussis. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

570

H. Ye et al.

7.7 Family: Stemonaceae 7.7.1 Stemona japonica, Stemona sessilifolia, Stemona tuberosa Chinese Name(s): bai bu, da bai bu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Stemona japonica (Stemona japonica (Bl.) Miq.), Stemona sessilifolia (Stemona sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq.), and Stemona tuberosa (Stemona tuberosa Lour.). Morphology: A. Stemona japonica: The roots are fleshy, clustered, usually oblong and fusiform, 1–1.5  cm thick. The stems are up to 1  m long, often few-­ branched, erect in the lower part, climbing in the upper part. There are 2–4(–5) leaves, whorled, papery or thinly leathery, ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or ovate-oblong, 4–10 cm long, 1.5–4.5 cm wide, apically acuminate or acute, slightly undulate on margins, basally rounded or truncate, rarely shallowly cordate or cuneate; there are 5 main veins, sometimes up to 9 vines; the transverse veins are thin, dense, and parallel; the petioles are slender, 1–4 cm long. The flowers are solitary or several arranged into cymes; the peduncles are slender, 0.5–4 cm long; the bracts are linear-­ lanceolate, about 3  mm long; the perianths are pale green, lanceolate, 1–1.5  cm long, 2–3 mm wide, apically acuminate, basally broad, 5–9-veined; the stamens are purplish red. The capsules are ovoid, flat, reddish brown, 1–1.4 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, apically acute, 2-valved when mature. The seeds are ovoid, slightly flat, about 6 mm long, 3–4 mm wide, dark purple-brown, longitudinally channeled. The flowering period is from May to July; the fruiting period is from July to October. Habitat: It grows on hillside grasslands, by roadside, and in forests at altitudes of 200–400 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi and other places. It is cultivated in Japan.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

571

572

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Stemona sessilifolia: The plants are subshrubs. The tuberous roots are fusiform, about 1 cm thick. The stems are erect, 30–60 cm high, unbranched, longitudinally ribbed. The leaves are thinly leathery, ovate-elliptic or ovate-­ lanceolate, 3.5–6 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide, apically acute or shortly acute, basally cuneate, shortly petiolate or subsessile; there are 3–4 (rarely 5 or 2) leaves in whorls. The flowers are solitary, axillary, usually in scale axils at the base of stem; the scales are lanceolate, about 8 mm long; the pedicels are spreading outward, about 1 cm long, articulate near or above the middle; the flowers are obliquely spreading upward or erect; the perianths are 1–1.5 cm long, 2–3 mm wide, pale green; the stamens are purplish red; the filaments are short; the anthers are about 3.5  mm long; the tip appendages are equal or slightly short than anthers. The ovaries are triangular-ovate. There are several seeds in capsules. The flowering period is from March to May; the fruiting period is from June to July. Habitat: It grows in forests. It is also cultivated in medicine gardens. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, and Henan and other places. It is cultivated in Japan.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

573

574

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: C. Stemona tuberosa: The plants are perennial climbing herbs. The tuberous roots are usually fusiform, up to 30  cm long. The stems are often branched, climbing, woody at lower part; the branches are longitudinally channeled. The leaves are opposite or whorled, rarely alternate, ovate-lanceolate, ovate or broadly ovate, 6–24 cm long, 5–17 cm wide, apically acuminate to shortly acute, basally cordate, slightly undulate on margins, papery or thinly leathery; the petioles are 3–10 cm long. The flowers are solitary or 2–3 arranged into a raceme, axillary, or sometimes appressed on petiole; the peduncles or pedicels are 2.5–5 cm long; the bracts are small, lanceolate, 5–10 mm long; the perianths are yellowish green, with purplish veins, 3.5–7.5 cm long, 7–10 mm wide, apically acute; the inner perianths are slightly wider than the outer ones, 7–10-veined; the stamens are purplish red, slightly shorter or equal to the perianths; the filaments are stout, about 5 mm long; the anthers are ca. 14 mm long, with subulate appendages at apex; the ovaries are small, ovate; the styles are nearly absent. The capsules are smooth, with many seeds. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows in hillside forests and by roadsides and streams. Distribution: It’s distributed all over the south of the Yangtze River Basin, as well as in Indochina Peninsula, the Philippines, and India.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

575

576

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

577

578

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in spring and autumn. After the aboveground parts and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, scalded in boiling water until there are no white cores, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: Stemona japonica: More than 10 rhizomes cluster on the short root heads. The products are usually single, fusiform or strip-type, slightly curved, 8–24  cm long, attenuated on both ends, dilated in the middle which are 0.8–2 cm in diameter, grayish yellow to brownish yellow on the surface, with longitudinal grooves and wrinkles. They are lightly solid, fleshy, and slightly sugary. The cross-sections are yellowish white or pale brown, slightly transparent; the center pillars are larger, and the piths are white. They are slightly odored, slightly sweet, and bitter in taste. Stemona sessilifolia: The products are fusiform, slender on the upper end, shrunk and curved, 5–12 cm in length and 0.5–1 cm in diameter, yellowish white or light brownish yellow on the surface, with irregular deep longitudinal grooves and sometimes horizontal lines. They are brittle, easily broken; the cross-sections are flat, horny, light yellowish brown or yellowish white; the cortexes are broad and the center pillar is compressed. They are slightly odored, sweet, and bitter in taste. Stemona tuberosa: The products are slightly narrower at both ends, with irregular folds and horizontal lines on the surface. They are slightly odored, slightly sweet, and bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste, slightly warm in property, and a little toxic and belongs to meridian of lungs. Functions: Moistening the lungs, relieving cough, killing parasites, and reducing itching; it’s often used for treatment of chronic bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, pertussis, amoebic dysentery, hookworm disease, ascaris lumbricoides, pinworm disease, pruritus of the skin, eczema, and dermatitis; it’s also used for killing lice and maggots. Use and Dosage: 3–9  g per dose. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are decocted in water and soaked in alcohol for washing the affected areas, or ground to powder and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Chronic tracheitis: A. Stemona japonica, Ephedrae Herba, almond in equal amount, ground to powder, added with honey, and made into pills, each weighing 6 g. Take 1 pill each time (2 pills for severe cases), 3 times a day, 10 days as a course of treatment. b. Stemona japonica 500 g, Schisandra chinensis and dried ginger 120  g, Ephedrae Herba 60  g, honey 150  g. The former four herbs are decocted in water and added with honey to make an extract. Take 1 teaspoon each time, 3 times a day. 2. Tuberculous cavity: Stemona japonica, Bletilla striata, Manis shell, oyster, raw oyster, Aster tataricus in equal amounts, ground into powder and taken 3 g each time, twice a day. 3. Pertussis: A. Stemona japonica, Trichosanthes kirilowii seed, Ophiopogon japonicus each 9 g, Scutellaria baicalensis, Citrus reticulata 6 g each, decocted in water for oral use b. Stemona japonica 15 g, Leucas zeylanica, Tadehagi tri-

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

579

quetrum, Plantago depressa, Microcos paniculata leaf, 30  g each, Centipeda minima 9 g (decocted later), all fresh. Wash and chop the medicine, add 2 bowls of water, and decoct until half a bowl left. Take the medicine twice, one dose daily. (The effect would be enhanced by pricking the Sifeng acupoint and making the yellow liquid flow out.) 4. Amoebic dysentery: Stemona japonica 3–9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 5. Hookworm disease: fresh Stemona japonica 90  g, decocted repeatedly for 4 times, added with appropriate amount of sugar, concentrated to 30 ml, and taken 15 ml each time, once a day for 2 days. 6. Pinworm: Stemona japonica 150 g, Melia toosendan 60 g, Prunus mume 9 g, added with 800 ml of water and decocted to 400 ml. Use 20–30 ml for enema before going to bed every night.

7.8 Family:Dioscoreaceae 7.8.1 Dioscorea alata Chinese Name(s): shen shu, da shu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea alata (Dioscorea alata Linn.). Morphology: The plants are herbaceous vine. The wild tubers are long-­cylindric; the tubers are variable in cultivation, long-cylindric, conic, globose, oblate, or many branched; the cork of globose or conic tubers are usually brown or purplish black, and the cross-sections are purplish white; the other tuber cork is brown or grayish yellow, and the cross-sections are white. The stems are twining to the right, glabrous, usually with 4 narrow wings, sometimes prickly at the base. The leaves are simple, alternate in the lower part of stem, opposite above the middle; the leaf blades are green or purplish red, papery, ovate, 6–15(–20) cm long, 4–13 cm wide, apically shortly acuminate or caudate, basally cordate, sagittate to deeply cordate, glabrous; the petioles are green or purplish red, 4–15 cm long; the bulblets are axillary, variable in shape, globose, ovoid or obovoid, sometimes flat. The plants are dioecious. The male inflorescences are spikes, 1.5–4 cm long, usually 2- to more clustered or solitary on rachis into a panicle; the rachises are obviously zigzagged; the outer perianths are broadly ovate, 1.5–2 mm long; the inner ones are obovate; there are 6 stamens. The female inflorescences are spikes, solitary or 2–3 together in axil; the outer perianths are broadly ovate; the inner ones are obovate-oblong, small and thick; there are 6 staminodes. The capsules are not reflexed, oblate, sometimes obcordate, 1.5–2.5 cm long, 2.5–4.5 cm wide; the seeds are inserted near the middle of capsule, surrounded by membranous wings. The flowering period is from November to January of the next year; the fruiting period is from December to January of the next year. Habitat: It is cultivated or grows in the wild.

580

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It is cultivated in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet and other provinces and regions of China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and slightly pungent in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Strengthening the spleen and relieving diarrhea, supplementing the spleen and lungs, astringing essence, and reducing swelling and pain; it’s often used for treatment of diarrhea caused by deficiency of the spleen, emission due to the kidney deficiency and morbid leucorrhea, frequent urination, cough due to asthenia of the viscera, thirst, ulcers, burns, and scalds. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

581

7.9 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.9.1 Dioscorea bulbifera Chinese Name(s): huang du, huang yao zi, ling yu shu, jin xian diao xia mo. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea bulbifera (Dioscorea bulbifera Linn.). Morphology: The plants are twining herbaceous vines. The tubers are ovoid or pear-shaped, 4–10  cm in diam., usually solitary, extracted from apexes of tubers borne last year, sparsely branched; the corks are brown and black, with dense fibrous roots. The stems are twining to the left, pale green with reddish purple, glabrous. The bulblets are purplish brown, globose or ovoid in axils, variable in size, up to 300  g in weight, with orbicular spots. The leaves are alternate, simple; the leaf blades are broadly ovate or ovate, 15(–26) cm long, 2–14(–26) cm wide, apically

582

H. Ye et al.

caudate-acuminate, entire or slightly undulate on margins, glabrous on both surfaces. The male inflorescences are spikes, drooping, clustered in leaf axils, sometimes branched in a cone; the male flowers are solitary, dense, basally with 2 ovate bracts; the perianths are lanceolate, purple; there are 6 stamens, inserted at the base of the perianths; the filaments are nearly as long as the anthers. The female inflorescences are similar to male ones, usually 2 or more together in leaf axils, 20–50 cm long; there are 6 staminodes, only 1/4 the length of perianth lobes. The capsules are reflexed or drooping, oblong-globose, 1.5–3 cm long, 0.5–1.5 cm wide, rounded on both ends, yellow when mature, densely purplish dotted, glabrous. The seeds are dark brown, ovoid, usually inserted near apexes of capsules. The wings of seeds are brown, pointing toward the capsule base, oblong. The flowering period is from July to October; the fruiting period is from August to November. Habitat: It grows in valleys, in gullies, or on forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in Japan, North Korea, India, Burma, Oceania, and Africa. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in late summer to early autumn, washed, sliced when fresh, and dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: The products are round or ovate thick slices, 2–7 cm in diameter and 0.5–1.5  cm in thickness, dark brown on the outer skin, with deep wrinkles, densely covered with grayish-white punctate fibrous root marks, sometimes with residual short fibrous roots. The cross-sections are light yellow to yellowish brown, densely covered with orange-yellow pockmarks. They are hard and brittle, easily broken, yellow white on sections, and farinose. They are slightly odored and bitter in taste. The products better in quality are even in thickness, yellow, and bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, cool in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridians of the liver and heart. Functions: Detoxicating and relieving swelling, dissolving phlegm and dissipating lumps, and cooling blood to stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of goiter, lymph node tuberculosis, sore throat, hematemesis, hemoptysis, pertussis, and cancer, as well as for external treatment of sore. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed, or ground for juice to be applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Goiter: Dioscorea bulbifera 200 g, soaked in 1000 ml of liquor for 1 week, then remove the residue and store it. Take 100 ml 3–4 times daily. 2. Chronic tracheitis: Compound Huangdu injection, 2  ml per dose, once a day, intramuscular injected, 10 days as a course of treatment. The treatment could be repeated after interval of 3–5 days. 3. Esophageal cancer and cardiac cancer: Kang Ai B pill (tablet), Dioscorea bulbifera 60 g, Paris polyphylla 60 g, Euchresta japonica 120 g, Patrinia scabiosaefolia 120  g, Cortex Dictamni 120  g, Prunella vulgaris 120  g, ground into powder, added with honey, and made into pills, each pill weighing 6 g. Take1–2

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

583

pills each time, twice a day with warm water. Kang Ai B tablet, 0.5 g per tablet, take 3–4 tablets each time, 3 times a day, with warm water.

584

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

585

586

H. Ye et al.

7.10 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.10.1 Dioscorea cirrhosa Chinese Name(s): shu liang, shan zhu shu, hong hai er. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea cirrhosa (Dioscorea cirrhosa Lour.). Morphology: The plants are vines, stout, up to 20 m long. The tubers are globose, ovoid or oblong; the cork is dark brown, lumpy; the transverse sections are red, purplish black when dry, up to 20 cm long. The stems are green, glabrous, twining to the right, branched, prickly at base. The leaves are simple, alternate basally on stem, opposite distally on stem; the leaf blades are leathery or subleathery, oblong-ovate to ovate, or ovate-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 5–20  cm long, 2–14 cm wide, apically acuminate or cuspidate, basally rounded, sometimes triangular lobed, entire on margins, glabrous on both surfaces, dark green adaxially, pale green abaxially; there are 3 or 5 basal veins; the reticulate veins are prominent; the petioles are 2–6  cm long. The plants are dioecious. The male inflorescences are spikes, 2–10 cm long, usually arranged in panicles, 2–14 cm long or longer, sometimes axillary; the outer perianths are broadly ovate or ovate, about 2 mm long; the inner perianths are obovate, small; there are 6 stamens, slightly shorter than perianths. The female inflorescences are spikes, solitary in leaf axil, up to 12 cm long; the outer ones are ovate, thick, and larger than the inner ones. The capsules are not reflexed, nearly oblate, 1.8–3.5 cm long, 2.5–5.5 cm wide. The seeds are inserted near the middle of capsules, winged all around. The flowering period is from April to June, and the fruiting period is from July to January of the next year. Habitat: It grows in valleys, sparse forests, or thickets. Distribution: It’s distributed in southwestern China, southern China, central China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Fujian, Zhejiang, and other provinces of China. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular round or ovate oblong sheets, 1.5–10 cm in diameter and 0.2–0.7 cm in thickness, dark brown or brown on the surface, rough and uneven, with prominent fibrous root residue. The cross-sections are dark red or brown-red, with most yellow spots or stripes. The texture is solid; the cross-sections are mostly granular, showing dark red and yellow staggered patterns; and some can see bright stars. The taste is astringent and bitter. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and pungent in taste, cool in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridians of the liver and heart. Functions: Detoxicating and relieving swelling, dissolving phlegm and dissipating lumps, and cooling blood to stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of goiter, lymph node tuberculosis, sore throat, hematemesis, hemoptysis, pertussis, and cancer, as well as for external treatment of sore. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s):

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

587

1. Functional uterine bleeding, postpartum hemorrhage, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and hemoptysis: A. Dioscorea cirrhosa 500 g, water 5000 ml, decocted to 2500 ml and taken 20 ml each time, 3 times a day. b. Dioscorea cirrhosa tablets, 4 tablets per dose, 3 times a day. 2. Dysentery: A. Dioscorea cirrhosa 9 g, decocted in water for oral use, or ground to powder and taken 0.5–1.2  g, 3 times a day. b. Dioscorea cirrhosa 9  g and Sanguisorba officinalis 9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Burn: Dioscorea cirrhosa, cut into slices, dried in the sun, ground into fine powder, mixed with Vaseline to make 20% ointment, pasted into gauze, and stored. Apply a layer of ointment gauze to the wound surface, and then apply disinfectant gauze to bandage it.

588

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

589

7.11 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.11.1 Dioscorea futschauensis Chinese Name(s): mian bi xie, hou gu cao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea futschauensis (Dioscorea futschauensis Uline ex R. Knuth). Morphology: The plants are twining herbaceous vines. The rhizomes are horizontal and irregularly long-cylindric, and the cork is yellow-brown. The stems are twining to the left, glabrous. The leaves are alternate and simple, slightly leathery, palmately obtusely 7-lobed at the base of stem, variable in size; the leaf blades are basally deeply cordate, ovate-triangular above stem, undulate or entire on margins, apically acuminate, sparsely white hispidulous along veins on both surfaces; the reticulate veins are adaxially prominent. The flowers are unisexual, dioecious. The male inflorescences are racemose, usually branched into panicles, solitary or 2- to 3-clustered in leaf axils, pedunculate; the perianths are orange-yellow, black after drying, 4 to 5 mm long, connected at base, apically 6-lobed; the lobes are ovate; there are 6 stamens, sometimes only 3 developed, inserted at base of perianth tubes, sometimes with staminodes. The female inflorescences are similar to male ones; the perianths are 6-lobed, and the staminodes are sterile anthers or only filaments. The capsules are triangular, 1.5–1.8 cm long, 1–1.2 cm wide; the wings are semicircular. The seeds are oblate, 4–5  mm in diam., inserted near the middle of capsule, membranous-­winged all round. The flowering period is from June to July; the fruiting period is from July to October. Habitat: It often grows in creeks, on hillsides, and in bushes. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Guangxi.

590

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular slices or fragments, irregular on edges, different in sizes, 1–3 mm thick. The outer skin is yellowish brown to yellowish brown with sparse fibrous root bases and conical protuberances. They are loose, slightly spongy; the cross-sections are grayish white to light grayish brown, with punctate yellowish-brown vascular bundles scattered. They are slightly odored and slightly bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of kidneys and the stomach. Functions: Dispelling wind, relieving arthralgia, and removing dampness and turbidity; it is often used for treatment of gonorrhea, leucorrhea, rheumatic arthralgia, joint disadvantages, and waist and knee pain. Use and Dosage: 9–18 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

591

592

H. Ye et al.

7.12 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.12.1 Dioscorea japonica Chinese Name(s): ri ben shu yu, ye shan yao. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea japonica (Dioscorea japonica Thunb.). Morphology: The plants are twining herbaceous vines. The tubers are long-­ cylindric, vertical, about 3 cm in diam.; the cork is brownish yellow, rugose when dry; the transverse sections are white or sometimes yellow-white. The stems are green, sometimes purplish red, twining to the right. The leaves are simple, alternate basally on stem, opposite distally on stem; the leaf blades are papery, very variable in shape, usually triangular-lanceolate, narrowly oblong-triangular to long ovate, sometimes linear-lanceolate to lanceolate distally on stem, broadly ovate basally on stem, 3–11(–19) cm long, (1-)2-5(-18) cm wide, apically long acuminate to acute, basally cordate to sagittate or hastate, sometimes truncate or rounded, entire, glabrous on both surfaces; the petioles are 1.5–6 cm long; there are different sizes and shapes of bulbils in leaf axils. The plants are dioecious. The male inflorescences are spikes, 2–8 cm long, nearly erect, 2 to several or solitary in leaf axils; the male flowers are green-white or pale yellow; the perianths are purple spotted; the outer ones are broadly ovate, about 1.5 mm long; the inner ones are ovate, smaller than outer; there are 6 stamens. The female inflorescences are spikes, 6–20  cm long, 1 to 3 together in leaf axils; the perianths are ovate or broadly ovate; there are 6 staminodes, opposite to perianth. The capsules are not reflexed, 1.5–2(–2.5) cm long, 1.5–3(–4) cm wide; the seeds are inserted near the middle of capsules, winged all round. The flowering period is from May to October; the fruiting period is from July to November. Habitat: It grows in forests or shrubs on sunny hillsides. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Japan and North Korea. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Invigorating the spleen and lungs, tonifying the stomach and kidneys, consolidating essence, supplementing the five organs, and strengthening muscles and bones; it’s often used for treatment of deficiency of the spleen and stomach, Qi deficiency, dyspepsia, chronic diarrhea, spermatorrhea, enuresis, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–18 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

593

594

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

595

7.13 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.13.1 Dioscorea nipponica Chinese Name(s): chuan shan long, chuan di long. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea nipponica (Dioscorea nipponica Makino.). Morphology: The plants are twining herbaceous vines. The rhizomes are horizontal, cylindric. The stems are twining to the left, up to 5 m long. The leaves are alternate, simple; the petioles are 10–20  cm long; the leaf blades are palmately cordate, 10–15 cm long at base, 9–13 cm wide, undulate to prominently obtusely denticulate or lobed on margins, small distally on stem, subentire; the leaves are

596

H. Ye et al.

yellow-green, shiny, glabrous or sparsely white pubescent, especially along veins. The plants are dioecious. The male inflorescences are axillary spikes, usually in cymules or umbellules of 2–4 at base, solitary; the bracts are lanceolate, apically acuminate, shorter than the perianths which are saucer-shaped, 6-lobed; the lobes are apically obtuse; there are 6 stamens, inserted in the middle of perianth lobes; the anthers are introrse. The female inflorescences are spikes, solitary; there are staminodes on female flowers, sometimes only filiform; the stigmas are 3-lobed, and the lobes are 2-lobed again. The capsules are yellow, trigonous, apically shallowly emarginate, basally subrounded; the wings are unequal, generally ca. 2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; the seeds are 2 per locule, sometimes only 1 fertile, inserted near base of capsule, surrounded by unequally membranous wings, apically rectangular, about 2 times longer than width. The flowering period is from June to July; the fruiting period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows along edge of forests and in shrub and valley. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Henan, Jiangxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai, as well as in North Korea, Russia’s Far East, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in spring and autumn. After the fibrous roots and silt are removed, they are cut into sections, washed, and used when fresh or dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical, slightly curved, 15–20 cm long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter, white or brownish yellow on the surface, with irregular longitudinal grooves, spiny residual roots and protruding stem marks on one side. The products are hard in texture, flat on the cross-sections, white or yellowish white, scattered with light brown vascular bundle dots. They are slightly odored, bitter, and astringent in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and sweet in taste, neutral in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridians of the liver, kidneys, and lungs. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, relaxing muscles and activating blood circulation, resolving phlegm, relieving asthma, and relieving blood stasis; it can be used to treat wind cold dampness, relieve coughing and asthma, promote digestion and diuresis, kill pain, and prevent malaria. It’s often used for treatment of rheumatic arthritis, numbness of muscles and bones, chronic tracheitis, dyspepsia, strain and sprain, acute lumbar sprain, fatigue and weakness, malaria, carbuncle, sore, cough and asthma with phlegm, Kashin-Beck disease, knocks and falls, etc. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Rheumatic fever and rheumatic joint pain: Dioscorea nipponica 15 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Rheumatoid arthritis: Dioscorea nipponica 100  g, liquor 0.5  kg, soaked for 7 days, take 10–15 ml each time, 2–3 times a day.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

597

3. Lumbocrural pain and numbness: fresh Dioscorea nipponica rhizome 100 g, a pot of water, decocted for 5–6 times, added with brown sugar to reinforce the effect (folk prescription from the northeast).

598

H. Ye et al.

7.14 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.14.1 Dioscorea opposita Chinese Name(s): shan yao, huai shan. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea opposita (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.). Morphology: The plants are twining herbaceous vines. The tubers are cylindric, vertical, up to 1 m long; the cross-sections are white when dry. The stems are usually purplish red, twining to the right, glabrous. The leaves are basally alternate on stem, distally opposite on stem, rarely in whorls of 3, very variable in shape, ovate-­ triangular to broadly ovate or sagittate, 3–9(–16) cm long, 2–7(–14) cm wide,

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

599

apically acuminate, basally deeply cordate, broadly cordate or subtruncate, often 3-lobed to deeply 3-lobed on margins; the middle lobes are ovate-elliptic to lanceolate; the lateral lobes are auriculate, rounded, subrectangular to oblong; the juvenile leaves are broadly ovate or ovate, basally deeply cordate. There are often bulbils in leaf axils. It is dioecious. The male inflorescences are spikes, 2–8 cm long, nearly erect, 2 to 8 together in leaf axils, sometimes arranged in a panicle; the rachises are obviously zigzagged; the bracts and perianths are purplish brown dotted; the outer ones are broadly ovate; the inner ones are ovate; there are 6 stamens. The female inflorescences are spikes, 1 to 3 together in leaf axils. The capsules are not reflexed, oblate or globose, 1.2–2 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, pruinose; the seeds are inserted near the middle of capsule, membranous winged all round. The flowering period is from June to September; the fruiting period is from July to November. Habitat: It grows on forest edges or in shrubs and in valleys. Distribution: It’s cultivated or grows wild all over China, as well as in North Korea and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in winter. With the skin scraped off, they are rinsed with water, fumigated with sulfur for 2–3 days to make them soft, and then dried thoroughly in the sun, which is called “mao shan yao.” The rhizomes plump, straight, and even in thickness are dried in the sun to 60%, rubbed round with board, the two ends removed, and then dried thoroughly in the sun, which is called “guang shan yao.” Medicinal Properties: “mao shan yao”: the products are irregular columnar, 15–30 cm in length, 1.5–5 cm in diameter, yellowish white on the outside. They are firm in texture; the cross-sections are white, farinose, and granular. The products are odorless, sweet and slightly sour in taste, sticky when chewed. The products better in quality are strong and heavy, farinose on sections, white colored, and without residual root barks. “guang shan yao”: the products are cylindrical, 10–20  cm long, 1.5–4  cm in diameter, flat on both ends, yellow-white or slightly brown on the outside, smooth and round. They are solid and heavy in quality; the cross-sections are white, farinose, and slightly granular. The products better in quality are uniform in thickness, smooth and round, strong, heavy, and white colored. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Functions: Invigorating the spleen and stopping diarrhea, promoting secretion of body fluid and benefiting the lungs, tonifying the kidneys, and astringing essence; it is often used for treatment of chronic diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, chronic enteritis, cough due to lung deficiency, chronic nephritis, diabetes, spermatorrhea, enuresis, leucorrhea, frequent urination, and thirst due to heat deficiency. Use and Dosage: 10–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency: Dioscorea opposita, Codonopsis pilosula, each 12 g, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos each 9 g, medicated leaven 6 g, decocted in water for oral use.

600

H. Ye et al.

2. Infantile diarrhea (watery diarrhea): Dioscorea opposita, Atractylodes macrocephala 9  g each, talcum powder, plantain 3  g each, licorice 1.5  g, decocted in water. 3. Diabetes: Dioscorea opposita, Trichosanthes root, Adenophora stricta each 15 g, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Schisandra chinensis each 9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 4. Deficiency of the spleen and stomach and anorexia: Dioscorea opposita, Atractylodes macrocephala 30 g, ginseng 1 g, ground to powder, boiled with the flour paste, and made into pills in the size of adzuki bean. Take 30 pills each time, with rice soup before meals. 5. Asthma with phlegm: fresh Dioscorea opposita mashed to half a bowl, added with half a bowl of sugarcane juice, mixed well, and taken when warm.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

601

602

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

603

7.15 Family: Dioscoreaceae 7.15.1 Dioscorea simulans Chinese Name(s): ma chang shu yu. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Dioscorea simulans (Dioscorea simulans Prain et Burkill). Morphology: The plants are twining herbaceous vines. The rhizomes are horizontal, long-cylindric, irregularly branched; the cork is black-brown, rough. The stems are twining to the left, slender, hard, longitudinally grooved, sometimes purplish, glabrous. The leaves are smooth and glabrous on both surfaces; the reticulate veins are abaxially prominent. The leaves are simple to 3-foliolate, with three types; the first type of leaf blades is simple from base to apex, cordate or triangular-ovate; the second type of leaf blades is simple at the base of stems, 3–5-lobed to 3–5-divided above the middle; the third type of leaf blades is 3-lobed to 3-foliolate from the base of stem to the apex, and the middle leaflets and divided leaves are lanceolate, 5–16 cm long, 1.5–5 cm wide, basally attenuated and rounded, apically acute; the lateral leaflets are basally slightly oblique, ovate, smaller than middle ones. The flowers are unisexual, dioecious. The male inflorescences are spicate or racemose, sometimes branched, 1–4 together in axillary; the male flowers are solitary or 2–4-clustered, sparsely arranged in inflorescence axis; the perianths are purple, basally connected with short tube, apically 6-lobed; the lobes are long ovate, spreading at anthesis; there are 6 stamens, inserted at base of perianth; the filaments are short; the anthers are alternately larger and smaller, often gathered into bottle-­ shaped at anthesis; the female inflorescences are similar to the male ones. The capsules are apically slightly emarginate or truncate, basally attenuated; the wings are nearly semicircular, 1–1.5 cm long, 0.5–1 cm wide, dark brown when mature, shiny. The flowering period is from May to August; the fruiting period is from July to October. Habitat: It grows on shrubbery hillsides below 600 m above sea level. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, sliced, and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste, slightly cold in property, and toxic. Functions: Detoxicating, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving swelling; it is often used for treatment of carbuncles, nameless swelling and poison, and injuries caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Pregnant women should not use it.

604

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

605

7.16 Family: Agavaceae 7.16.1 Dracaena cambodiana Chinese Name(s): xue jie, hai nan long xue shu, xiao hua long xue shu. Source: This medicine is made of the extracts of Dracaena cambodiana (Dracaena cambodiana Pierre ex Gagnep.), chopped and extracted with ethanol. Morphology: The plants are treelike, 3–5 m high. The stems are unbranched or branched; the barks are grayish brown; the young shoots have densely ring-shaped cicatricle. The leaves are crowded at the tip of stems and branches, sword-shaped, thinly leathery, up to 70 cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, basally slightly attenuated, then inflated, amplexicaul, sessile. The panicles are more than 30 cm long; the inflorescence axises are glabrous or subglabrous; the flowers are in clusters of 3–7, greenish white or pale yellow; the pedicels are 5–7 mm long; the internodes are inserted in the upper part about 1/3; the perianths are 6–7 mm long, about 1/4–1/5 length of lower part connected into short tubes; the filaments are flat, about 0.5 mm wide, not

606

H. Ye et al.

reddish brown tuberculate; the anthers are about 1.2 mm long; the styles are slightly shorter than ovaries. The berries are about 1 cm in diam. The flowering period is from July to August. Habitat: It grows on limestone mountains. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hainan, Guangxi, and Yunnan, as well as in Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Burma. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round, chopped, and extracted using ethanol. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and salty in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, relieving pain and stopping bleeding, astringing ulcer, and promoting granulation; it is often used for treatment injury, pain, bleeding due to blood stasis, epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia, hemorrhoids, stagnation of Qi and blood in women, traumatic bleeding, and chronic ulcer. Use and Dosage: 0.9–2.4 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

607

608

H. Ye et al.

7.17 Family: Palmae 7.17.1 Areca catechu Chinese Name(s): bing lang, bing lang zi. Source: This medicine is made of the kernels of Areca catechu (Areca catechu Linn.). Morphology: The stems are erect, treelike, up to 30 m tall, with conspicuous ring-shaped cicatricle. The leaves are crowded at apex of stems, 1.3–2 m long; the pinnae are numerous, glabrous on both surfaces, narrowly lanceolate, 30–60  cm long, 2.5–4 cm wide; the upper pinnae are connected, apically irregularly denticulate. The inflorescences are monoecious, branched; the rachises are strongly compressed, recurved, 25–30  cm long, slender on upper part; the male flowers are alternate and distichous on rachillae; the female flowers are solitary at base of branches. The male flowers are small, sessile, often solitary, rarely paired; the sepals are ovate, less than 1 mm long; the petals are oblong, 4–6 mm long; there are 6 stamens; the filaments are short; there are 3 pistillodes, linear. The female flowers are larger; the sepals are ovate; the petals are subrounded, 1.2–1.5 cm long; there are 6 staminodes, connate; the ovaries are oblong. The fruits are oblong or ovoid, 3–5 cm long, orange-yellow; the mesocarps are thick, fibrous. The seeds are ovate, basally truncate; the endosperms are ruminate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from March to April. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: Originating from Malaysia, it’s cultivated in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Taiwan of China. Acquisition and Processing: The ripe fruits are harvested from June to July, exposed to the sun for 2–3 days, put on a special stove, baked with slow fire for about 7 days, turned every day or every other day to make them evenly heated, and then break the shell to get the seeds. Medicinal Properties: The products are conic or oblate, 1.5–3.5  cm high, 2–3 cm in diameter at the base, conical at the top, slightly concave in the center of the bottom, with scar like hila. They are light brown or yellowish brown on the surface, rough, and with obvious concave grooves. They are hard and not easily broken; in the cross-sections, there are marbling pattern of alternate arranged brown seed coat and white endosperm. They are odorless, astringent, and slightly bitter in taste. The products better in quality are big, heavy, solid, with no vacuole and rot. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter, pungent, and astringent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and large intestine. Functions: Killing parasites and eliminating accumulation, lowering and activating circulation of Qi, and preventing attack of malaria; it is often used for treatment of taeniasis, ascaris lumbricoides, gingerbread disease, abdominal pain due to worm accumulation, diarrhea due to stagnation, tenesmus, beriberi, and malaria. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

609

Notes: A. Areca flower is also used as medicine to strengthen the stomach and quench thirst. B.  The immature fruits of Areca catechu are boiled thoroughly in boiling water and baked with slow fire, which is called “lan gan.” Among them, the round and big ones are called “lang ying,” which have the same medicinal effect as mature fruits; the small ones with slightly irregular surface are called “lang ruan,” which are mainly used as a subsidiary food, but medicine. And the “lang ying” peeled are called “zao bing rou,” which is also used as medicine and has the same efficacy with mature fruits C. The dried peel of this product is called the “da fu pi.” It is pungent in taste and slightly warm in nature and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, large intestine, and small intestine. It functions in clearing heat and detoxicating, relieving swelling, and promoting diuresis. D.  The peel of Areca flower is soaked in water for 7 days or more, and then it is taken out and loosened with a wooden stick to remove the epidermis. It is called “da fu mao,” which has the same function as “da fu pi.”

610

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

611

7.18 Family: Palmae 7.18.1 Livistona chinensis Chinese Name(s): pu kui zi, kui shu zi. Source: This medicine is made of the seeds of Livistona chinensis (Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R. Br.). Morphology: The plants are treelike, 5–20 m high, 20–30 cm in diam., often basally inflated. The leaves are broadly kidney-shaped, up to 1  m in diam., palmately deeply divided; the lobes are linear-lanceolate, 4–4.5 cm wide at base, apically long acuminate, regularly deeply 2-divided to 50-mm-long pendulous segments, green on both surfaces; the petioles are 1–2 m long, with yellowish green when fresh or pale brown when dry, recurved spines on both sides of lower part. The inflorescences are panicles, thick, about 1 m long. There are 6–7 spathes on peduncle, about 6-branched, up to 35 cm long; there is one spathe at base of each branch; the inflorescences are two or three times branched; the rachillae are 10–20 cm long. The flowers are small, hermaphroditic, about 2 mm long; the calyxes are divided near the base forming 3 broadly triangular lobes, broadly scarious on margins; the corollas are about 2 times longer than the calyxes and divided to 3 ovate lobes in the middle; there are 6 stamens, basally cupulate and adnate to base of corolla; the filaments are slightly thick, broadly triangular; the anthers are broadly elliptic. The fruits are ellipsoid, 1.8–2.2 cm long, 1–1.2 cm in diam., dark brown. The seeds are ellipsoid, ca. 1.5 cm long and 9 mm in diam. The flowering and fruiting periods are in April. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in southern China, as well as in Indochina Peninsula. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and seeds are harvested in autumn and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are ovate or elliptic in shape, 15–20 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter, smooth, brown on the surface. There are marks of fruit stalks exfoliated or short fruit stalks on one end. They are solid in quality, with a white kernel separated from the shell. The hila are on one side, brown-black and nearly withered. They are odorless and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and astringent in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach, spleen, and liver. Functions: The products are often used for treatment of esophageal cancer, choriocarcinoma, malignant hydatidiform mole, and leukemia. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Choriocarcinoma, malignant hydatidiform mole, and lung metastasis: Livistona chinensis, Akebia trifoliata, Scutellaria barbata, Cudrania cochinchinensis 60  g each, decocted with 6 bowls of water until 1 bowl left and taken orally. The dregs are decocted again, 10 days as a course of treatment, or combined with chemotherapy.

612

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

613

7.19 Family: Palmae 7.19.1 Trachycarpus fortunei Chinese Name(s): zong lv, bing lv, zong shu. Source: This medicine is made of the petioles and sheaths of Trachycarpus fortunei (Trachycarpus fortunei (Hook. f.) H. Wendl.). Morphology: The plants are trees, up to 15 m. The leaves are clustered at apex of stems, usually forming a dense crown, 50–70 cm in diam., palmately divided to base; the lobes are linear or slightly lanceolate, 1.5–3  cm wide, thickly leathery, apically 2-lobed; the petiole margins often are finely dentate; the leaf sheaths are fibrous. The spadices are conic; the male inflorescence branches are dense and short; the branches of female inflorescences are sparse and long; the spathes are tubular, brownish red; the flowers are small, unisexual, yellowish white; the male flowers are often densely clustered in inflorescence branches; the sepals are broadly ovate, basally connate; the petals are subrounded; there are 6 stamens, inserted at base of petals. The female flowers are solitary or paired on inflorescence branches; the sepals are broadly ovate or subrounded; there are 3 carpels, with long hairs. The drupes are globose, reniform, ca. 8 mm long, bluish black. The flowering period is in April and the fruiting period is from October to December. Habitat: It’s cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions south of the Yangtze River in China, as well as in India, Burma, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The petioles and sheaths are harvested in winter when the fruits are mature and dried in the sun after removing the impurities.

614

H. Ye et al.

Medicinal Properties: The products are long strips, narrow and thick at one end, wide and slightly thin at the other and various in size. The surfaces are reddish brown, rough, with longitudinal straight wrinkles. There are obvious protruding fibers on one side, and most brown hairs on both sides of the fibers. The products are hard and tough and not easily broken, and their cross-sections are fibrous. They are slightly odored and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter and astringent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, lungs, and large intestine. Functions: Astringing and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of epistaxis, hematemesis, hematuria, hematochezia, functional uterine bleeding, leucorrhea, and dysentery. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Clinical diagnose and symptoms: functional uterine bleeding  – Trachycarpus fortunei charcoal 6  g, carbonized hair 6  g, lotus leaf 30  g, decocted in water for oral use.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

615

7.20 Family: Pandanaceae 7.20.1 Pandanus tectorius Chinese Name(s): lu dou gen, zhu na ju, jia bo luo, shan bo luo. Source: This medicine is made of the roots of Pandanus tectorius (Pandanus tectorius Sol.). Morphology: The plants are shrubs or small trees, 2–4 high. The stems often have aerial roots. The leaves are terminally clustered, leathery, linear-ensiform, up to 1  m long, 3–5  cm wide, apically abruptly long acuminate, spinose-serrate on margins and midveins abaxially. The flowers are dioecious, fragrant, without perianths, forming a spadix about 50 cm long; the male inflorescences are numerous;

616

H. Ye et al.

the stamens are racemosely fasciculate; the female inflorescences are capitate, apically solitary on apex of branches, globose; the spathes are numerous, white, 15–30 cm long, 1.4–2.5 cm wide, densely serrate on margins; 5–12 fused obconic carpels connate together; the ovaries are superior, 5–12-loculed, ovule being 1 per locule. The syncarps are capitate, composed of 50–80 drupes, red; the drupes are apically slightly protruded; the persistent stigmas are papillate or auricular. The flowering period is from January to May. Habitat: It grows in sandy beach or is grown as hedge. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan, as well as in tropical Asia and Australia. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and stems are harvested all year round. After the leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, beat with mallet, cut into sections (sliced for the stems), and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are long strips, slightly curved, and often cracked due to flat processing. They are 30–50 cm long and 1–3 cm in diameter. The surfaces are grayish yellow, with longitudinal wrinkles and concave small pores, the epidermises are thin and separated, easily peeled off; the phloems are ramie-like fine fibers, which are grayish brown; the xylems are hard, grayish white, often separated from the phloem; they are tough, not easily broken, sweet, and light in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet, bland, and slightly astringent in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver and kidneys. Functions: Inducing perspiration, clearing heat and detoxicating, promoting diuresis, and resolving phlegm; it’s often used for treatment of cold, fever, nephritis, edema, muscle pain, urinary tract infection, urinary calculi, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, ascites, summer fever in children, and conjunctivitis. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Nephritis edema: Pandanus tectorius root 30–60 g, appropriate amount of lean pork, decocted in water and taken 1 dose daily. 2. Orchitis: Pandanus tectorius kernel, perilla, Clausena lansium in appropriate amounts, decocted in water to fumigate the wound.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

617

618

H. Ye et al.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

619

7.21 Family: Hypoxidaceae 7.21.1 Curculigo orchioides Chinese Name(s): xian mao, du jiao si mao, di zong. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Curculigo orchioides (Curculigo orchioides Gaertn.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, 15–40 cm tall. The rhizomes are fleshy, thick, cylindric, up to 30 cm in length; the cork is reddish brown. The flowering stems are unobvious, often enclosed in leaf sheath. There are 3–6 basal leaves, lanceolate or linear, 15–40 cm long, 1.3–2.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally tapering and decurrent, sparsely pilose to glabrous; the parallel veins are obvious; the petioles are short or subsessile, basally enlarged. The flowers are bisexual or unisexual, 3–5-flowered, arranged in short racemes; the perianth tubes are beaklike; the beaks are about 2.5 cm in length; the segments are lanceolate, about 9 mm long, sparsely pilose; there are 6 stamens, inserted at base of segments and opposite to each other; the anthers are longer than filaments. The capsules are fusiform, ca. 1.2 cm long; the seeds are black, glossy. The flowering and fruiting periods are from April to September. Habitat: It grows on grasslands or barren slopes in sparse forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as from southeastern Asian countries to Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in autumn and winter, washed, and dried in the sun after removing the root heads and fibrous roots. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical or thin at the bottom, upright or slightly curved, 3–15 cm long, 4–8 mm in diameter, uneven on the surface, dark brown or brown, rough, with punctate fibrous root marks and vertical and horizontal wrinkles. They are hard and brittle, easily broken; the cross-sections are uneven, light brown or brown, darker colored near the center. They are slightly fragrant, and the taste is slightly bitter and pungent. The products better in quality are stout, brown, and hard. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent and sweet in taste, warm in property, and a little toxic and belongs to the meridians of the kidneys, liver, and spleen. Functions: Tonifying the kidneys and strengthening Yang, dispersing cold, and removing dampness; it’s often used for treatment of kidney deficiency, impotence, spermatorrhea, enuresis, chronic nephritis, waist and knee pain, muscle weakness, rheumatoid arthritis, stomach and abdomen cold pain, and menopausal hypertension. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Impotence: Curculigo orchioides 6 g, Epimedium 15 g, medlar, dodder 9 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

620

H. Ye et al.

2. Menopausal syndrome: Curculigo orchioides, Epimedium, angelica, Morinda officinalis, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Phellodendron chinense; for patients with deficiency, Curculigo orchioides and Epimedium can be used to 9 g each; for patients with Yin deficiency, tortoise shell and Rehmannia glutinosa can be added, but Morinda officinalis could be removed; for patients with dizziness and tinnitus, Ligustrum lucidum and medlar can be added; for headache, Vitex trifolia seed and Astragalus complanatus seed can be added; for insomnia, Fallopia multiflora and Albizia julibrissin can be used; for shortness of breath, weakness, and hyperhidrosis, Codonopsis pilosula, Poria cocos, and Atractylodes macrocephala can be added; for nausea, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, Rhizoma Pinelliae, and prepared Bambusa tuldoides can be added; for edema, Poria cocos, coix seed, and plantain seed were added. The dosage of the drugs is usually 9 g. 3. Hypercholesterolemia: Curculigo orchioides, Cynanchum paniculatum, Ficus simplicissima, Polygonum multiflorum each 15 g, Aralia elata 9 g, decocted and taken twice, one dose daily, or made into pills of 0. 16 g each tablet, 10 tablets per dose, 3 times a day, for a 30-day course of treatment. Take two courses of treatment if necessary. 4. Scleroderma: Curculigo orchioides, Epimedium, Cinnamomum cassia, Carthamus tinctorius, Paeonia lactiflora 9  g each, Spatholobus suberectus, Salvia miltiorrhiza 30 g each, Angelica sinensis, Curcuma rcenyujin 15 g each, Ligusticum chuanxiong 12  g, Rehmannia glutinosa and prepared Rehmannia root 3 g each, honey-fried licorice root 3 g, decocted in water and taken 1 dose daily, or commonly use pills as Yougui pill, Fugui Bawei pill, or Quanlu pill 6 g, 3 times daily with warm boiled water. 5. Epistaxis: Curculigo orchioides 15 g, Imperata cylindrica 15 g, Gerbera anandria 15 g, stewed with lean pork to take.

7  Medicinal Angiosperms of Iridaceae, Stemonaceae, Dioscoreaceae, Agavaceae…

621

622

H. Ye et al.

Chapter 8

Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 8.1  F  amily: Orchidaceae 8.1.1  Anoectochilus roxburghii 8.2  Family: Orchidaceae 8.2.1  Bletilla striata 8.3  Family: Orchidaceae 8.3.1  Bulbophyllum kwangtungense 8.4  Family: Orchidaceae 8.4.1  Dendrobium aduncum, Dendrobium chrysanthum, Dendrobium hercoglossum 8.5  Family: Orchidaceae 8.5.1  Dendrobium bellatulum 8.6  Family: Orchidaceae 8.6.1  Dendrobium chrysotoxum

                    

624 624 627 627 632 632 635

              

635 641 640 643 641

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_8

623

624

H. Ye et al.

8.7  Family: Orchidaceae 8.7.1  Dendrobium densiflorum, Dendrobium lindleyi 8.8  Family: Orchidaceae 8.8.1  Dendrobium hancockii 8.9  Family: Orchidaceae 8.9.1  Dendrobium loddigesii, Dendrobium moniliforme, Dendrobium wilsonii 8.10  Family: Orchidaceae 8.10.1  Dendrobium nobile 8.11  Family: Orchidaceae 8.11.1  Dendrobium officinale 8.12  Family: Orchidaceae 8.12.1  Flickingeria fimbriata 8.13  Family: Orchidaceae 8.13.1  Gastrodia elata

                                         

645 644 649 648 651 650 658 656 661 659 665 662 668 666

This chapter introduces 18 species of medicinal plants in 1 family, mainly including Anoectochilus roxburghii, Bletilla striata, Bulbophyllum kwangtungense, Dendrobium aduncum, Dendrobium chrysanthum, Dendrobium hercoglossum, Dendrobium bellatulum, Dendrobium chrysotoxum, Dendrobium densiflorum, Dendrobium lindleyi, Dendrobium hancockii, Dendrobium loddigesii, Dendrobium moniliforme, Dendrobium wilsonii, Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium officinale, Flickingeria fimbriata, and Gastrodia elata of Orchidaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

8.1 Family: Orchidaceae 8.1.1 Anoectochilus roxburghii Chinese Name(s): jin xian feng, jin xian lan, jin chan. Source: This medicine is made of the dried whole plants of Anoectochilus roxburghii (Anoectochilus roxburghii (Wall.) Lindl.). Morphology: The plants are small herbs, 8–18 cm in height. The rhizomes are creeping, fleshy, with nodes, rooting at nodes. The stems are erect, fleshy, cylindric, 3–4-leaved. The leaf blades are ovate, 1.3–3.5 cm long, 0.8–3 cm wide, adaxially dark purple or blackish purple, with pinkish golden reticulate venation, abaxially pale purple, apically acute or slightly obtuse, basally nearly truncate or rounded, narrowed into a petiole; the petioles are 4–10  mm long, basally expanded into a

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

625

tubular sheath. The racemes have 3–5 flowers; the bracts are pinkish, ovate-­ lanceolate; the sepals are purplish, pubescent; the middle sepals are ovate, about 6 mm long; the petals are white, thin, nearly falcate; the labella are about 12 mm long, apically 2-lobed; the lobes are ligulate, linear, about 6 mm long, with 6–7 mm long spurs at base; the flanges are 6–8-laciniate; the ovaries are linear. The flowering period is from August to December. Habitat: It grows in dense forests or in shady and humid places beside ravines. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Southeast Tibet, as well as in Japan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, India, Bhutan to Nepal, and Bangladesh. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested all year round but usually in summer and autumn and dried in the sun after shaking off the silt. Medicinal Properties: The products are dry and curly whole grass, 4–10  cm long after straightened, with 3–5 rhizomes, fleshy; there are nodes on the stems, and often residual scape at the apex. The leaves are alternate, shrunk, and ovate after flattening, about 1.5–3.5  cm long. The products are mucronate on the apex and rounded on the base, adaxially grayish green, abaxially purplish brown, and the veins are golden yellow, where the name is derived. The products are slightly odored and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, spleen, and kidneys. Functions: Clearing heat and moistening the lungs, relieving inflammation, and detoxicating; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis, cough caused by lung heat, rheumatoid arthritis, traumatic injury, cystitis, nephritis, hematemesis, snakebite, chronic gastritis, etc. Use and Dosage: 3–6 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are applied to the affected areas.

626

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

627

8.2 Family: Orchidaceae 8.2.1 Bletilla striata Chinese Name(s): bai ji, bai gen, di luo si. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Bletilla striata (Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Rchb. f.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, 18–60 cm in height. The pseudobulbs are compressed, subglobose. The stems are stout and erect. There are 4–6 leaves, narrowly oblong or lanceolate, 8–29 cm long, 1.5–4 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally contracted into amplexicaul sheaths. The inflorescences are 3–10-flowered, often simple or sometimes branched; the rachises are more or less zigzagged; the floral bracts are oblong-lanceolate, 2–2.5 cm long, usually deciduous

628

H. Ye et al.

at anthesis; the flowers are large, purplish red or pink; the sepals are nearly similar to sepals, narrowly oblong, 25–30 mm long, 6–8 mm wide, apically acute; the petals are slightly wider than sepals; the labella are slightly shorter than sepals and petals, obovate-elliptic, 23–28 mm long, white, tinged with purplish red or purplish red, with purplish veins; the disks are covered with 5 longitudinal lamellae extending from base of lip almost to apex of mid-lobe; the lamellae are undulate only on mid-­ lobe; the columns are 18–20 mm long, subterete, narrowly winged, slightly arched. The flowering period is from April to May. Habitat: It grows in grass of mountain slope, valley, and ditch. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Jiangsu, Hunan, Guangdong, and so on, as well as in Korean Peninsula and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in summer, autumn, and early winter. After the aboveground stems and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed, scalded in boiling water until there are no white cores, exposed to the sun till half dry, and dried in the sun thoroughly, after knocking off the silt. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregularly oblate or nearly rhombic tubes, with 2–3 clawlike or water chestnut-like branches, 1.5–5  cm long and 0.5–1.5  cm thick. The surfaces are yellowish white or grayish yellow, with fine wrinkles, protruding stem scars, 2–3 circles of brown-red concentric rings around stem scars, and brown punctate fibrous root mark on it. They are hard and not easily broken. Their cross-sections are pale gray or yellowish white, translucent, and scattered with punctate vascular bundles. The products are odorless, bitter, and sticky in taste. The products better in quality are big, plumpy, white, translucent, clean, and firm. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter, sweet, and astringent in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, and stomach. Functions: Tonifying the lungs, stopping bleeding, relieving swelling, and promoting granulation; it’s often used for treatment of tuberculosis hemoptysis, bronchiectasis hemoptysis, gastric ulcer, hematemesis, hematuria, and hematochezia, as well as for external treatment of traumatic bleeding, burn, and scald. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use, or ground to powder and taken 3–6 g per dose with water. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are ground or fresh products are mashed and applied to the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Pulmonary tuberculosis hemoptysis: Bletilla striata, Fritillaria thunbergii, Lilium in equal amount, ground into fine powder and taken 3 g each time, 2–3 times a day. 2. Bronchiectasis hemoptysis and tuberculosis hemoptysis: Bletilla striata, cuttlebone, Panax notoginseng each 180 g, ground into fine powder and taken 9 g each time, 2–3 times a day. 3. Hemoptysis, hematemesis, and hematochezia: Bletilla striata, Sanguisorba officinalis each 1000 g, Agrimonia pilosa 5000 g. The products are mixed, decocted

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

629

into paste, and made into pellet tablets, 0.3 g each. Take three tablets each time, 3 times a day. 4. Gastrointestinal bleeding: Bletilla striata, ground to powder and taken 6 g each time, 3 times a day.

630

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

631

632

H. Ye et al.

8.3 Family: Orchidaceae 8.3.1 Bulbophyllum kwangtungense Chinese Name(s): guang dong shi dou lan. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Bulbophyllum kwangtungense (Bulbophyllum kwangtungense Schltr.). Morphology: The rhizomes are about 2 mm in diam.; the current-year-old rhizomes are often covered by tubular sheaths; the pseudobulbs are 2–7 cm apart from each other, erect, cylindric, 1–2.5 cm long, 2–5 mm in diam., with a terminal leaf, with membranous sheath when young. The leaves are leathery, oblong, 2.5–4.7 cm

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

633

long, 5–14 mm in diam., apically obtuse and slightly emarginate, with a 1–2-mm-­ long petiole at the base. The scapes are solitary from bases of pseudobulbs or nodes of rhizomes, erect, slender, higher than leaves, up to 9.5 cm long; the racemes are short, umbel-like, with 2–4 flowers; the peduncles are sparsely 3–5-sheathed; the floral bracts are narrowly lanceolate, shorter or sometimes slightly longer than pedicel and ovary; the flowers are pale yellow; the sepals are free, narrowly lanceolate, 8–10 mm long, 1–1.3 mm wide above base, apically long acuminate, marginally incurved above middle, 3-veined; the lateral sepals are slightly longer than middle ones, about 1/5–2/5 width of their base adnate to column feet; the petals are narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 4–5  mm long, 0.4  mm wide, apically gradually tapering, long acuminate, inconspicuously 1–3-veined; the labella are fleshy, narrowly lanceolate, extending outward, about 1.5 mm long and 0.4 mm wide, apically obtuse, grooved in basal half, adaxially with 2 or 3 ridges fused halfway to form a thickened ridge; the columns are about 0.5  mm long; the stelidia is dentate, about 0.2  mm long; the foots are about 0.5 mm long, with free part about 0.1 mm; the anther caps are slightly elongated, apically truncate and more or less upwarp, densely minutely papillate. The flowering period is from May to August. Habitat: It grows on rocks. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat, relieving cough, and dispelling wind; it’s often used for treatment of wind heat, sore throat, cough caused by lung heat, rheumatic joint pain, knocks, and falls. Use and Dosage: 6–12 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

634

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

635

8.4 Family: Orchidaceae 8.4.1 Dendrobium aduncum, Dendrobium chrysanthum, Dendrobium hercoglossum Chinese Name(s): huang cao shi hu, shi hu, zhong huang cao, xiao huang cao. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium aduncum (Dendrobium aduncum Wall. ex Lindl. [Dendrobium faulhaberianum Schltr.]), Dendrobium chrysanthum (Dendrobium chrysanthum Wall. ex Lindl.), and Dendrobium hercoglossum (Dendrobium hercoglossum Reichb. f.). Morphology: A. Dendrobium aduncum: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The stems are pendulous, cylindric, 50–100  cm long, 2–5  mm in diam., unbranched, with many nodes; the internodes are 3–3.5  cm in length, yellowish after drying. The leaves are oblong or narrowly elliptic, 7–10.5 cm long, 1–3.5 cm wide, apically acute, with clasping sheaths at base. There are usually several racemes, arising from upper part of deciduous or leafy old stem; the inflorescence axises are slender, 1.5–4 cm long, 1–6-flowered; the peduncles are 5–10 mm long, with 3 or 4 membranous sheaths about 2–3 mm long at base; the bracts are membranous, ovate-lanceolate, 5–7 mm long, apically acute; the pedicels and ovaries are about 1.5 cm long; the flowers are spreading; the sepals and petals are pale pink; the middle sepals are oblong-lanceolate, 1.6–2 cm long and 7 mm wide, apically acute, 5-veined; the lateral sepals are obliquely ovate-triangular, as long as or slightly broader than middle sepals, apically acute, 5-veined; the mentums are obviously jarlike, about 1 cm long; the petals are oblong, 1.4–1.8 cm long, 7 mm wide, apically acute, 5-veined; the labella are white, upward, concave, cymbiform, broadly ovate when spreading, 1.5–1.7  cm long, apically abruptly contracted, recurved-­ caudate; the claws are about 5 mm, adaxially densely white barbellate except for claw and both sides of disk, with a square callus near base; the columns are white. The flowering period is from May to June. Habitat: It grows on rocks or tree trunks or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, as well as from northeast India to Indochina Peninsula.

636

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Dendrobium chrysanthum: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The stems are fleshy, pendulous or curving, cylindric, 50–200 cm long, unbranched, with many nodes; the internodes are 3–4 cm long, yellowish or yellowish brown after drying. The leaves are distichous, alternate, papery, oblong-­ lanceolate, usually 13–19 cm long, 1.5–4.5 cm wide, apically acuminate, basally sheathed. The umbels are subsessile, 2–6-flowered on each bunch; the floral bracts are membranous, ovate-triangular, about 3 mm long; the pedicels and ovaries are slightly flat, 3.5–6 cm long, about 2 mm in diam.; the flowers are yellow, thick; the middle sepals are more or less concave, oblong or elliptic, 15–20 mm long, 9–11 mm wide, apically obtuse, 7-veined; the lateral sepals are slightly concave and obliquely ovate-triangular, 15–20  mm long, basally broad and slightly oblique, 10–12  mm wide, apically obtuse, 7-veined; the mentums are broad and obtuse, ca. 4 mm long; the petals are slightly concave and obovate, 16–22 mm long, 11–14 mm wide, apically rounded, entire or sometimes finely erose, 7-veined; the labella are concave, undivided, kidney-shaped or transversely oblong, about 18  mm long and 22  mm wide, with a square callus near base, abruptly contracted into claws, adaxially

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

637

densely barbellate, abaxially except below middle; there is 1 chestnut spot on both surfaces of disk, with a broad ridge extending from base to middle; the columns are about 4 mm long. The flowering period is from September to October. Habitat: It grows on rocks or tree trunks or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangxi, Guizhou, Southeast Yunnan, and Southeast Tibet of China, as well as in tropical Asia.

Morphology: C. Dendrobium hercoglossum: The plants are perennial herbs. The stems are pendulous, usually 8–40 cm long, 2–5 mm in diam., with few to many nodes; the internodes are 1.5–2 cm in length, yellowish after drying. The leaves are thinly leathery, narrowly oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 4–10 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, apically obtuse, unequally 2-lobed, with clasping sheaths at base. There are usually several racemes, arising from deciduous old stem, often 2–3-flowered; the inflorescence axises are slender, 1.5–2 cm long, sometimes slightly folded; the peduncles are green, 6–10 mm long, with 3 or 4 shortly tubular sheaths at base; the floral bracts are small, scarious, ovate-lanceolate, 3–5 mm long, apically acute; the pedicels and ovaries are pale pink, 12–15 mm long; the flowers are spreading; the sepals and petals are pale pink; the middle sepals are ovate-oblong, 1.3–1.8  cm long, 5–8  mm wide, apically 7-veined; the lateral sepals are slightly obliquely ovate-lanceolate, as large as middle sepals, 7-veined; the petals are obovate-oblong, 1.2–1.5 cm long, 4.5–7 mm wide, apically acute, 3-veined; the labella are white, erect, about 1 cm long, divided into anterior and posterior labella; the posterior labella are hemispheric, apically densely fimbriate, sometimes sparsely hairy inside; the anterior labella are pale pink, smaller, triangular, apically acute, glabrous; the columns are white, ca. 4 mm long, enlarged at lower part, with 2-mm-long feet; the stigmas are triangular, apically slightly obtuse; the anther caps are purple, hemispheric, densely papillate-hairy, erose at front-end margins. The flowering period is from May to June. Habitat: It grows on rocks or tree trunks or along forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and other provinces of China.

638

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

639

Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round. After the fibrous roots, leaves, and leaf sheaths are removed, they are scalded in boiling water and dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: Dendrobium aduncum  – the stems are cylindrical, 50–200 cm long, 2–5 mm in diameter, unbranched, with multiple nodes, and internodes of 3–3.5 cm, pale yellow after drying. Dendrobium chrysanthum: the stems are cylindrical, 50–200  cm long, unbranched, with multiple nodes, and internodes of 3–4 cm long, light yellow or yellowish brown after drying. It is light, slightly solid, and easily broken. The cross-­ sections are round, with many small horns and white dots scattered in the middle. It is slightly odored, slightly bitter in taste, and sticky when chewed. The products uniform in size, golden, and farinose are better in quality. Dendrobium hercoglossum: the stems are cylindrical, 8–40 cm long, 2–5 mm in diameter, with a few or many nodes, and internodes of 1.5–2 cm long, pale yellow after drying. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and kidney.

640

H. Ye et al.

Functions: Nourishing Yin and kidneys, relieving thirst, benefiting the stomach and body fluid, and clearing heat; it’s often used for treatment of impairment of Yin and body fluid, thirst, tuberculosis, lack of stomach acid, loss of appetite, spermatorrhea, weakness after disease, weak waist and knees, blurred eyes, and febrile disease. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Thirst and impairment of Yin in febrile diseases: Dendrobium aduncum 12  g, Ophiopogon japonicus 12  g, fresh Rehmannia glutinosa 30  g, trichosanthin 9  g, mulberry leaf, and Adenophora stricta, decocted in water for oral use.

8.5 Family: Orchidaceae 8.5.1 Dendrobium bellatulum Chinese Name(s): ai shi hu, xiao mei shi hu. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium bellatulum (Dendrobium bellatulum Rolfe.). Morphology: The plants are epiphytic herbs. The stems are erect or ascending, short and stout, fusiform or shortly clavate, 2–11 cm long, with 3–6 nodes; the internodes are 1.5–2 cm long, 3–18 mm thick, with many longitudinal ridges. There are 2–4 leaves, nearly terminal, leathery, ligulate, ovate-lanceolate or oblong, 15–35 mm long, 10–18 mm wide, apically obtuse, unequally bilobed, basally decurrent forming clasping sheaths; both surfaces and leaf sheaths are densely shortly black hairy when young. The racemes are terminal or subterminal; the inflorescences are 1–3-flowered; the peduncles are 2–3 mm long, with 2–3 lanceolate sheaths at base; the floral bracts are membranous, ovate-lanceolate, 7–10 mm long; the pedicels and ovaries are about 2.5 cm in length; the flowers are spreading, white; the mid-lobes of lip are golden yellow; the inner surface of lateral lobe is orange-red; the middle sepals are ovate-lanceolate, about 2.5  cm long and 1  cm wide, apically acute, 7-veined; the lateral sepals are obliquely ovate-lanceolate, 2.5 cm long and 1 cm wide, apically acute, 7- or 8-veined; the mentums are broadly conic, 10–12  mm long; the petals are obovate, as long as and wider than the middle sepals, 5-veined, apically rounded; the labella are subpandurate, ca. 3 cm long, 3-lobed; the lateral lobes are nearly ovate; the middle lobes are subreniform, recurved, apically shallowly bilobed; the disks have 5 ridges, irregularly papillate on ridges; the columns are about 5 mm long; the caps are conic, densely papillate. The fruits are green, oblong, ca. 1.5 cm long and 1.4 cm in diam.; the stalks are about 2.5 cm in length. The flowering period is from April to June; the fruiting period is in October. Habitat: It grows on tree trunks in sparse forests on mountains at altitudes of 1250–2100 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, as well as in India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

641

Acquisition and Processing: The stems of Dendrobium bellatulum is baked and twisted into a spiral shape by professional tools, which is called “Fengdou.” Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Promoting secretion of body fluid, clearing heat, and supplementing Yin; it’s often used for treatment of thirst and Yin impairment of febrile disease, heat deficiency after a disease, stomachache, and retching. Use and Dosage: 20–40 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

8.6 Family: Orchidaceae 8.6.1 Dendrobium chrysotoxum Chinese Name(s): gu chui shi hu, cu huang cao, jin gong shi hui. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium chrysotoxum (Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindl.). Morphology: The plants are epiphytic herbs. The stems are erect, fleshy, fusiform, 6–30 cm long, 1.5–5 cm in diam. in the middle, with 2–5 internodes, with many obtuse ridges, golden yellow after drying, with 2–5 leaves near apex. The leaves are leathery, oblong, up to 19 cm long, 2–3.5 cm or wider, apically acute and hooked, basally contracted, not decurrent into clasping sheaths. The racemes are subterminal, ascending or slightly pendulous, about 20 cm long; the inflorescence axises are stout, sparsely many flowered; there are 4 or 5 basal sheaths at inflorescence axises; the floral bracts are small, membranous, ovate-lanceolate, 2–3  mm long, apically acute; the pedicels and ovaries are yellow, up to 5 cm long; the flowers are thickly textured, golden yellow, slightly fragrant; the middle sepals are oblong, 1.2–2  cm long, 5–9  mm wide in the middle, apically slightly obtuse, 7-veined; the lateral sepals are nearly equal to middle sepals; the mentums are

642

H. Ye et al.

subglobose, about 4  mm long; the petals are obovate, as long as middle sepals, about 2 times as wide as sepal, apically 10-veined; the labellum color is deeper than those of the sepals and petals, about 2 cm long and 2.3 cm wide, apically shallowly bilobed, with more or less red stripes on both sides of base, undulate on margins, adaxially densely pubescent; the disks are usually A-shaped raised, sometimes with U-shaped chestnut spots; the columns are about 5 mm long; the anther caps are yellowish and tower-shaped. The flowering period is from March to May. Habitat: It grows on tree trunks in evergreen broad-leaved forests or on rocks in sparse forests at altitude of 520–1620 m. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Yunnan, as well as in India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The stems of Dendrobium bellatulum is baked and twisted into a spiral shape by professional tools, which is called “Fengdou.” Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Tonifying Yin and promoting secretion of body fluid, quenching thirst, and moistening the lungs; it’s often used for treatment of thirst and Yin impairment of febrile disease and heat deficiency after a disease. Use and Dosage: 20–40 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

643

644

H. Ye et al.

8.7 Family: Orchidaceae 8.7.1 Dendrobium densiflorum, Dendrobium lindleyi Chinese Name(s): jin huang ze shi hu, shang shu xia. Source: This medicine is made of the pseudobulbs of Dendrobium densiflorum (Dendrobium densiflorum Lindl.) and Dendrobium lindleyi (Dendrobium lindleyi Stendel [Dendrobium jenkinsii Wall.ex Lindl. ]). Morphology: A. Dendrobium densiflorum: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The stems are stout, often rod-shaped or fusiform, 25–40 cm long and ca. 2 cm in diam., narrowed into thinly cylindric in the lower part, unbranched, with several nodes and 4 longitudinal ribs, sometimes ridges are inconspicuous, pale brown and glossy when dry. There are 3–4 leaves, subterminal, leathery, oblong-­ lanceolate, 8–17 cm long, 2.6–6 cm wide, apically acute, not decurrent into clasping sheaths at base. The racemes are arising from the upper stems of last year or 2 years, pendulous, densely many flowered, with 2–4 sheaths at the peduncle base; the floral bracts are papery, obovate, 1.2–1.5 cm long, 6–10 mm wide, apically obtuse, about 10-veined, revolute after drying; the pedicels and ovaries are whitish green, 2–2.5 cm long; the flowers are spreading; the sepals and petals are pale yellow; the middle sepals are ovate, 1.7–2.1 cm long, 8–12 mm wide, apically obtuse, 5-veined, entire; the lateral sepals are ovate-lanceolate, subequal to or larger than the middle sepals, apically subacute, with 5–6 veins, entire; the mentums are subglobose, about 5 mm

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

645

wide; the petals are suborbicular, 1.5–2  cm long, 1.1–1.5  cm wide, basally contracted into a short claw, erose above middle of margins, with 3 main veins and many secondary veins; the labella are golden yellow, orbicular-rhombic, 1.7–2.2 cm long, ca. 2.2 cm wide, apically obtuse, shortly clawed, both sides embracing column below middle, densely lanate above middle; the columns are orange, about 4 mm long; the anther caps are orange, compressed subglobose or conic, truncate on front margin, finely notched. The flowering period is from April to May. Habitat: It is epiphytic on tree trunks or rocks in dense forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, southern Yunnan, and southeastern Tibet of China, as well as in Sikkim, Nepal, and India.

646

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Dendrobium lindleyi: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The pseudobulbs are dense or tufted, more or less flattened on both surfaces, fusiform or ovoid-cylindric, 1–5 cm long, 5–15 mm in diam.; there is 1 terminal leaf, contracted at base, 4-ribbed, with 2–5 nodes, yellowish brown and glossy when dry; the internodes are 1–2  cm long, with white membranous sheaths. The leaves are leathery, oblong, 3–8  cm long, 6–30  mm wide, apically obtuse and emarginate, basally contracted, not decurrent into clasping sheaths, more or less undulate on margins. The racemes are much longer than the stems, up to 27 cm long, sparsely several to more than 10-flowered; the floral bracts are small, narrowly ovate-­ triangular, about 2 mm long; the pedicels and ovaries are yellowish green, tinged with pale purple, 3–5.5 cm long; the flowers are orange, spreading, thinly papery; the middle sepals are ovate-lanceolate, about 2  cm long, 7–8  mm wide, apically slightly obtuse; the lateral sepals are nearly equal to middle sepals; the mentums are subglobose, about 5 mm in length; the petals are broadly elliptic, usually about 1 cm long and 2 cm wide, apically obtuse; the labella are oblong or subreniform, usually

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

647

about 1.5 cm long and 2 cm wide, entire, each side embracing column below middle, apically emarginate; the disks are densely pubescent below the middle; the columns are short and thick, about 4  mm long; the anther caps are subglobose, smooth, irregular at front margins. The flowering period is from April to May. Habitat: It is epiphytic on tree trunks. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, and Guizhou of China, as well as in Bhutan, India, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round. The stems are softened by fire, rubbed off the rough skin and dried in the sun, or steamed before drying. Medicinal Properties: Dendrobium densiflorum: the stems are stout, often clavate or fusiform, 25–40 cm long, 2 cm in diameter. It usually attenuates to a thin cylinder in the lower part, and is unbranched, with several nodes and four longitudinal ridges, which are sometimes not obvious, light brown and glossy after drying. It’s slightly odored and bland in taste. The products better in quality are big, golden, and glossy. Dendrobium lindleyi: the pseudobulbs are dense, compressed on both ends, fusiform or ovate-oblong, 1–5 cm long, 5–15 mm in diameter, basally attenuated, with 4 ridges and 2–5 nodes, yellowish brown and glossy after drying, and the internodes are 1–2 cm long. It’s slightly odored and bland in taste. The products better in quality are big, golden, and glossy. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Nourishing Yin and kidneys, clearing heat and relieving dysphoria, benefiting the stomach, and generating fluid; it’s often used for treatment of febrile diseases, cough due to impotence of lungs, cough due to deficiency of Yin, and fever due to tuberculosis. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

648

H. Ye et al.

8.8 Family: Orchidaceae 8.8.1 Dendrobium hancockii Chinese Name(s): xi ye shi hu, wan zhang xu. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium hancockii (Dendrobium hancockii Rolfe). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The stems are erect, rigid, cylindric or sometimes with several nodes dilated and fusiform above base, up to 80 cm. There are 3–6 leaves, alternate, narrowly oblong, 3–10 cm long, 3–6 mm wide, apically obtuse, 2-lobed, unequal, with a leathery sheath at base. The racemes are 1–2.5 cm long, with 1–2 flowers; the peduncles are 5–10 mm long; the floral bracts are membranous, ovate, about 2 mm long, apically acute; the pedicels and ovaries are yellowish green, 12–15 mm long; the ovaries are slightly enlarged; the flowers are thick, slightly fragrant, spreading, golden yellow; the inside lateral sepals have red stripes; the middle sepals are ovate-elliptic, 1–2.4 cm long, 5–8 mm wide, apically acute, 7-veined; the lateral sepals are ovate-lanceolate, as long as middle sepal, slightly narrowed, apically acute, with 7 veins; the mentums are short conic, about 5 mm long; the petals are obliquely obovate or nearly elliptic, as long as and wider than middle sepals, apically acute, with 7 veins; the labella are 1–2 cm long and wide, with a square callus at base, 3-lobed in middle; the lateral lobes are embracing column, nearly semicircular, apically rounded; the dorsal lobes are oblate or reniform, apically acute; the disks are usually light green, densely short papillate from between bilateral lobes to middle lobes. The flowering period is from May to June. Habitat: It grows on rocks or tree trunks in valleys or on forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round. The stems are softened by fire, rubbed off the rough skin and dried in the sun, or steamed before drying. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Promoting secretion of body fluid, supplementing Yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs and tonifying the kidneys, brightening the eyes, and strengthening the waist and knees; it is often used for treatment of febrile diseases and impairment of body fluid, dry mouth and thirst, deficiency of stomach Yin, stomach pain and retching, lung dryness and dry cough, deficient in heat, blurred eyes due to damage of Yin, and weakness of the waist and knee. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Patients at the early stage of febrile disease without Yin injury, those with damp heat but dryness, and those with deficiency and cold of the spleen stomach should not take the product.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

649

650

H. Ye et al.

8.9 Family: Orchidaceae 8.9.1 Dendrobium loddigesii, Dendrobium moniliforme, Dendrobium wilsonii Chinese Name(s): huan chai shi hu, huan chai. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium loddigesii (Dendrobium loddigesii Rolfe), Dendrobium moniliforme (Dendrobium moniliforme (Linn.) Sw.), and Dendrobium wilsonii (Dendrobium wilsonii Rolfe). Morphology: A. Dendrobium loddigesii: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The stems are soft, often pendulous, thinly cylindric, 10–45 cm long, ca. 3 mm in diam., sometimes branched, with many nodes; the internodes are 1.5–2  cm in length, golden yellow after drying. The leaves are papery, distichous, alternate along entire stem, ligulate, oblong-lanceolate or slightly obliquely oblong, usually 2–4 cm long, 1–1.3 cm wide, apically acute and slightly hooked, basally sheathed; the veins are raised into a lattice when dry; the leaf sheaths are membranous; the mouths are often open after drying. The flowers are white or purplish red, lateral on upper part of old leafy stem, 1- or 2-flowered; the peduncles are 2–3 mm long; there are 1 or 2 basal sheaths, cupular, short, membranous; the floral bracts are membranous, ovate, 2–3 cm long; the pedicels and ovaries are pale green, 2–3 cm long; the middle sepals are ovate-oblong, 1.7–2 cm long and ca. 7 mm wide, apically acute, with 5 veins; the lateral sepals are lanceolate, 1.7–2  cm long, 6–7  mm wide, apically acute, basally oblique, with 5 veins; the mentums are subglobose, about 5 mm long; the petals are elliptic, as long as middle sepal, 8–9 mm wide, apically slightly obtuse, entire, with 3–5 veins; the labella are suborbicular, 1.7–2 cm in diam., adaxial surface golden yellow in the center, purplish red on margins, slightly concave, shortly fimbriate on margins, densely pubescent on both surfaces; the columns are white, with red stripes on the front lateral sides, about 4 mm long; the caps are white, subconic, densely finely papillate-hairy, irregularly dentate at front margins. The flowering period is from April to May.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

651

Habitat: It is epiphytic to big trees or stone walls in dense forests on mountains. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China, as well as in India, Laos, and Vietnam.

652

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: B. Dendrobium moniliforme: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The stems are erect, thinly cylindric, usually 10–20 cm long, with many nodes; the internodes are 2–4 cm long, golden yellow, or yellow tinged with dark gray after drying. There are several leaves, distichous, often alternate above the middle of stems, lanceolate or oblong, 3–4.5  cm long, 5–10  mm wide, apically obtuse, slightly unequal, 2-lobed, basally decurrent forming clasping sheaths. There are 2 to several racemes on upper part of old leafy stem, usually 1–3-flowered; the peduncles are 3–5 mm long; the floral bracts are scarious, whitish with brown spots, ovate, 3–4 mm long; the pedicels and ovaries are slender, 1–2.5 cm long; the flowers are yellowish green, white or white with purplish red, sometimes fragrant; the sepals are similar to petal, ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 1.3–1.7  cm long, 3–4  mm wide, 5-veined; the lateral sepal base is oblique and adnate to column feet; the mentums are conic, 4–5 mm long, ca. 5 mm wide, obtuse; the labella are white, yellowish green, or greenish white, tinged with pale brown or purplish red to yellowish spots, ovate-lanceolate, slightly shorter than sepals, basally cuneate, 3-lobed; the lateral lobes are semiorbicular, erect, entire or irregularly denticulate on margins; the middle lobes are ovate-lanceolate, apically acute or slightly obtuse, entire, glabrous; the disks are densely pubescent on both surfaces, with a elliptic callus at base, with purple red, pale brown or pale yellow spots at base of middle lobes; the columns are white, about 3 mm long. The flowering period is from March to May. Habitat: It is epiphytic on rocks or tree trunks in valleys or on forest margins. Distribution: It’s distributed in Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in northeastern India, the southern Korean Peninsula, and Japan.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

653

654

H. Ye et al.

Morphology: C. Dendrobium wilsonii: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial, thinly cylindric, usually 10–30 cm long, with few to many nodes; the internodes are 1.5–2.5 cm long, pale yellow tinged with black after drying. There are several leaves, leathery, distichous, alternate in the upper part of stem, narrowly oblong, 3–5 cm long, 6–12 mm wide, apically obtuse and slightly unequal, 2-lobed, basally clasping sheaths; the leaf sheaths are leathery, black when old; the sheath mouths are often opening, forming a cup shape when dry. There are 1–4 racemes on upper part of old leafy stem, with 1–2 flowers; the peduncles are 3–5 mm long, with 3–4 ovate, membranous sheaths at base; the floral bracts are scarious, whitish, chestnut in the middle or apex, 4–7 mm long, apically acuminate; the pedicels and ovaries are white, 2–3  cm long; the flowers are large, white, sometimes reddish, spreading; the middle sepals are oblong-lanceolate, 2.5–4 cm long, 7–10 mm wide, apically acuminate, with 5–6 main veins and many branches; the lateral sepals are triangular-lanceolate, as long as the middle sepals, 7–10 mm wide, apically acuminate, basally oblique and wide, with 5–6 main veins and many lateral mains; the mentums are hemispherical, 1–1.5  cm long; the petals are subelliptic, 2.5–4  cm long, 1–1.5 cm wide, apically acute, with 5–6 main veins and many lateral mains; the labella are ovate-lanceolate, more or slightly short and wider than sepals, 3-lobed or inobviously 3-lobed, basally cuneate, with a callus in the center; the lateral lobes are erect, semicircular; the middle lobes are ovate, apically acute; the disk has a yellow-green spot in the center, densely covered with short hairs; the columns are about 4 mm long; the anther caps are nearly hemispherical, densely finely papillate-­ hairy. The flowering period is from April to May. Habitat: It is epiphytic to trees and stones. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Fujian, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, etc.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

655

656

H. Ye et al.

Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round, put in boiling water and scalded slightly, took out, and rubbed while drying to make it curl into a ball. Medicinal Properties: Dendrobium loddigesii: the stems are thin cylindrical, soft, 10–45 cm long, about 3 mm thick, sometimes branched, with many nodes and internodes of 1.5–2 cm long, golden yellow after drying. The surface is golden yellow, glossy, with fine longitudinal wrinkles. It is flexible, solid, and sticky. The cross-sections are flat, white, and granular. It’s slightly odored and bland in taste. The products better in quality are thin, curly, with short internodes, golden color, solid and flexible, and sticky. Dendrobium loddigesii is a high-quality variety of Dendrobium, which is inferior only to Dendrobium huoshanense. Dendrobium moniliforme: the stems are thin cylindrical, usually 10–20 cm long, with many nodes, and internodes of 2–4 cm long, golden yellow or yellow with dark gray after drying. Dendrobium wilsonii: the stems are thin cylindrical, 10–30 cm long, with a few to many nodes, and internodes of 1.5–2.5 cm long, pale yellow after drying. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Supplementing Yin and tonifying the kidneys, relieving dysphoria and quenching thirst, benefiting the stomach and promoting secretion of body fluid, and clearing heat; it is often used for treatment of loss of body fluid and impairment of Yin, thirst, tuberculosis, lack of stomach acid, loss of appetite, spermatorrhea, weakness after illness, weakness of waist and knees, blurred eyesight, and injury of body fluid during febrile disease. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Clinical diagnosis and symptoms: thirst due to impairment of Yin in febrile disease – Dendrobium 12 g, Ophiopogon japonicus 12 g, fresh Rehmannia glutinosa 30  g, trichosanthin, mulberry leaf, and Adenophora stricta 9  g each, decocted in water for oral use.

8.10 Family: Orchidaceae 8.10.1 Dendrobium nobile Chinese Name(s): jin chai shi hu, chuan jin chai, bian jin chai, shi hu. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium nobile (Dendrobium nobile Lindl.). Morphology: The plants are epiphytic herbs, perennial. The stems are tufted, 20–40  cm in height, 1–1.3  cm in diam., grooved; the internodes are 3–4  cm in length. The leaves are alternate, oblong or linear-oblong, 5–10  cm long, apically emarginate, unequally bilobed, sessile, with nodes and sheaths at base. The flowers bloom at the end of spring, 1–4-flowered, arising from upper node of stem, 4–6 cm in diam.; the perianths are apically whitish purple; there are 3 sepals, 3.5–4.5 cm

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

657

long, with 7 veins; the mentums are short; the petals are elliptic, wider than sepals; the labella are obovate-oblong, about 4.5  cm long, undivided, reflexed on lower part, puberulent, with purplish-red spots on upper part, basally embracing the columns, shortly ciliate on margins; the columns are about 7 mm tall. The capsules are elliptic, 3–4 cm long, angled. The flowering period is from April to May. Habitat: It is epiphytic to trees or rocks. Distribute: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round. The stems are softened over fire, and rubbed off the rough skin, dried in the sun, or steamed before drying. Medicinal Properties: This product is oblate columnar, 20–40 cm long, 4–6 mm in diameter, 2.5–3 cm long between internodes, golden or green yellow on the surface. The stems on the upper are thick and flat, curved into a snake spear shape, with deep longitudinal groove at the bend. It is hard and brittle, and easily broken, with the cross-sections flat and nearly white. It is slightly bitter in taste. The products better in quality are long, flat and curved above the middle, golden colored, lustrous, and solid. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and kidneys. Functions: Supplementing Yin and tonifying the kidneys, relieving dysphoria and quenching thirst, benefiting the stomach and promoting secretion of body fluid, and clearing heat; it is often used for treatment of loss of body fluid and impairment of Yin, thirst, tuberculosis, lack of stomach acid, loss of appetite, spermatorrhea, weakness after illness, weakness of waist and knees, blurred eyesight, and injury of body fluid during febrile disease. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Thirst due to impairment of Yin in febrile disease: Dendrobium nobile 12  g, Ophiopogon japonicus 12 g, fresh Rehmannia glutinosa 30 g, trichosanthin, mulberry leaf, and Adenophora stricta 9 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

658

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

659

8.11 Family: Orchidaceae 8.11.1 Dendrobium officinale Chinese Name(s): tie pi shi hu, hei jie cao. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Dendrobium officinale (Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo [D. candidum Wall. ex Lindl.]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The stems are cylindric, 9–35 cm long, 2–4 mm in diam., unbranched, with many nodes; the internodes are 1.3–1.7 cm long, with 3–5 leaves above the middle. The leaves are alternate, distichous, papery, oblong-lanceolate, 3–4  cm long, 9–11  mm wide, apically obtuse and slightly hooked, basally decurrent forming clasping sheaths, often purplish on margins and midribs; the leaf sheaths often have purple spots, often opening and separated from the upper stem after getting old. The inflorescences usually arise from upper part of old stems, with 2–3 flowers; the peduncles are 5–10 mm long, with 2–3 short sheaths at base; the inflorescence axises are folded and curved, 2–4 cm in length; the floral bracts are membranous, whitish, ovate, 5–7 mm long, apically slightly obtuse; the pedicels and ovaries are 2–2.5 cm long; the sepals and petals are yellowish green, similar, oblong-lanceolate, about 1.8 cm long, 4–5 mm wide, apically acute, with 5 veins; the lateral sepal are about 1 cm wide at base; the mentums are conic, about 5 mm long, apically rounded; the labella are white, with a green or yellow callus at base, ovate-lanceolate, slightly shorter than sepals, reflexed in the middle, apically acute, undivided or inobviously 3-lobed, with purplish red spots on both surfaces of middle part, undulate on margins; the disks are densely finely papillate-hairy, with a purplish red spot above center; the columns are yellowish green, about 3 mm long, with a purple spot on both sides of tip; the foots are yellowish green, with purple-red stripes, sparsely hairy; the anther caps are white, ovate-triangular, about 2.3  mm long, apically subacute and 2-lobed. The flowering period is from March to June. Habitat: It is epiphytic to rocks or trees. It is cultivated in some areas now. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hainan, Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan of China, as well as in Bhutan, northeastern India, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round. The stems are softened over fire, rubbed off the coarse outer skin, and dried in the sun, or steamed before drying in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are spiral or spring-shaped, usually with 2–6 spiral lines. The stems are 3–8  cm long and 0.2–0.4  cm in diameter after straightening. The surfaces are yellowish green or slightly golden yellow, with fine lines, wrinkles, obvious nodes, and sometimes residual gray-white leaf sheath on the nodes; there are short fibrous roots left at stem base on one end. They are solid in texture, easily broken; the cross-sections are flat, gray-white to gray-green, slightly horny. The products are slightly odored, bland in taste, and sticky when

660

H. Ye et al.

chewed. Those better in quality are without fibrous root, golden in color, and solid in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and kidneys. Functions: Promoting secretion of body fluid and tonifying the stomach, supplementing Yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs and tonifying the kidneys, brightening the eyes, and strengthening the waist; it is often used for treatment of loss of body fluid and impairment of Yin, thirst, tuberculosis, lack of stomach acid, loss of appetite and retching, asthenic fever, fire excess from Yin deficiency, blurred eyesight due to impairment of Yin, and weakness of waist and knees. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Notes: Patients at the early stage of febrile disease without Yin injury, those with damp heat but dryness, and those with deficiency and cold of spleen stomach should not take the product. Prescription Example(s): Thirst due to impairment of Yin in febrile disease: Dendrobium officinale 12 g, Ophiopogon japonicus 12 g, fresh Rehmannia glutinosa 30 g, trichosanthin, mulberry leaf, and Adenophora stricta 9 g each, decocted in water for oral use.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

661

662

H. Ye et al.

8.12 Family: Orchidaceae 8.12.1 Flickingeria fimbriata Chinese Name(s): you zhua shi hu, shi hu. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Flickingeria fimbriata (Flickingeria fimbriata (Bl.) Hawkes [Ephemerantha fimbriata (Bl.) P. F. Hunt et Summerhayes]).

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

663

Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, creeping, many branched; the stems are hard, 30–50 cm tall; the internodes of branches’ tip are inflated to a pseudobulb; the pseudobulbs are compressed fusiform, about 5 cm long. There is 1 leaf, terminal, sessile; the leaf blades are oblong-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, 10–20 cm long. From April to June, there is 1 to several flowers gathered at apex of pseudobulbs, pendent, milky yellow with pink stripes, fragrant; the pedicels are about 1 cm long; there are 3 sepals; the middle sepals are lanceolate, about 9 mm long; the lateral sepals are more longer; the mentums are conic; the petals are similar in size to the middle sepals; the labella are about 1.5 cm, 3-lobed, clawed at base; the mid-­ lobes are flabellate, undulate-crisped on margins, with 2 or 3 lamellae on the upper surface; the lateral lobes are semi-obovate; the mentums are obtuse; the columns are stout. The fruits are capsule. The flowering period is from April to June. Habitat: It grows on trees or rocks in forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested all year round. After the fibrous roots, leaves, and leaf sheaths are removed, they are scalded in boiling water and dried in the sun or over fire. Medicinal Properties: The products are cylindrical; the lower parts are bamboo branch-like, with dense nodes. The branches expand between internodes into fusiform, flattened pseudobulbs and have deep longitudinal grooves on the surface. They are golden through over, shiny. They are light weighed, with abundant fibrous, not easily broken; the sections are grayish white. The products are slightly odored and bland in taste. Those better in quality are large, with dense pseudobulbs, removed the hair and fibrous root, and golden colored. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the stomach and kidneys. Functions: Supplementing Yin and tonifying the kidneys, relieving dysphoria and quenching thirst, benefiting the stomach and promoting secretion of body fluid, and clearing heat; it is often used for treatment of loss of body fluid and impairment of Yin, thirst, tuberculosis, lack of stomach acid, loss of appetite, spermatorrhea, weakness after illness, weakness of waist and knees, blurred eyesight, and injury of body fluid during febrile disease. Use and Dosage: 6–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Clinical diagnosis and symptoms: thirst due to impairment of Yin in febrile disease – Flickingeria fimbriata 12 g, Ophiopogon japonicus 12 g, fresh Rehmannia glutinosa 30  g, trichosanthin, mulberry leaf, and Adenophora stricta 9  g each, decocted in water for oral use.

664

H. Ye et al.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

665

666

H. Ye et al.

8.13 Family: Orchidaceae 8.13.1 Gastrodia elata Chinese Name(s): tian ma, chi jian. Source: This medicine is made of the dried rhizomes of Gastrodia elata (Gastrodia elata Bl.). Morphology: The plants are saprophytic herbs, up to 1  m. The rhizomes are oblong or cylindric-oblong, sometime larger, fleshy, about 8–10 cm long, 3–5 cm in diam.; the internodes are short, with triangular or broadly ovate scales at nodes; the stems are erect, with tubular sheaths on lower nodes, with various colors. The racemes are terminal, 30–50 cm long, with 30–50 flowers or more; the flowers have various colors; the floral bracts are oblong-lanceolate, almost as long as the ovaries;

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

667

the sepals are connate with petals to perianth tube ca. 1  cm long; the labella are 3-lobed, oblong-ovoid, about 7 mm long, irregularly fimbriate on apical margins, with a pair of callus at narrow base. The capsules are obovoid-ellipsoid, about 1.5 cm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to July. Habitat: It grows on the margins of evergreen forests. Now it is mostly cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in Taiwan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangdong, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, Liaoning, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet of China, as well as in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Japan, North Korea, and Siberia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up from April to May, which are called “chun ma,” and those dug up from September to October are called “dong ma.” The rhizomes are soaked with clear water or alum water, scraped off from the skin, steamed, pressed flat, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are ovate-oblong, often compressed, slightly curved, 3–13 cm long, 2–6 cm wide, 0.5–2 cm thick, yellowish white to light yellowish brown, slightly transparent, with longitudinal wrinkles and horizontal ring lines. They are hard, horny, not easily broken; the cross-sections are flat, yellowish white to light brown. They are slightly odored, sweet in taste. The products better in quality are big, solid, yellow and white, translucent, and without cavity. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and slightly warm in property and belongs to the meridian of the liver. Functions: Dispelling pathogenic wind, relieving spasm, calming liver Yang, dispelling wind, and unblocking collaterals; it’s often used for treatment of hypertension, dizziness, headache, hemiplegia, limb numbness, facial paralysis, rheumatic arthralgia, and infantile convulsion. Use and Dosage: 3–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Hypertension, dizziness, and insomnia: (Tianma Gouteng drink) Gastrodia elata, Scutellaria baicalensis, Cyathula officinalis each 9 g, Uncaria rhynchophylla, poria with hostwood, cinnabar, Taxillus chinensis, Eucommia ulmoides, Leonurus japonicus, Fallopia multiflora, each 12  g, Haliotidis Concha 15  g, Gardenia jasminoides 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Febrile convulsion in children: Gastrodia elata, scorpion 3  g, mulberry 9  g, chrysanthemum 6 g, Uncaria 12 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Hemiplegia, pain in muscles and bones, heavy walking, and heavy waist and knees caused by stroke: Gastrodia elata 60  g, Sanguisorba officinalis 30  g, myrrh 1 g (ground to powder), Scrophularia ningpoensis, Aconitum carmichaelii (processed, removed the pericarps and hilum) 30 g, musk 0.3 g (ground to powder). The mecines are mashed to powder, mixed with the musk and myrrh, added with honey, and made into pills as big as the dryandra seeds. Take 20 pills each time with warm alcohol before supper. 4. Rheumatic arthralgia in women and paralysis of the limbs: Gastrodia elata, Achyranthes bidentata, aconite root, Eucommia ulmoides, 60 g each, ground, put

668

H. Ye et al.

in a silk bag, soaked in 1500 ml of alcohol for 7 days, and drank a small cup of warm alcohol. 5. Infantile tetany caused by phlegm, acute and slow convulsion, and epilepsy: Gastrodia elata 120  g (washed with alcohol, fried), Arisaema with bile 90  g, Bombyx batryticatus 60 g (fried), Concretio silicea bambusae 30 g, realgar 15 g, Pinellia ternata 60 g, medicated leaven, ground into powder, mixed, and made into pills. Soak peppermint and ginger in water to make a thick soup; melt 1 pill, or 2–3 pills, in the soup to take. 6. Various convulsions of children: Gastrodia elata 15 g, scorpion (detoxicated and stir-fried) 30 g, Rhizoma Arisaematis (processed, peeled) 15 g, medicinal silkworms (fried, removed the silk), ground into powder, boiled with liquor, and added with flour to make pills as big as the gastrodia seed. Take 10–15 pills for toddler aged 1 with Schizonepeta decoction. This medicine is warm in property and could be taken often.

8  Medicinal Angiosperms of Orchidaceae

669

Chapter 9

Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 9.1  F  amily: Juncaceae 9.1.1  Juncus effusus 9.2  Family: Cyperaceae 9.2.1  Cyperus difformis 9.3  Family: Cyperaceae 9.3.1  Cyperus iria 9.4  Family: Cyperaceae 9.4.1  Cyperus malaccensis 9.5  Family: Cyperaceae 9.5.1  Cyperus rotundus 9.6  Family: Cyperaceae 9.6.1  Eleocharis dulcis

                                   

672 672 675 675 677 677 679 679 681 681 684 684

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_9

671

672

H. Ye et al.

9.7  Family: Cyperaceae 9.7.1  Kyllinga brevifolia 9.8  Family: Bambusaceae 9.8.1  Bambusa chungii 9.9  Family: Bambusaceae 9.9.1  Bambusa textilis 9.10  Family: Bambusaceae 9.10.1  Bambusa tuldoides, Dendrocalamopsis beecheyana, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis

                    

686 686 689 689 693 691 694

   694

This chapter introduces 12 species of medicinal plants in 3 families, mainly including Juncus effusus of Juncaceae; Cyperus difformis, Cyperus iria, Cyperus malaccensis, Cyperus rotundus, Eleocharis dulcis, and Kyllinga brevifolia of Cyperaceae; and Bambusa chungii, Bambusa textilis, Bambusa tuldoides, Dendrocalamopsis beecheyana, and Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis of Bambusaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

9.1 Family: Juncaceae 9.1.1 Juncus effusus Chinese Name(s): deng xin cao, yang cao, shui deng xin. Source: This medicine is made of the piths of Juncus effusus (Juncus effusus Linn. [J. effusus Linn. var. decipiens Buch.]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, 27–91 cm tall, sometimes taller; the rhizomes are thick and creeping, with yellowish-brown fibrous roots. The stems are tufted, erect, cylindric, pale green, longitudinally striate, 1–4 mm in diam.; the piths are continuous. The leaves are all cataphylls, with sheaths or scaly, basally closely embracing stems, 1–22  cm long, reddish brown to chestnut brown at the base. The inflorescences are pseudolateral, densely or sparsely many flowered; the involucres are cylindric, terminal, looking like a continuation of the stem, erect, 5–28 cm long, apically acute; there are 2 bracteoles, broadly ovate, membranous, apically acute; the flowers are light green; the perianth segments are linear-­ lanceolate, 2–12.7 mm long, about 0.8 mm wide, apically acute; the dorsal ridges are thickening prominent, yellow-green, membranous on margins; the outer segments are slightly longer than inner ones, about 2/3 as long as the perianths; the anthers are oblong, yellow, 0.7  mm long, slightly shorter than the filaments; the ovaries are 3-loculed; the styles are very short; the stigmas are 3-branched, about

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

673

1 mm long. The capsules are oblong or ovate, ca. 2.8 mm long, apically obtuse or emarginate, yellowish brown. The seeds are ovoid-oblong, 0.5–0.6 mm long, yellowish brown. The flowering period is from April to July; the fruiting period is from June to September. Habitat: It grows on the riverside; by pools, ditches, and paddy fields; on grasslands; and in wet places of marshes. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Taiwan, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Jilin, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in warm regions of the world. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested in summer and autumn. The piths are taken and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are light yellowish white, with fine longitudinal lines. They are light in weight, soft and spongy in texture, flexible, and easily broken; the cross-sections are white. The products are odorless and tasteless. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cool in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, lungs, and small intestine. Functions: Clearing heart fire and promoting diuresis; it is often used for treatment of dysphoria, thirst, sore tongue, urinary tract infection, dysuria, and malaria. Use and Dosage: 1.5–3 per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Dysphoria, thirst, and insomnia: Juncus effusus 3 g, bamboo leaf 9 g, Ophiopogon japonicus 9 g, Fallopia multiflora 12 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Malaria: Juncus effusus root 15 g, decocted in water, added with a small amount of sugar, and taken 2–3 hours before seizure, on an empty stomach.

674

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

675

9.2 Family: Cyperaceae 9.2.1 Cyperus difformis Chinese Name(s): yi xing sha cao, xian cao, wang mu chai. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cyperus difformis (Cyperus difformis Linn.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs, with fibrous roots. The culms are tufted, slightly thick or flaccid, 10–65 cm tall, compressed triquetrous, smooth. The leaves are shorter than culms, 2–6 mm wide, flat or folded; the leaf sheaths are fairly long, brown. There are 2 or 3 bracts, leaflike, longer than inflorescences; the inflorescences are simple or rarely compound anthela; there are 3–9 rays, unequal in length, up to 2.5 cm long, sometimes nearly without pedicels; the capitulums are globose, with many spikelets, 5–15 mm in diam.; the spikelets are densely aggregated, lanceolate or linear, 2–8 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, with 8–28 flowers; the rachillae are wingless; the glumes are slightly spreading, membranous, compressed orbicular, apically rounded, less than 1 mm long, dark reddish purple to dark grayish brown on both surfaces but yellowish in the middle, white hyaline on the margins, obscurely 3-veined; there are 1 or 2 stamens; the anthers are elliptic, connectives being not prominent beyond anthers; the styles are very short; there are 3 stigmas, short. The nutlets are obovoid-ellipsoid, 3-sided, nearly as long as subtending glume, pale yellow. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to October. Habitat: It grows in paddy fields or wet places near water. Distribution: It’s distributed in northeastern provinces, and also in Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan of China, as well as in Russia, Japan, North Korea, India, the Himalayas, Africa, and Central America. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s salty and slightly bitter in taste and cool in property. Functions: Promoting diuresis, relieving strangury, and promoting circulation of Qi and blood; it’s often used for treatment of strangury, dysuria, and injury caused by knocks and falls. Use and Dosage: 9–15 per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

676

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

677

9.3 Family: Cyperaceae 9.3.1 Cyperus iria Chinese Name(s): sui mi sha cao, san fang cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cyperus iria (Cyperus iria Linn.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs, without rhizomes, but with fibrous roots. The culms are tufted, slender or slightly stout, 8–85 cm in height, compressed triquetrous, with a few basal leaves, shorter than culms, 2–5 mm wide, flat or folded; the leaf sheaths are reddish brown or brownish purple. There are 3–5 leaflike bracts, lower 2 or 3 of which are often longer than inflorescences; the inflorescences are compound anthela, or rarely simple, with 4–9 rays, up to 12 cm long, each with 5–10 or sometimes more spikes; the spikes are ovate or oblong-ovate, 1–4 cm long, with 5–22 spikelets; the spikelets are sparsely arranged, obliquely spreading, oblong, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, compressed, 4–10 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide, with 6–22 flowers; the rachillae are nearly wingless; the glumes are sparsely arranged, membranous, broadly obovate, apically retuse and mucronulate, not prominent beyond apex of scale, keeled abaxially, with 3–5 veins, yellow or straw yellow on both surfaces, apically white hyaline on margins; there are 3 stamens; the filaments are inserted on calluses; the anthers are short, elliptic, connective being not prominent beyond anthers; the styles are short; there are 3 stigmas. The nutlets are obovate, elliptic or 3-sided, as long as glumes, brown, densely prominently punctulate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to October. Habitat: It grows in fields, on hillsides, and by roadsides. Distribution: It’s distributed in northeastern China, and also in Hebei, central China, eastern China, southern China, southwestern China, and northwestern China, as well as in Far East of Russia, North Korea, India, Japan, Vietnam, Iran, Australia, northern Africa, and America. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and slightly warm in property. Functions: Promoting circulation of Qi, drastically removing blood stasis, eliminating accumulation, relieving pain, and unblocking meridians; it is often used for treatment of chronic endometritis, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, dyspepsia, and traumatic injury. Use and Dosage: 10–30 per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

678

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

679

9.4 Family: Cyperaceae 9.4.1 Cyperus malaccensis Chinese Name(s): jiang du, xian shui cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cyperus malaccensis (Cyperus malaccensis Lam.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs; the rhizomes are long, creeping, woody. The culms are 80–100 cm long, acutely triquetrous, smooth, with 1–2 leaves at base. The leaf blades are long, 3–8 mm wide, flat; the leaf sheaths are very long, covering the lower part of stems, brown. There are 3 bracts, leaflike, often spreading, longer than inflorescence; the inflorescence is a simple or compound anthela, with 6–10 rays, up to 9 cm long; the spikes are sparsely arranged, with 5–10 spikelets; the rachises are glabrous; the spikelets are spreading, linear, 5–25(–50) mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide, with 10–42 flowers; the rachilla wings are narrow, hyaline; the glumes are involute, thickly papery, elliptic or oblong, apically obtuse or rounded, about 2–2.5 mm long, without mucros, abaxially reddish brown, slightly pale, yellowish or straw-colored on margins, with unobvious veins; there are 3 stamens; the anthers are linear, connective being prominent beyond tip of anther; the styles are short; there are 3 stigmas, slender. The nutlets are narrowly oblong, 3-sided, almost as long as subtending glume, dark brown when mature. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to November. Habitat: It grows near ditches or on muddy beaches near river mouths. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Macao, Fujian, Hainan, Guangxi, and Guizhou of China, as well as in the Mediterranean, India, Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bland in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat, cooling blood, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of hematemesis, hematuria, bleeding, toothache due to wind fire, and leucorrhea. Use and Dosage: 9–15 per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

680

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

681

9.5 Family: Cyperaceae 9.5.1 Cyperus rotundus Chinese Name(s): xiang fu, lei gong tou, xiang fu zi. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus (Cyperus rotundus Linn.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The culms are erect, triangular, up to 40 cm tall; the rhizomes are slender, creeping, often with 1 or a few elliptic or oblong brown tubers. The leaves are nearly basal, linear, shorter than culms, 10–20 cm long, with parallel veins and obvious midribs. The inflorescences are a simple or compound anthela, with 3–6 spreading rays, up to 20 cm long; the bracts are leaflike, as long as inflorescence; the spikelets are linear, 3–10 in length, arranged in cymes; the glumes are ovate or oblong-ovate, purplish red on both surfaces but green in the middle, 5–7-veined, with a bisexual flower. The nutlets are 3-sided, about 1/3 as long as subtending glumes, punctulate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to November. Habitat: It grows in the wild, on grasslands, and by roadsides and streams. Distribution: It’s distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in warm regions of the world. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in spring and autumn. With the silt washed off and the fibrous roots and scale leaves singed, they are scalded in boiling water or steamed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are fusiform, some slightly curved, 1–3.5  cm long, 0.4–1  cm in diameter, dark brown or brown on the surface, with irregular longitudinal wrinkles. There are usually more than 10 joints which are uplifted, obvious or not. There are brownish-yellow hairs on the joint, especially near the top, as well as root marks and bud marks. They are hard; the cross-sections are brownish black or reddish brown; the cortexes are slightly lighter colored, or pinkish white for those undercooked; the steles are deeper colored; the black vascular bundle is clearly visible. They are slightly odored and pungent and slightly bitter in taste. The products better in quality are large, well cooked, hairless, and brown. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s slightly bitter and pungent in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, spleen, stomach, and tri-jiao. Functions: Regulating Qi and soothing the liver, regulating menstruation, and relieving pain; it’s often used for treatment of liver Qi stagnation, abdominal pain, flank pain, breast pain, dysmenorrhea, and irregular menstruation. Use and Dosage: 6–12 per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s):

682

H. Ye et al.

1. Stomach cold pain: Cyperus rotundus 30 g, Alpinia officinarum 15 g, ground to fine powder and taken 3 g per dose, twice a day, with warm water. 2. Flank pain and abdominal distension: Cyperus rotundus, Lindera aggregata, Corydalis yanhusuo, 9 g each, Bupleurum chinense 6 g, Raphanus sativus (fried) 9 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation: Cyperus rotundus, motherwort 12 g each, Salvia miltiorrhiza 15  g, Paeonia lactiflora 9  g, decocted in water for oral use.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

683

684

H. Ye et al.

9.6 Family: Cyperaceae 9.6.1 Eleocharis dulcis Chinese Name(s): bi qi, ma ti. Source: This medicine is made of the carmus or overground parts of Eleocharis dulcis (Eleocharis dulcis (Burm.f.) Trin. ex Henschel [E. tuberosus Schult. ]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are creeping, often with stolons terminated by a tuber, commonly known as water chestnut. The culms are numerous, tufted, erect, cylindric, 15–60  cm high, 1.5–3  mm in diam., with transverse septa, and evident nodes when dry. There are only 2–3 leaf sheaths at base of culm; the leaf sheaths are nearly membranous, green-yellow, purple red or brown, 2–20 cm tall; the mouths are obliquely truncate, apically acute. The spikelets are terminal, cylindric, 1.5–4 cm long, 6–7 mm in diam., pale green, apically obtuse or nearly acute, with many flowers; there are 2 basal glumes, hollow, amplexicaul for whole spikelet base; the other glumes are all flowered, sparsely imbricate, broadly oblong or ovate-oblong, apically obtuse, 3–5 mm long, 2.5–3.5 mm wide, grayish green abaxially, subleathery, yellowish on margins, scarious, with pale brown spots, with a midrib; there are 7 perianth bristles, about 1.5 as long as nutlet; there are 3 stigmas. The nutlets are broadly obovoid, biconvex, not constricted at apex, about 2.4 mm long and 1.8 mm wide, brown when mature, with tetragonal to hexagonal epidermal cells. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed all over China, as well as in North Korea, Japan, Vietnam, India, Malaysia, Madagascar, western Africa, and Australia. Acquisition and Processing: The bulbs are dug up in autumn and winter and used fresh. The overground parts are dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: The corm is slightly sweet in taste and neutral in property, and the overground part is bitter in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Corm – Clearing heat and quenching thirst, removing dampness and phlegm, and lowering blood pressure; it is often used for treatment of thirst and impairment of body fluid in febrile disease, sore throat, stomatitis, jaundice caused by damp-heat, hypertension, dysuria, measles, cough due to lung heat, silicosis, hemorrhoids, and bleeding. Whole grass on the ground: Clearing away heat and promoting diuresis; it is often used for treatment of hiccup and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 2–4 bulbs, or appropriate amounts of products, mashed for juice and taken orally. Whole grass: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Hypertension, chronic cough, and thick phlegm: Eleocharis dulcis, jellyfish head (wash away salt) 30–60 g each, made into soup and taken 2–3 times a day. 2. Hemorrhoids with bleeding: fresh Eleocharis dulcis, washed, added with 90 g of brown sugar and water, boiled for 1 hour, and taken once or in several times, 3

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

685

days as a course of treatment. Or take fresh Eleocharis dulcis 120  g, 1–2 times daily. 3. Measles with inadequate eruption: Eleocharis dulcis 90  g, Tamarix chinensis 15 g (fresh branches and leaves 30 g), decocted in water for oral use. 4. Systemic edema and dysuria: overground parts of Eleocharis dulcis 30  g (60–90 g for fresh product), fresh reed root 30 g, decocted in water for oral use.

686

H. Ye et al.

9.7 Family: Cyperaceae 9.7.1 Kyllinga brevifolia Chinese Name(s): duan ye shui wu gong, shui wu gong, jin niu cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Kyllinga brevifolia (Kyllinga brevifolia Rottb.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs; the rhizomes are long, creeping, clothed with brown, membranous scales, with many internodes; the internodes are about 1.5 cm long, with 1 culm at each node. The culms are serially arranged, slender, 7–20 cm tall, compressed 3-angled, smooth, with 4–5 cylindric leaf sheaths at base; there are 2 basal leaf sheaths, often scarious, brown, mouths being obliquely truncate, apically acuminate, apical 2 or 3 with a blade. The leaves are flaccid, shorter than or slightly longer than culms, 2–4 mm wide, flat, spiculose on midribs and apical margins. There are 3 leaflike bracts, very spread out and reflexed afterward; there is 1(–3) spike, globose to ovoid-globose, 5–11 mm long, 4.5–10 mm wide, densely arranged spikelets; the spikelets are oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate, compressed, ca. 3 mm long, 0.8–1 mm wide, 1-flowered; the glumes are membranous, 2.8–3 mm long; the lower glumes are shorter than upper ones, white and rusty brown maculate or rarely straw-colored, with green keels abaxially, spiny, with a strict or recurved mucro at apex, 5–7-veined; there are 1–3 stamens; the anthers are linear; the styles are slender; there are 2 stigmas, less than 1/2 as long as style. The nutlets are obovate-oblong, biconvex, about 1/2 length of glumes, densely punctate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to September. Habitat: It grows in fertile and humid places near water and along roads.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

687

Distribution: It’s distributed in most provinces of China, as well as in tropical areas of western Africa, Madagascar, the Himalayas, India, Burma, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Australia, and America. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are dug up in summer and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and relieving exterior symptoms, clearing heat and promoting diuresis, relieving coughing and resolving sputum, diminishing blood stasis, and reducing swelling; it’s often used for treatment of cold, bronchitis, pertussis, malaria, dysentery, hepatitis, chyluria, traumatic injury, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as for external treatment of snakebite, skin itching, and furuncle. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh products are mashed and applied or the dried products are decocted in water for washing the affected areas. Prescription Example(s): 1. Pertussis and bronchitis cough: Kyllinga brevifolia 60 g, added with appropriate amount of sugar, decocted in 2 bowls of water until half bowl left, and taken in 3 times with sugar. 2. Prevention of malaria: Kyllinga brevifolia, Achyranthes aspera, each 30  g, decocted in water for oral use, one dose daily for 2 days. Repeat the course after half a month of interval. 3. Chyluria: Kyllinga brevifolia, longan (or black jujube) 60 g each, decocted in water for oral use, one dose daily for 15 days.

688

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

689

9.8 Family: Bambusaceae 9.8.1 Bambusa chungii Chinese Name(s): zhu juan xin, zhu zhen, zhu xin. Source: This medicine is made of the tender leaves of Bambusa chungii (Bambusa chungii McClure [Lingnania chungii (McClure) McClure]). Morphology: The plants are arborescent bamboos. The rhizomes are sympodial; the culms are clustered, 3–10 m in height, 5 cm in diam., 3–5 mm thick; the internodes are long, cylindric, yellowish green, initially white powdery, glabrous or gray white villous in nodes when young; the annular parts of fibrous sheaths are raised; the branches are many, clustered, and similarly thick; the culm sheaths are deciduous, initially white powdery, silky hairy, with black bristles, apically broad, concave; the auricles are narrowly oblong, ciliate; the ligules are short, 1–1.5 mm long, apically slightly arched, shortly ciliate; the culm sheaths are ovate-lanceolate, strongly reflexed, with involute margins, adaxially hispidulous: the leaf blades are linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, variable in size, usually 7–21  cm long, 1–2.8  cm wide, apically acuminate, basally cuneate, slanted. The inflorescences are leafless and consist of single or several pseudospikelets, clustered on branch nodes. The spikelets are broadly ovate, up to 2 cm long, with 2–5 florets; there are 1–2 glumes; the lemmas are broadly ovate, about 9 mm long, apically acute; the paleae and lemmas are subequal in length, apically obtuse or truncate; the ovary tips are hairy; there is 1 style; there are 2 or 3 stigmas. Habitat: It grows on flat land near hill, valleys, and rivers beside villages. Distribution: It’s distributed in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hunan, Fujian, Hainan, and Guangxi of China. Acquisition and Processing: The rolled tender leaves are harvested in the morning all year round, dried in the shade, and tied into small bundles. Medicinal Properties: The products are long acicular, 7–10 cm long, 0.1–0.3 cm in diameter, turquoise-green, yellowish white with time, slightly thick and round at the lower end, thin and acute at the upper end, with filamentous parallel veins. They are difficult to flatten and break, slightly fragrant, and slightly sweet in taste. The thin, short, and green products are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bitter in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Clearing the heart and relieving dysphoria, quenching thirst and increasing secretion of body fluid, and clearing summer heat; it’s often used for treatment of fever, vexation, thirst due to heat stroke, conjunctivitis, aphtha of the mouth and tongue due to heart fire, and scald. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Fever, vexation, and thirst due to heat stroke: Bambusa chungii 10 g, decocted in water for oral use.

690

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

691

9.9 Family: Bambusaceae 9.9.1 Bambusa textilis Chinese Name(s): tian zhu huang, guang zhu huang. Source: This medicine is made of the lumps of dried juice of Bambusa textilis (Bambusa textilis McClure). Morphology: The plants are arborescent. The culms are erect, tufted, 10–15 m in height, 3–5 cm in diam., apically slightly drooping; the internodes are 20–40 cm long, initially thinly white hairy when young; the main branches are slender; the

692

H. Ye et al.

other branches are short, up to 2 m. The leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, 8–15 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide; the sheaths are broadly triangular to narrowly triangular, apically long acuminate, thickly leathery, abaxially dull brown hairy basally; the auricles are small, oblong, about 2 mm tall, subequal, with small setae on both surfaces, laciniate, ciliolate, rarely flowering. Habitat: It is cultivated near rivers and villages in low-altitude areas. Distribution: It’s distributed in southwestern, central, eastern, and southern China. Acquisition and Processing: It’s harvested all year round, mostly found and collected when processing bambooware, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are irregular and granular, short cylinders or broken blocks, in different sizes, generally 1–2.5 cm long, 0.8–1.5 cm in diameter, often broken into fine particles or powder; they have a variety of colors, grayish white, pure white, light blue to grayish black, translucent, slightly glossy; they are easily broken and with strong water absorption ability, slightly odored, bland in taste, sticky when licked. The products better in quality are large, white, crystalline, and hygroscopic. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart and liver. Functions: Clearing heat and resolving phlegm, cooling heart, and calming shock; it’s often used for treatment of infantile convulsion, epilepsy, fever, dizziness, stroke, and cough due to obstruction of phlegm. Use and Dosage: 3–9 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, proper amounts of products are ground to powder and applied to the affected areas.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

693

694

H. Ye et al.

9.10 Family: Bambusaceae 9.10.1 Bambusa tuldoides, Dendrocalamopsis beecheyana, Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis Chinese Name(s): zhu ru. Source: This medicine is made of the intermediate layer of stems of Bambusa tuldoides (Bambusa tuldoides Munro), Dendrocalamopsis beecheyana (Dendrocalamopsis beecheyana (Munro) Keng f.), and Phyllostachys nigra (Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.) Munro var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf ex Rendle). Morphology: A. Bambusa tuldoides. The culms are 6–10 m in height, 3–5 cm in diam., apically slightly drooping; the internodes are 30–36 cm long, white powdery when young, glabrous; the walls are thick; the nodes are slightly raised; the sheaths are abaxially glabrous, slightly raised when dry, often outside with 1–3

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

695

yellow-­ white longitudinal stripes, apically slightly slanted and asymmetrical, broadly arched; the auricles are unequal, outside more larger, ovate to ovate-elliptic, about 2.5 cm long, 1–1.4 cm wide, slightly wrinkled, with undulate oral setae; the inside ones are more smaller, slanted, ovoid to elliptic, about 1/2 size or larger, with undulate oral setae; the ligules are 3–4 mm high, with 2 mm short fimbriate hairs on the margins; the sheaths are erect, deciduous, asymmetrically ovate-triangular to narrowly triangular, abaxially sparsely appressed spinulose, deciduous, adaxially brown or pale brown small spinulose between veins, apically acuminate, basally slightly rounded and narrowed, extended on both sides to connect with auricles, about 5–7 mm long, nearly 3/4–2/3 as wide as sheath apex, slightly wrinkled on both surfaces, with undulate oral setae. The leaf blades are lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 10–18 cm long, 1.5–2 cm wide, adaxially glabrous or sparsely pilose near base, abaxially densely pubescent, apically acuminate, basally subrounded or broadly cuneate. Habitat: It is cultivated near rivers and villages in low-altitude areas. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions of southern China. Morphology: B. Dendrocalamopsis beecheyana. The culms are up to 16  m, 9–10 cm in diam., apically arched or long pendulous. The plants are often branched, from 10th node upward; there is 1 or 3 branches on each node; the main branches are very strong; each branch is spreading; there are 6–12 leaves on terminal branchlets; the sheaths are 4–8  cm long, longitudinally ribbed. The internodes are 34–40.5 cm in length, white powdery when young, sparsely pubescent, then gradually glabrous; the walls are 1.5–2 cm thick; the sheaths are leathery; the shoulders are slightly broadly rounded, gradually narrowed and truncate, or apically slightly concave; the central mouths are slightly raised, abaxially initially with uneven dark brown bristles; the auricles are larger at distal nodes, small at lower nodes, narrowly oblong; the other sheath ends are almost connected with ligule, glabrous or densely ciliate; the ligules are obviously extended and slightly truncate, more higher on both sides, deeply dentate on margins; the leaf blades are ovate-lanceolate, erect or revolute, serrulate on margins, abaxially glabrous, adaxially scabrid; the lateral veins are in 5–10 pairs; the transverse veins are obvious or transparent microdots; the petioles are 2–6 mm long. Habitat: It is cultivated near rivers and villages in low-altitude areas. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions in southern China. Morphology: C. Phyllostachys nigra var. henonis. The culms are 4–8  m tall, rarely up to 10 m in height, up to 5 cm in diam., green, densely white powdery and pubescent. The culm rings are hairy; the culms gradually bear purple spots 1 year later. The middle internodes are 25–30  cm in length; the outer culms are about 3 mm thick; the nodal ridges and sheath scars are raised, and the nodal ridges are slightly more prominent than or equal sheath scar; the sheaths are reddish brown or greenish, unmarked or densely minutely imperceptibly dark brown spotted; the spots aggregate into a distal dark brown patch, thinly white powdery, brown strigose; the auricles are oblong to falcate, purple-black, with purple-black hairs on margins; the ligules are arched, purple, long ciliate; the blades are triangular to triangular-lanceolate, navicular, green, with purple veins, erect or slightly spreading,

696

H. Ye et al.

rugose or undulate. The terminal branchlets have 2 or 3 leaves; the leaf blades are thin, 7–10 cm long, ca. 1.2 cm wide. Habitat: It grows in mountain forests. Distribution: It’s distributed in provinces and regions south of the Yellow River in China. Acquisition and Processing: It’s harvested all year round. The outer skins are removed, and the second layer is scraped into filaments or thin slices, which makes the product. Medicinal Properties: The products are curled into balls of irregular strips or long strip-shaped sheets. They are light green, yellow-green, or white. They are fibrous, light, flexible and elastic, slightly odored, and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, heart, and gallbladder. Functions: Clearing heat and resolving phlegm, eliminating vexation, and relieving coughing; it’s often used for treatment of cough due to phlegm and heat, bile fire with phlegm, palpitation, dysphoria, insomnia, stroke, aphasia with stiff tongue, vomiting due to stomach heat, morning sickness, and fetal irritability. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

697

698

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

699

700

H. Ye et al.

9  Medicinal Angiosperms of Juncaceae, Cyperaceae, and Bambusaceae

701

Chapter 10

Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae Huagu Ye, Chuyuan Li, Wencai Ye, Feiyan Zeng, Fangfang Liu, Yuanyuan Liu, Faguo Wang, Yushi Ye, Lin Fu, and Jianrong Li

Contents 10.1  F  amily: Poaceae 10.1.1  Coix lacryma-jobi 10.2  Family: Poaceae 10.2.1  Coix lacryma-jobi var. mayuen 10.3  Family: Poaceae 10.3.1  Cymbopogon caesius 10.4  Family: Poaceae 10.4.1  Cymbopogon citratus 10.5  Family: Poaceae 10.5.1  Cynodon dactylon 10.6  Family: Poaceae 10.6.1  Imperata cylindrica

 705  705  708  708  711  711  714  714  717  717  719  719

H. Ye (*) · F. Zeng · F. Wang · Y. Ye · L. Fu · J. Li South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] C. Li Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited, Guangzhou, China e-mail: [email protected] W. Ye Jinan University, Guangzhou, China F. Liu Huizhou Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Huizhou, China Y. Liu Faculty of Military Language Education, University of Defence Technology, Changsha, China © Chemical Industry Press 2021 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_10

703

704 10.7    Family: Poaceae 10.7.1  Lophatherum gracile 10.8    Family: Poaceae 10.8.1  Oryza sativa 10.9    Family: Poaceae 10.9.1  Oryza sativa var. glutinosa 10.10  Family: Poaceae 10.10.1  Phragmites australis 10.11  Family: Poaceae 10.11.1  Phragmites karka 10.12  Family: Poaceae 10.12.1  Pogonatherum crinitum 10.13  Family: Poaceae 10.13.1  Saccharum arundinaceum 10.14  Family: Poaceae 10.14.1  Saccharum officinarum 10.15  Family: Poaceae 10.15.1  Saccharum spontaneum 10.16  Family: Poaceae 10.16.1  Setaria italica 10.17  Family: Poaceae 10.17.1  Sporobolus fertilis 10.18  Family: Poaceae 10.18.1  Themeda villosa 10.19  Family: Poaceae 10.19.1  Zea mays 10.20  Family: Poaceae 10.20.1  Zizania latifolia Suggested Reading

H. Ye et al.  722  722  725  725  727  727  729  729  733  733  735  735  738  738  741  741  743  743  744  744  747  747  748  748  751  751  754  754  756

This chapter introduces 20 species of medicinal plants in 1 family, mainly including Coix lacryma-jobi, Coix lacryma-jobi var. mayuen, Cymbopogon caesius, Cymbopogon citratus, Cynodon dactylon, Imperata cylindrica, Lophatherum gracile, Oryza sativa, Oryza sativa var. glutinosa, Phragmites australis, Phragmites karka, Pogonatherum crinitum, Saccharum arundinaceum, Saccharum officinarum, Saccharum spontaneum, Setaria italica, Sporobolus fertilis, Themeda villosa, Zea mays, and Zizania latifolia of Poaceae. This chapter introduces the scientific names, medicinal names, morphologies, habitats, distributions, acquisition and processing methods, medicinal properties, tastes, functions, and use and dosages of these medicinal plants, with clear original plant photos and part photos of herbal medicines of each plant.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

705

10.1 Family: Poaceae 10.1.1 Coix lacryma-jobi Chinese Name(s): yi yi, yi mi, chuan gu gen. Source: This medicine is made of the roots and rhizomes of Coix lacryma-jobi (Coix lacryma-jobi Linn.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs, robust, with yellowish-white fibrous roots, spongy, ca. 3 mm in diam. The culms are erect, tufted, 1–2 m high, with more than 10 nodes, many branched. The leaf sheaths are shorter than internodes, glabrous; the ligules are scarious, about 1 mm long; the leaf blades are flat, spreading, 10–40  cm long, 1.5–3  cm wide, basally rounded or subcordate; the midribs are stout, abaxially raised, scabrous on margins, usually glabrous. The racemes are axillary, clustered, 4–10 cm long, erect or pendulous, with long peduncles. The female spikelets are inserted in the lower part of inflorescence, with a bony utricle. The utricles are ovoid, 7–10 mm long, 6–8 mm in diam., shiny, hard. The lower glumes are ovate, apically acuminate, beaklike, with 10 veins, surrounding upper glumes and the lower lemma; the upper lemmas are shorter than glume, with 3 veins; the paleae are smaller; the stamens are often degenerate; the pistil has a slender stigma; the upper lemmas are smaller, extend from involucre; the caryopses are small, less starchy, often without plump. The male spikelets are in 2–3 pairs, 1–2  cm long, inserted in the upper part of raceme; the sessile male spikelets are 6–7 mm long; the lower glumes are herbaceous, folded into keels on margins, unequally winged, apically obtuse, with many veins; the upper glumes are navicular; the lemmas and paleae are membranous; the first and second florets often have 3 stamens; the anthers are orange-yellow, 4–5 mm in length; the pedicelled male spikelets are similar to the sessile ones. The flowering and fruiting periods are from June to December. Habitat: It grows by streams, water, and ponds. Distribution: It’s distributed in Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in southeastern Asia and the Pacific Islands, tropical and subtropical areas of the world, Africa, and America’s hot and humid regions. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and rhizomes are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property. Functions: The rhizome functions in clearing heat, promoting diuresis, and killing insect. It’s often used for treatment of urinary tract infection, urinary calculi, edema, beriberi, ascariasis, and leucorrhea. The root functions in promoting diuresis and relieving coughing. It’s often used for treatment of measles and contracture of muscles and tendons. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

706

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

707

708

H. Ye et al.

10.2 Family: Poaceae 10.2.1 Coix lacryma-jobi var. mayuen Chinese Name(s): yi yi ren, yi ren mi, yi mi. Source: This medicine is made of the roots, rhizomes, and kernels of Coix lacryma-­jobi (Coix lacryma-jobi Linn. var. mayuen (Roman.) Stapf [Coix chinensis Todaro]). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs. The culms are 1–1.5 m high, with 6–10 nodes and many branches. The leaf blades are linear, spreading, 10–40  cm long, 1.5–3 cm wide, basally rounded or subcordate; the midribs are stout, abaxially raised, scabrous on margins, usually glabrous. The racemes are axillary; the male inflorescences are inserted in the upper part of female ones, in 5–6 pairs of male spikelets. The utricles are elliptic, usually bony, with apical beak and oblique mouth, basally short and contracted, 8–12  mm long, 4–7  mm wide, with longitudinal straight stripes, thinly textured, brittle and easily broken, dark brown or light brown. The caryopses are large, oblong, 5–8 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, 3–4 mm thick, adaxially grooved, with a brown hilum at base, rich in starch, white or yellowish white. The male spikelets are ca. 9 mm long and 5 mm wide; the stamens are 3–4 mm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to December. Habitat: It grows by streams, water, and ponds. Distribution: It’s distributed in Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Acquisition and Processing: The plants are harvested in autumn when the fruits are ripe and dried in the sun. Then the fruits are knocked off and dried in the sun, after the shells are removed. Medicinal Properties: The products are broad ovate or ovate oblong, 4–8 mm long and 3–6 mm wide, milky white, smooth, occasionally with residual light brown testae, obtuse on one end, slightly flat or emarginate and with light brown punctate hila at the base. The dorsal surfaces are convex and on the ventral surface, with a wide and deep longitudinal groove. They are solid in texture, white on the cross-­ sections, and farinose. They are slightly odored and slightly sweet in taste. The products better in quality are large, plump, white, and intact. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, stomach, and lungs.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

709

Functions: Invigorating the spleen and tonifying the lungs, clearing heat and dampness, relieving diarrhea, and expelling pus; it’s often used for treatment of diarrhea caused by spleen deficiency, muscle soreness, edema, beriberi, diarrhea, arthritis and muscle contracture caused by dampness, atrophic lung disease, intestinal carbuncle, dyspepsia, and turbid leucorrhea. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Appendicitis: Coix lacryma-jobi seed 30 g, Patrinia villosa 15 g, prepared aconite 6 g, decocted in water for oral use. 2. Edema: Coix lacryma-jobi seed, Vigna angularis, wax gourd skin 30  g each, Astragalus membranaceus, Poria cocos skin 15 g each, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Choriocarcinoma: Coix lacryma-jobi seed, Houttuynia cordata, Vigna angularis 30 g each, donkey hide gelatin beads, licorice 9 g each; for patients with abdominal lump, added with Typha angustifolia pollen and Trogopterus dung, 9 g each; for patients with vaginal bleeding, added with carbonized Cyrtomium fortunei 9 g; and for patients with chest pain, added with Curcuma rcenyujin and Citrus reticulata 9 g each; for patients with hematemesis, added with Bletilla striata 15 g, decocted in water for oral use.

710

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

711

10.3 Family: Poaceae 10.3.1 Cymbopogon caesius Chinese Name(s): qing xiang mao, ju xiang cao, xiang hua cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cymbopogon caesius (Cymbopogon caesius (Nees) Stapf). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The culms are erect, tufted, 30–80  cm tall, with many nodes, often powdery. The leaf sheaths are glabrous,

712

H. Ye et al.

shorter than internodes; the ligules are 1–3  mm long; the leaf blades are linear, 10–25 cm long, 2–6 mm wide, basally narrowed and rounded, scabrous on margins, apically long acuminate. The pseudo-spikelets are narrow, 10–20 cm long, solitary, 2–4  cm wide; the spatheoles are 1.4–2  cm long, yellow or reddish brown when mature; the racemes are about 1.2 cm long; the rachis internodes and pedicels are about 1.5 mm long, ciliate on margins; the bases of racemes and pedicels are slightly inflated; the sessile spikelets are about 3.5 mm long; the lower glumes are ovate-­ lanceolate, 1–1.2 mm wide, slightly broadly winged on upper part of keel, apically obtuse, veinless or obscurely 2-veined between keels, deeply grooved below middle; the upper lemmas are about 1 mm long; the awns are about 9 mm long; there are 3 stamens and 2 anthers; the pedicelled spikelets are 3–3.5 mm long; the lower glumes are 7-veined. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to September. Habitat: It grows on grass slopes on hills. Distribution: It’s distributed in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, and other coastal areas of China, as well as in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indochina Peninsula, East Africa, and Arab regions. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, relieving swelling, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of arthralgia caused by dampness and cold, stomach cold pain, irregular menstruation, injury, swelling and pain caused by blood stasis, and impotence. Use and Dosage: 3–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

713

714

H. Ye et al.

10.4 Family: Poaceae 10.4.1 Cymbopogon citratus Chinese Name(s): xiang mao, xiang mao cao, ning meng cao, feng mao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cymbopogon citratus (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, densely tufted, with lemon flavor, shortly rhizomatous. The culms are stout, tufted, up to 2 m in height, white farinose below nodes. The leaves are linear, up to 1 m long, 0.5–2 cm wide, apically long and tapered, basally gradually narrowed, both surfaces scabrid; the ligules are about 1 mm long; the sheaths are glabrous, greenish inside; the basal sheaths are not revolute after old. The pseudo-spikelets are many compound branched; the branches are slender; the

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

715

spatheoles are lanceolate, narrow, red or yellowish brown; the rachis internode and pedicels are loosely villous on margins; the sessile spikelets are bisexual, linear-lanceolate; the lower glumes are flat or slightly concave toward base, about 0.7 mm wide, rough, 2-keeled, veinless between keels, slightly 2-lobed; the upper lemmas are narrow, entire and awnless, or slightly 2-lobed with ca. 0.2 mm mucro; the pedicelled spikelets are 4–5 mm long. The flowering and fruiting periods are in summer. Habitat: It is cultivated on slopes or in fields. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hainan, Guangdong, and Taiwan of China, as well as cultivated in the West Indies and eastern Africa. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn, cut into sections, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The whole plant with roots is 1 m long. The rhizome is stout, nodular, and several fibrous roots on the internodes. The cortex of the root is thin and loose and easy to exfoliate, and the xylem is tough. The leaves are shrunken and curled, amplexicaul, 40–80 cm in length and 7–15 mm in width, rough on both surfaces, greenish or yellowish green, with fine longitudinal stripes but veins, entire and flexible in quality. It is slightly fragrant and slightly bitter in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s pungent in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, stomach, and spleen. Functions: Dispelling wind and dampness, relieving swelling, and killing pain; it’s often used for treatment of rheumatic pain, headache, stomachache, abdominal pain, diarrhea, irregular menstruation, postpartum edema, bruise, swelling, and pain. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use; or the citronella oil is extracted and taken, several drops each time.

716

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

717

10.5 Family: Poaceae 10.5.1 Cynodon dactylon Chinese Name(s): gou ya gen, tie xian cao, ban gen cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Cynodon dactylon (Cynodon dactylon (Linn.) Pers.). Morphology: The plants are creeping herbs, with rhizomes. The culms are slender, stoloniferous in the lower part, spreading on the ground; the nodes often have adventitious roots, 10–30 cm high, 1–1.5 mm in diam.; the outer culms are thick, smooth, glabrous, sometimes slightly compressed on both surfaces. The leaf sheaths are slightly keeled, glabrous or sparsely pilose, pubescent mouth; the ligule has a line of hairs; the leaf blades are linear, 1–12 cm long, 1–3 mm wide, often glabrous on both surfaces. There are 3–5 spikelets, 2–5 cm long; the spikelets are grayish green or purplish, 2–2.5 mm long, only with 1 floret; the glumes are 1.5–2 mm; the upper glumes are slightly longer, 1-veined, with abaxial keels and membranous margins; the lemmas are navicular, 3-veined, with obvious keels, silky villous along keels; the paleae and lemmas are subequal in length, 2-veined; the anthers are purplish; the ovaries are glabrous, with purplish stigmas. The caryopses are long-­ cylindric. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to October. Habitat: It grows in the wild, by roadsides, and on grasslands. Distribution: It’s distributed south of the Yellow River Basin in China, as well as in Europe. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Clearing heat and promoting diuresis, dispersing blood stasis and stopping bleeding, relaxing muscles, and activating collaterals; it’s often used for treatment of upper respiratory tract infection, hepatitis, dysentery, urinary tract infection, epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematochezia, beriberi, edema, rheumatic bone pain, urticaria, hemiplegia, numbness of hands and feet, and traumatic injury, as well as for external treatment of traumatic bleeding, fractures, carbuncle, and leg ulcers. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water or soaked in alcohol for oral use. For external treatment, the fresh and tender leaves are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

718

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

719

10.6 Family: Poaceae 10.6.1 Imperata cylindrica Chinese Name(s): bai mao, bai mao gen, mao gen, su mao gen. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Imperata cylindrica (Imperata cylindrica (Linn.) Beauv. [I. cylindrica var. major Nees. ]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, with strong long rhizomes. The culms are erect, 30–80 cm high, with 1–3 nodes and glabrous. The leaf sheaths are gathered at base of culms, longer than internodes, thick, fibrous in fracture when old; the ligules are membranous, about 2 mm long, close to back or pilose at mouths; the leaf blades are about 20 cm long and 8 mm wide, flat and thin; the culm blades are 1–3  cm long, narrowly linear, usually involute, apically acuminate, base

720

H. Ye et al.

gradually narrowed, or stipitate, hard, white powdery, pilose above base. The panicles are dense, up to 20 cm long and 3 cm wide; the spikelets are 4.5–5(–6) mm long; the callus have 12–16 mm silky hairs; the glumes are membranous on margins, subequal, with 5–9 veins, apically acuminate or slightly obtuse, often ciliate, sparsely filiform hairs between veins; the lower lemmas are ovate-lanceolate, about 2/3 length of glumes, transparent and membranous, without veins, apically acute or denticulate; the upper lemmas are subequal to paleae, about 1/2 length of glumes; the anthers are 3–4 mm long; the styles are slender, basally connected; the stigmas are purplish black, feathery, about 4 mm long, extend from apex of spikelets. The caryopses are elliptic, about 1 mm long; the embryo is about 1/2 length of caryopses. The flowering and fruiting periods are from April to June. Habitat: It is often found on abandoned land and in forests or dry land after fire. Distribution: It’s distributed in southern China, eastern China, central China, southwestern China, and Shandong, Henan, and Shaanxi provinces, as well as in tropical and temperate regions of the eastern hemisphere. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested all year round, washed and rubbed on rock to remove the fibrous roots and scaly leaves, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are slender cylinder with few branches, 50–60 cm in length or longer, and 0.2–0.3 cm in diameter. The surfaces are white or yellowish white, slightly glossy, with longitudinal wrinkles. The nodes are obvious and protruding; the internodes are various in length, usually ca.1–2 cm. They are light, flexible, and not easily broken. There are radial cracks in the cutting sections, and the xylems are small and light yellow. They are slightly odored and slightly sweet in taste. The products better in quality are thick and long, stout, without fibrous root, sparse nodular, yellow white, and sweet tasted. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, stomach, and gallbladder. Functions: Clearing heat and promoting diuresis, cooling blood, and stopping bleeding; it’s often used for treatment of acute nephritis, edema, urinary tract infection, bleeding, hemoptysis, hematemesis, hematuria, hypertension, fever, thirst, and cough caused by lung heat. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Measles and thirst: Imperata cylindrica 30  g, decocted in water and taken frequently. 2. Epistaxis: Imperata cylindrica 30 g, or added with lotus root 15 g, decocted in water for oral use. 3. Gastric bleeding: Imperata cylindrica, lotus leaf 30 g each, Platycladus orientalis leaf, lotus root 9 g each, black beans a little, decocted in water for oral use. 4. Acute nephritis: fresh Imperata cylindrica root 60–120 g, decocted in water and taken in 2–3 times, 1 dose daily.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

721

722

H. Ye et al.

10.7 Family: Poaceae 10.7.1 Lophatherum gracile Chinese Name(s): dan zhu ye, shan ji mi, mi shen cao, zhu ye mai dong. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Lophatherum gracile (Lophatherum gracile Brongn). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, 50–100 cm in height, with erect perennial roots. The fibrous roots are yellowish, often inflated in the middle, forming a fusiform and fleshy tuberous root. The leaves are lanceolate, similar to bamboo leaves, 5–22 cm long, 2–3.5 cm wide; there are many small parallel veins and obvious small transverse veins between parallel veins. The flowers open in summer and autumn, arranged in conical spikes, loosely spiculate, narrowly lanceolate or nearly cylindric, with awns 7–12 mm in length and about 2 mm in width, sessile or shortly pedunculate, separated under glumes; each spikelet has several florets, only the first of which is fertile; there are 2 glumes, broadly oblong, apically obtuse, membranous on margins, with 5 veins; the lower glumes are short and small; the lemmas are long ovate, 6–7 mm long, with short awn at apex; the paleae are short and small; there are 2 stamens. The caryopses are small, dark brown, separated from lemmas, and paleae. Habitat: It grows in hillside forests or shady places. Distribution: It’s distributed in the Yangtze River Basin and the provinces in southern China and southwestern China, as well as in New Guinea, India, Malaysia, and Japan. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn when the inflorescences do not grow. After the fibrous roots are removed, they are dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are 30–60 cm long, with a few yellow and white fibrous roots at the base. The stems are cylindrical, ca. 0.2 cm in diameter,

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

723

nodular, yellowish green, hollow on the cross-sections. The leaf sheaths are amplexicaul, cracked, white pubescent; the leaves are lanceolate, very similar to middle bamboo leaves, often shrunk, curled, 5–20 cm long, 2–3.5 cm wide, light green or yellowish green, with parallel veins. The inflorescences come from the top of the stem. The flowers are small and exfoliate. They are odorless and bland in taste. The products with large leaves, soft texture, green color, and few roots and spikes are better in quality. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and slightly cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the heart, stomach, and small intestine. Functions: Promoting diuresis, clearing heart fire, removing vexation, generating fluid, and quenching thirst; it’s often used for treatment of cold, fever, heatstroke, thirst of high fever, hematuria and turbid urine, sore mouth and tongue, pharyngitis, urethritis, periodontitis, gonorrhea, and insomnia. Use and Dosage: 5–10 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

724

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

725

10.8 Family: Poaceae 10.8.1 Oryza sativa Chinese Name(s): dao ya, gu ya, shui dao. Source: This medicine is made of the sprouts of Oryza sativa (Oryza sativa Linn.). Morphology: The plants are annual aquatic herbs. The culms are erect, 0.5–1.5 m tall. The leaf sheaths are loose and glabrous; the ligules are lanceolate, 10–25 cm long, basally decurrent to sheath margins, with 2 falcate auricles embracing the stems; the leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, about 40 cm long and 1 cm wide, glabrous, scabrid. The panicles are large and spreading, about 30 cm long, with many branches, scabrid on margins, downward nodding when mature; there is 1 mature flower on the spikelet, compressed on both surfaces, oblong-ovate to elliptic, about 10 mm in length, 2–4 mm in width; the glumes are very small, only a lunate mark on tip of petiole; the lemmas are degenerate, spinulose, 2–4 mm in length; the fertile lemmas are thick on both sides, with 5 veins; the midribs are keeled, papillose, thickly papery, finely hairy, awned or awless; the paleae and lemmas are homogenous, 3-veined, apically acute and beakless; there are 6 stamens; the anthers are 2–3 mm long. The caryopses are about 5 mm long and 2 mm wide, 1–1.5 mm thick; the embryo is small, about 1/4 length of caryopses. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It’s widely cultivated in eastern China, central China, southern China, and southwestern China, as well as in tropical regions of the world. Acquisition and Processing: Soak the ripe grains of rice in water; keep them in appropriate humidity and temperature; dry the sprouts when the fibrous roots grow to about 1 cm and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are oblong, slightly pointed at both ends, 7–9 mm in length and 3 mm in diameter. The lemmas are yellow, whitish villous, 5-veined. There are two symmetrical white strips at one end, which are 2–3 mm

726

H. Ye et al.

long, and 1–3 curved fibrous roots of 5–12 mm exerting from the inner side of one of the white strips. They are hard, white on the cross-sections, farinose, slightly odored, and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Strengthening the spleen, and improving appetite, moderating the center burner, and diminishing food accumulation; it’s often used for treatment of indigestion, loss of appetite, abdominal distension, bad breath, and weakness of the spleen and stomach. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

727

10.9 Family: Poaceae 10.9.1 Oryza sativa var. glutinosa Chinese Name(s): nuo dao gen. Source: This medicine is made of the roots of Oryza sativa (Oryza sativa Linn. var. glutinosa Matsum.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs, tufted. The leaf blades are linear, 30–60 cm long, 6–15 mm wide, slightly scabrid; the leaf sheaths are glabrous; the ligules are 15–25 mm long, membranous, with obvious auricles when young. The panicles are loosely contracted, 15–30 cm long, with many branches; the spikelets are compressed, composed of one hermaphrodite flower and two lemmas; the glumes are degenerative, only a lunate mark on the tip of petiole; the fertile lemmas are stiffly papery, with fine hairs, 5-veined; there are 6 stamens. The caryopses are broadly ovate, pale yellow. Habitat: It is cultivated.

728

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It’s cultivated all over China and also in tropical and temperate regions of the world. Acquisition and Processing: The roots are dug up in autumn, washed, and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are loose clumps. After straightening, there are many separated stumps at the upper end. The stumps are cylindrical, hollow, 2.5–6.5 cm long, with several layers of yellowish-white leaf sheaths. At the lower end, there are many curved fibrous roots, which are straight, ca. 1 mm in diameter, yellowish white to yellowish brown, with longitudinal wrinkles. They are light and soft, slightly odored, and bland in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the liver, lungs, and kidneys. Functions: Astringing perspiration and promoting fluid reproduction; it is often used for treatment of spontaneous sweating, night sweating, fever due to spleen deficiency in children, hepatitis, and chyluria. Use and Dosage: 30–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

729

10.10 Family: Poaceae 10.10.1 Phragmites australis Chinese Name(s): lu gen, lu tou, wei gen. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Phragmites australis (Phragmites australis Trin. ex Steud. [Phragmites communis Trin. ]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, 2–4  m tall. The rhizomes are creeping, stout; the stems have more than 20 nodes; the basal and upper internodes are shorter; the longest internodes are inserted at the lower 4th–6th nodes, 20–25(–40) cm in length, farinose below nodes, smooth, hollow, 1.5–2 cm in diam. The leaves are simple and alternate, linear-lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 30–40 cm long, 1–3.5 cm wide; the veins are parallel; the midribs are obvious, glabrous. The panicles are terminal, dense and multibranched, 10–40 cm long, branches being often obliquely upward or slightly spreading; the spikelets are compressed, separated at base of first floret, brownish purple or dark purple, with 3–7 flowers; the first floret is often male; the glumes are membranous, lanceolate; the lower glumes are 1/2 length of upper glume; the lower lemmas are glabrous, longer than palea, similar to glume, 3-veined; the lemmas are membranous when fruiting, with 6–12 mm hairs on floret callus. The caryopses are elliptic or oblong. The flowering and fruiting periods are from August to December. Habitat: It grows in marshes, rivers, and lakes, often forming large colonies; it can also grow on dry sand dunes. Distribution: It’s distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, and Taiwan of China, as well as in Japan, Mexico, and the United States. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up all year round, removed the fibrous roots are removed, washed and dried in the sun, or cut into short sections when fresh before drying. Medicinal Properties: The products are slightly compressed strip-shaped cylinder with different lengths and diameters of 1–2  cm. The surfaces are yellowish white to light yellow, slightly glossy, loose and peelable, with longitudinal wrinkles and obvious protuberant joints; there are residual marks of fibrous roots and buds. The internodes are 4–7 cm apart. It’s light and tough and not easily broken. The cross-sections are hollow; the walls are about 0.1–0.2 cm thick, and there is a row of small holes along the margins to form a ring; the inner layers are thin, and the inner surfaces are smooth. They are odorless and slightly sweet in taste. The products better in quality are thick, pliable, yellowish white, and sweet. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs and stomach. Functions: Clearing heat and generating fluid, relieving vexation and quenching thirst, stopping vomiting, purging stomach fire, and unblocking defecation and urination; it is often used for treatment of cough due to lung heat, pulmonary abscess,

730

H. Ye et al.

thirst, bitter mouth, dry throat, strangury, constipation, fever, gingival bleeding, epistaxis, vomiting caused by stomach heat, lobar pneumonia, tracheitis, and dysuria. Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Prevention of measles: fresh Phragmites australis root, fresh Imperata cylindrica root each 1000 g, Phaseolus calcaratus, mung bean, black soybean each 750 g, added with 10L of water, decocted until the beans are well cooked. Take 25–30  ml of the soup once a day. The dosage can be taken by 150 people for 7 days. 2. Clinical diagnosis and symptoms: Acute bronchitis and cough – Phragmites australis root, Imperata cylindrica root, luffa root, 60 g each, decocted in water and taken in three times. 3. Lung abscess: Phragmites australis root, honeysuckle 30  g each, wax gourd 12  g, almond 9  g, Coix seed 15  g, Platycodon grandiflorum 9  g, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

731

732

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

733

10.11 Family: Poaceae 10.11.1 Phragmites karka Chinese Name(s): shui lu, shui zhu, guo jiang lu di, shui lu di. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Phragmites karka (Phragmites karka (Retz.) Trin. ex Steud.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The rhizomes are stout; the internodes are short, 1–2 cm in length, 1–1.2 cm in diam.; the nodes have many adventitious roots, about 4 mm in diam. The culms are tall and erect, stout and unbranched, 4–6 m tall, 1.5–2.5 cm in diam., with 35 nodes, up to 35 cm in the middle and lower parts of internodes; the leaf sheaths are usually smooth, with transverse veins; the ligules are about 1 mm long; the leaf blades are flat and linear, up to 50 cm long, scabrid on margins and the lower part, apically long acuminate into filiform, as wide as sheaths at base. The panicles are large, with dense branches and spikelets, 30–50 cm long, 10–20 cm wide; the main axises are erect, about 25 cm long; many branches are arranged in whorls on each node of the main axis; the basal branches are 10–30  cm long, obliquely ascending or spreading, glabrous at insertion; the spikelets are 8–10(–11) mm long, with 4–6 florets; the glumes are narrowly elliptic, with 1–3 veins, apically acuminate; the lower glumes are about 3  mm long; the upper ones are about 5 mm; the lower lemmas are 6–9 mm long, sterile; the upper lemmas are about 8 mm long, gradually upward smaller, apically acuminate to aristiform; the floret calluses are slender, slightly curved, sparse, shortly filiform pilose about 5 mm; the hairs are about 1/2–2/3 length of lemmas. The flowering and fruiting periods are from August to December. Habitat: It grows in ponds and beside rivers and lakes. Distribution: It’s distributed in Taiwan, Fujian, Hainan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and other regions of China. It is also distributed in Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are dug up in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property. Functions: Clearing heat and promoting diuresis, purging stomach fire, moistening the lungs, resolving phlegm, calming the liver and improving eyesight, and stopping vomiting; it’s often used for treatment of acute febrile diseases, thirst, lung heat, acute appendicitis, reddish-yellow urine, gingival bleeding, epistaxis, dyspepsia, and constipation. Use and Dosage: 9–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

734

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

735

10.12 Family: Poaceae 10.12.1 Pogonatherum crinitum Chinese Name(s): jin si cao, huang mao cao, miao mao cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Pogonatherum crinitum (Pogonatherum crinitum (Thunb.) Kunth). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, with tufted culms, erect or slightly geniculate, 10–30 cm in height, 0.5–0.8 mm in diam., longitudinally striate, scabrous, usually with 3–7 nodes, rarely more than 10 nodes, white pubescent on nodes, several branched. The leaf sheaths are shorter than or longer than internodes, gradually narrower toward the upper part, not entirely embracing the stems, thinly papery on margins, glabrous, except long ciliate at mouths; the lower leaf sheaths

736

H. Ye et al.

sometimes have short hairs; the ligules are short and filiform; the leaf blades are linear, flat, thinly involute or folded, 1.5–5 cm long, 1–4 mm wide, apically acuminate, basally about 1/3 width of sheath tip, scaberulous-puberulous on both surfaces. The spicate-racemes are terminal, single, 1.5–3 cm long (excluding awns), slender and slightly curved, yellowish; the rachis internodes and pedicels are compressed, about 1/3–2/3 length of sessile spikelet, ciliate on both sides; the sessile spikelets are less than 2 mm long, including 1 bisexual flower; the callus hairs are about equal to or slightly longer than spikelet; the lower glumes are compressed, about 1.5  mm long, apically truncate, with fimbriate hairs; the upper glumes are equal to spikelets, slightly longer than lower glumes, navicular, 1-veined, keeled, scabrous along keel, apically 2-lobed, ciliate on margins; the veins extend geniculate awns; the awns are golden yellow, 15–18 mm long, scabrous; the first floret is completely degenerate or only a lemma present; the lemmas of second florets are slightly shorter than first ones, apically 2-lobed; The lobes are about 1/3 length of lemmas; the awns are 18–24  mm long, slightly scabrous; the paleae are broadly ovate, shorter than lemmas, with 2 veins; there is 1 stamen; the anthers are small, about 1 mm long; the styles are separated from base; the stigmas are about 1 mm long. The caryopses are ovate-oblong, about 0.8 mm long. The pedicelled spikelets are similar to sessile, but smaller. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to September. Habitat: It grows on shady hillsides, in riversides, and in rock crevices. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in Japan, Indochina Peninsula, and India. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat, relieving heatstroke, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of cold, heatstroke, urinary tract infection, nephritis, edema, jaundice hepatitis, diabetes, and persistent fever in children. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): Acute glomerulonephritis – Pogonatherum crinitum, plantain, Parthenocissus tricuspidata, Rostellularia procumbens (fresh) each 30 g, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

737

738

H. Ye et al.

10.13 Family: Poaceae 10.13.1 Saccharum arundinaceum Chinese Name(s): ban mao, da mi. Source: This medicine is made of the roots of Saccharum arundinaceum (Saccharum arundinaceum Retz.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, tufted. The culms are stout, 2–4(–6) m high, 1–2 cm in diam., with many nodes, glabrous. The leaf sheaths are longer than internodes, ciliate at mouths and base or upper margins; the ligules are membranous, 1–2  mm long, apically truncate; the leaf blades are broadly linear-­ lanceolate, 1–2 m long, 2–5 cm wide, apically long acuminate, serrate on margins, with thick midribs, glabrous, adaxial surface velvety with long soft hairs on broad lower midvein, margins serrate. The panicles are large, dense, 30–80  cm long, 5–10 cm wide; the axises are glabrous, each node bearing 2–4 branches, then 2–3 times branched further, axis being pubescent; the rachis internodes and pedicels are thinly linear, 3–5 mm long, pilose with long silky hairs, apically slightly inflated; the sessile and pedicelled spikelets are narrowly lanceolate, 3.5–4 mm long, yellowish green or purplish; the callus are small, with short hairs ca. 1 mm long; there are 2 glumes, subequal, herbaceous or slightly thick, apically acuminate; the lower glumes are slightly scabrous along keels; the veins are unobvious on both surfaces, abaxially pilose with silky hairs twice the length of spikelets; the upper glumes are 3(–5)-veined, with keels scabrid, ciliate at upper margins, abaxially glabrous, but clearly pilose in pedicelled spikelet; the lower lemmas are equal or slightly shorter than glumes, with 1–3 veins, apically acute, ciliate on the upper margins; the upper lemmas are lanceolate, slightly shorter or equal to glumes, apically with mucro, or in pedicelled spikelets with short awns ca. 3 mm long, ciliate at upper margins; the upper lemmas are oblong, about half the length of lemmas, apically ciliate; the

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

739

anthers are 1.8–2 mm; the stigmas are purple-black, ca. 2 mm long, extending from both surfaces center of spikelets. The caryopses are oblong, about 3 mm long; the embryos are half the length of caryopses. The flowering and fruiting periods are from August to December. Habitat: It grows on hillsides and grasslands of riverside streams. Distribution: It’s distributed in Henan, Shaanxi, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Acquisition and Processing: The roots are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and bland in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Promoting blood circulation and unblocking meridians, opening orifices, and promoting diuresis; it’s often used for treatment of traumatic injury, muscle pain due to pathogenic wind, amenorrhea, irregular menstruation, edema, and tympanites due to parasitosis. Use and Dosage: 15–60 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

740

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

741

10.14 Family: Poaceae 10.14.1 Saccharum officinarum Chinese Name(s): gan zhe, xiu gui gan zhe, zhe. Source: This medicine is made of the stems of Saccharum officinarum (Saccharum officinarum Linn.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, tall, solid. The rhizomes are thick. The culms are 3–5(–6) m in height, 2–4(–5) cm in diam., with 20–40 nodes. The lower internodes are short and thick, white powdery. The leaf sheaths are longer than internode, glabrous, pilose at mouths; the ligules are very short, ciliate; the leaf blades are ca. 1 m long, 4–6 cm wide, glabrous; the midribs are thick, white, serrate on margins, scabrous. The panicles are large, about 50 cm long; the axises are glabrous but pilose at nodes, not filiform pilose below inflorescences; the racemes are mostly whorled, dense; the rachis internodes and pedicels are glabrous; the spikelets are linear-oblong, 3.5–4 mm long; the callus hairs are 2–3 times the length of spikelet; the lower glumes are veinless, glabrous, apically acute, membranous on margins; the upper glumes are 3-veined, with keeled midrib, scabrous, glabrous or ciliate; the lower lemmas are membranous, subequal to glumes, glabrous; the upper lemmas are minute, awnless, or degenerate; the upper paleae are lanceolate. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: It’s distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of world. It originated from India. Acquisition and Processing: The stems are used fresh. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Clearing heat, quenching thirst, and moderating the stomach and spleen, relieving chest tightness, and promoting circulation of water; it’s often used for treatment of fever, dry mouth, cough due to dryness of lungs, sore throat, vexation, nausea and vomiting, and pregnancy edema. Use and Dosage: 200–250 g per dose, decocted in water or squeezed for juice for oral use.

742

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

743

10.15 Family: Poaceae 10.15.1  Saccharum spontaneum Chinese Name(s): tian gen zi cao, tian mao, ge shou mi. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Saccharum spontaneum (Saccharum spontaneum Linn.). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, with long rhizomes. The culms are 1–2 m high, hollow, with many nodes, pubescent on nodes, often white powdery under nodes, softly pilose below inflorescences. The leaf sheaths are longer or slightly shorter than internodes, pilose at mouths and margins, sometimes tuberculate-­pilose throughout; the leaf blades are linear, 30–70 cm long, 4–8 mm wide, basally tapering, glabrous, gray-white, serrate on margins, scabrous. The panicles are 20–40 cm long, dense; the axises are densely pilose; the branches are slender, erect, or ascending; the rachis internodes are about 5 mm long, apically slightly inflated, pilose on margins and lateral surfaces; the peduncles are 2–3 mm long; the sessile spikelets are lanceolate, 3.5–4 mm long; the callus hairs are 3–4 times the length of spikelet; the two glumes are subequal, glabrous, thickly papery at lower part, membranous and acuminate at upper part; the lower glumes are ciliate above margins; the upper glumes are keeled, ciliate on margins; the lower lemmas are ovate-lanceolate, equal to spikelets, ciliate on margins; the upper lemmas are narrowly linear, about 3  mm long and 0.2  mm wide, ciliate on margins; the upper paleae are minute; the scales are obovate, about 1 mm long, apically ciliate; there are 3 stamens; the anthers are 1.8–2  mm long; the stigmas are purplish black, 1.5–2 mm long, extending from both sides in the center of spikelets; the pedicelled spikelets are similar to sessile ones, sometimes shorter or apically acuminate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from July to August. Habitat: It grows by rivers, in streams, and in the wild.

744

H. Ye et al.

Distribution: It’s distributed in Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Taiwan, Hainan, Hong Kong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan of China, as well as in India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, and southern Europe. Acquisition and Processing: The stems are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cool in property. Functions: Clearing heat, quenching thirst, and promoting circulation of water; it’s often used for treatment of cold, fever, dry mouth, dysuria, nephritis, hepatitis, etc. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10.16 Family: Poaceae 10.16.1 Setaria italica Chinese Name(s): gu ya. Source: This medicine is made of the sprouting seeds of Setaria italica (Setaria italica (Linn.) Beauv.). Morphology: The plants are annual herbs, with thick fibrous roots. The culms are stout, erect, 0.1–1  m or taller. The leaf sheaths loosely embrace the culms, densely pubescent or glabrous, densely ciliate on margins; the ligules are a circle of cilia; the leaf blades are long lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 10–45  cm long, 5–33 mm wide, apically acute, basally obtuse, adaxially scabrous, abaxially slightly smooth. The panicles are cylindric or nearly fusiform, usually nodding, interrupted at base, 10–40 cm long, 1–5 cm wide, often very variable; the axises are densely villous; the setae are obviously longer or slightly longer than spikelets, yellow, brown, or purple; the spikelets are elliptic or subglobose, 2–3  mm long, yellow, orange, or purple; the lower glumes are about 1/3–1/2 the length of spikelets, with

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

745

3 veins; the upper lemmas are slightly shorter than or longer than 3/4 the length of spikelets, apically obtuse, with 5–9 veins; the lower lemmas are as long as spikelets, with 5–7 veins; the paleae are thinly papery, lanceolate, about 2/3 the length of lower lemmas; the upper lemmas are equal to lower ones, oval or spheroid, solid, smooth or punctate rugose, deciduous when mature; the apical scales are rugose, undulate; the base of styles is separated. The flowering and fruiting periods are from May to November. Habitat: It is mainly cultivated in areas in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River, and a small number of them are planted in other areas. Distribution: It’s widely cultivated in temperate and tropical regions of Eurasia. Acquisition and Processing: Sift the millet, soak it in water, take it out and put it in the drainage container, cover it well, drench it with water 1–2 times a day, keep it moist, and make it germinate. When the fibrous root is 3–5 mm long, take it out and dry it in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The product is spherical in shape, about 2 mm in diameter, obtuse at the apex and slightly pointed at the base. The outer shell is leathery, light yellow, with punctate wrinkle and primary fine fibrous roots at the lower end, of 3–6 mm long. When the lemma stripped off, there is one light yellow or yellow-­ white caryopsis (millet). It’s slightly odored and sweet in taste. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s bitter in taste and warm in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen and stomach. Functions: Helping digestion and harmonizing the center burner, invigorating the spleen, and increasing appetite; it’s often used for treatment of indigestion, dyspepsia, chest tightness, abdominal distension, and pregnancy vomiting. Use and Dosage: 9–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

746

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

747

10.17 Family: Poaceae 10.17.1 Sporobolus fertilis Chinese Name(s): shu wei su, gou shi cao. Source: This medicine is made of the whole plants of Sporobolus fertilis (Sporobolus fertilis (Steud.) W. D. Claytoon [S. indicus (Linn.) R. Br. var. purpurea-­ suffusus (Ohwi) Koyama]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The culms are erect, tufted, smooth and glabrous, 25–120  cm tall, 2–4  mm wide at base. The leaf sheaths loosely embrace the culms, basally much wider, smooth and glabrous, sparsely short ciliate; the lower parts are longer than the upper parts, shorter than the internodes; the ligules are very short, about 0.2 mm long, ciliate; the leaf blades are hard, smooth and glabrous, or only sparsely pilose at base of upper parts, often involute, flat, apically long acuminate, 15–65 cm long, 2–5 mm wide. The panicles are compressed, linear, often interrupted, or contracted to be spikelike, 7–44 cm long, 0.5–1.2 cm wide; the branches are slightly solid, erect, appressed to the main axis, or ascending, often 1–2.5 cm long, basally more longer, generally no more than 6 cm, densely spiculate throughout; the spikelets are grayish green and slightly purplish, 1.7–2 mm long; the glumes are membranous; the lower glumes are small, about 0.5 mm long, apically acute or obtuse, with 1 vein; the lemmas are as long as spikelet, apically slightly acute, with 1 midrib and 2 inconspicuous lateral veins; there are 3 stamens; the anthers are yellow, 0.8–1  mm long, reddish brown, shorter than lemmas and paleae, 1–1.2 mm long, oblong-obovate or obovate-elliptic, apically truncate. The flowering and fruiting periods are from March to December. Habitat: It is mainly found on fields, on hillside grasslands, or by roadsides. Distribution: It’s distributed in Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Guizhou of China. Acquisition and Processing: The whole plants are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property. Functions: Clearing heat and detoxicating and cooling blood; it is often used for treatment of heat, constipation, turbidity of urine due to dampness heat, children’s fever, and hematuria. Use and Dosage: 60–90 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

748

H. Ye et al.

10.18 Family: Poaceae 10.18.1 Themeda villosa Chinese Name(s): jian. Source: This medicine is made of the roots and stems of Themeda villosa (Themeda villosa (Poir.) A. Camus). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs. The culms are stout, clustered, 1–2 m tall or more, 1–2 cm in diam. in the lower parts, compressed on both surfaces or angulate, often yellowish white or brown, smooth, glabrous, glossy, solid. The leaf sheaths are smooth, glabrous, thickly ridged in the lower parts; the ligules are membranous, short, apically ciliate; the leaf blades are linear, up to 1  m long, 0.7–1.5  cm wide. The compound panicles are large, composed of racemes with spathes, up to 1 m long; the racemes are 2–3 cm long; the peduncles are 0.5–2 cm

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

749

long, often pilose on upper parts, apically inflated; the spatheoles are navicular, 2–3.5 cm long, keeled, scabrous, with numerous veins; each raceme is composed of 9–11 spikelets; the lower glumes are narrowly lanceolate, 10–15 mm long, with 13 veins, abaxially hirsute; the upper glumes are about 8 mm long, 5-veined, ciliate on the upper margins. The lemmas are 7–8 mm long, transparent, ciliate on margins; the paleae are short, transparent, ovate; there are 3 stamens; the anthers are 4–5 mm long; the sessile spikelets are 7–8 mm long; the calluses are densely strigose and brown pubescent; the glumes are coriaceous; the lower glumes are oblong-­ lanceolate, 7–8  mm long, apically truncate, involute on margins, with rounded keels, dorsally densely brown strigose, with 7–8 veins; the upper glumes are narrowly lanceolate, 7  mm long, 3-veined, apically obtuse, dorsally densely brown strigose; the first floret is sterile; the lemmas are about 5.5 mm long, transparent, with small paleae; the second floret is hermaphroditic, the lemmas are narrowly lanceolate; the midveins extend into mucros or poorly developed short awns. The caryopses are hirsute or deciduous, brown when mature. The flowering and fruiting periods are from August to January of the following year. Habitat: It grows on shrubs, on grasslands, or at forest edges. Distribution: It’s distributed in Hubei, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Tibet of China, as well as in India, Indochina, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Acquisition and Processing: The roots and stems are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet and pungent in taste and warm in property. Functions: Dispelling wind and cold, removing dampness, unblocking collaterals, promoting diuresis, and reducing swelling; it is often used for treatment of rheumatic arthralgia, cold of wind-cold type, strangury, edema, and fracture. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. For external treatment, the products are mashed and applied to the affected areas.

750

H. Ye et al.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

751

10.19 Family: Poaceae 10.19.1 Zea mays Chinese Name(s): yu mi, yu mi xu, yu shu su, bao gu. Source: This medicine is made of the leaves, styles, and inflorescences of Zea mays (Zea mays Linn.). Morphology: The plants are tall annual herbs. The culms are erect, usually unbranched, 1–4 m high, with aerial roots at each node base. The leaf sheaths have transverse veins; the ligules are membranous, about 2 mm long; the leaf blades are flat and broad, linear-lanceolate, basally rounded, ear-shaped, glabrous or pilose; the midveins are stout, slightly scabrid on margins. The male panicles are large and terminal; the main axises and raceme rachises are puberulent; the male spikelets are twined, up to 1 cm long, unequally pedicellate; one pedicel is 1–2 mm, and the other is 2–4 mm long, puberulent; the glumes are subequal in length, membranous, with about 10 veins, ciliate; the lemmas and paleae are transparent and membranous, slightly shorter than glumes; the anthers are orange yellow, about 5 mm long. The female inflorescences are included by many broadly sheathed bracts; the glumes are equal in length, broad, veinless, and ciliate; the lemma and palea are transparent and membranous; the pistils have very long and slender linear styles. The caryopses are globose or oblate, different in size, generally 5–10 mm long, slightly wider than the length. The embryos are 1/2–2/3 the length of the caryopses. The flowering and fruiting periods are in autumn. Habitat: It is cultivated. Distribution: Originating from Latin America, it’s widely cultivated in China. Acquisition and Processing: The leaves, styles, and inflorescences are harvested in summer and autumn and dried in the sun. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and neutral in property and belongs to the meridians of the spleen, liver, and kidneys. Functions: Promoting diuresis and relieving swelling, calming the liver, and normalizing function of the gallbladder, it’s often used for treatment of acute and chronic nephritis, edema, acute and chronic hepatitis, hypertension, diabetes, chronic paranasal sinusitis, urinary tract stones, and biliary calculi and prevention of habitual abortion. Use and Dosage: 15–30 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use. Prescription Example(s): 1. Acute and chronic hepatitis: Zea mays stigma, Pseudostellaria heterophylla, each 30 g, decocted in water, 1 dose daily in the morning and evening; in cases with jaundice, added with Artemisia scoparia; in chronic cases, added with Caragana sinica root (or Polygonum cuspidatum root) 30 g. 2. Acute nephritis: Zea mays 60 g, watermelon skin 30 g, mole cricket 7, glutinous rehmannia 15 g, cinnamon 1.5 g, decocted in water and taken 1 dose every other

752

H. Ye et al.

day for 4–5 doses. After the symptoms disappear, take Jishengshenqi pill, 6–9 g twice a day. 3. Cholelithiasis (sand-like stones of the hepatobiliary tract and common bile duct, or small stones of the bile duct in quiescent stage): Zea mays stigma, reed root 30 g each, Artemisia scoparia 15 g, decocted in water for oral use, 1 dose daily. 4. Chronic sinusitis: dried Zea mays cut into short pieces, mixed with Angelica sinensis root tip (baked and ground to powder), put into the pipe, and lighted up to smoke, 5–7 times a day, 1–2 pipes each time, until the symptoms disappear. 5. Prevention of habitual abortion: after pregnancy, take the stigma of a corn and decoct and take instead of tea, until the month of the previous abortion, double the dosage, until full-term.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

753

754

H. Ye et al.

10.20 Family: Poaceae 10.20.1 Zizania latifolia Chinese Name(s): wei gen, gu, jiao bai. Source: This medicine is made of the rhizomes of Zizania latifolia (Zizania latifolia (Griseb.) Stapf. [Zizania caduciflora (Turcz.) Hand.-Mazz.]). Morphology: The plants are perennial herbs, up to 2 m tall, with creeping rhizomes; the fibrous roots are strong. The culms are tall and erect, 1–2 m in height, ca. 1 cm in diam., with many nodes, with adventitious roots on basal nodes. The leaf sheaths are longer than internodes, stout, with small transverse veins; the ligules are membranous, about 1.5  cm long, apically acute; the leaf blades are broadly flat, 50–90 cm long, 15–30 mm wide. The panicles are 30–50 cm long; the branches are often clustered and ascending, spreading when fruiting; the male spikelets are 10–15 mm long, compressed on both surfaces, attached to the lower part of inflorescences or upper part of branches, purplish; the lemmas have 5 veins, apically acuminate with a mucro; the paleae have 3 veins; the midribs are keeled and hairy; there are 6 stamens; the anthers are 5–10  mm long; the female spikelets are cylindric, 18–25 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, inserted to the upper part of inflorescences and lower part of branches connected with principal axis; the lemmas have 5 veins, scabrous; the awns are 20–30 mm long; the paleae have 3 veins. The caryopses are cylindric, ca. 12 mm long, with small embryo. The flowering and fruiting periods are in autumn and winter. Habitat: It is cultivated or grows in the wild. Distribution: It’s distributed in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan of China, as well as in Japan, Russia, and Europe. Acquisition and Processing: The rhizomes are harvested in summer and autumn. After the fibrous roots are removed, they are washed and dried in the sun. Medicinal Properties: The products are oblong in shape, 0.8–2 cm in diameter, golden yellow or brown on the surface, with obvious nodes of 3–6 cm apart, wrinkled. They are light, soft and tough, with hollow cross-sections, and white and smooth inner surfaces. They are odorless and slightly sweet in taste. The products better in quality are thick, soft, golden yellow, and without fibrous roots. Natural Taste and Meridian Tropism: It’s sweet in taste and cold in property and belongs to the meridians of the lungs, liver, and stomach. Functions: Clearing heat and resolving phlegm, outthrusting the exterior, and eliminating thirst and vexation; it’s often used for treatment of persistent fever, cough due to lung heat, thirst, inadequate eruption of rash in children, cold, fever, and cough. Use and Dosage: 10–15 g per dose, decocted in water for oral use.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

755

756

H. Ye et al.

Suggested Reading 1. Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (Part 1) [S], The Medicine Science and Technology Press of China, 2015. 2. Ye H G et  al. Chinese medicinal plants, Vol. 1-30 [M], China Chemical Industry Press, 2015-2019. 3. Xie Z W et al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 1 [M]. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 1975. 4. Xie Z W et al. Compilation of The National Chinese Herbal Medicine, Vol. 2 [M]. Beijing: People's Medical Publishing House, 1975. 5. Editorial Committee of Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong. Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong, Vol. 1 [M]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Science & Technology Press, 1994. 6. Editorial Committee of Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong. Chinese Materia Medica of Guangdong, Vol. 2 [M]. Guangzhou: Guangdong Science & Technology Press, 1994. 7. Ye H G, Zeng F Y et al. Medicinal plants of south china [M]. Wuhan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press, 2013. 8. Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine. Hunan Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. 1 [M]. Changsha: Hunan People's Publishing House, 1962. 9. Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine. Hunan Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. 2 [M]. Changsha: Hunan People's Publishing House, 1962. 10. Hunan Academy of Chinese Medicine. Hunan Chinese Materia Medica, Vol. 3 [M]. Changsha: Hunan People's Publishing House, 1962. 11. Wu Z Y et al. List of traditional Chinese medicine resources in Yunnan [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1993. 12. China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation. Main Record of Chinese medicine Resources in China[M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1994. 13. Fang D et al. List of medicinal plants in Guangxi [M]. Nanning: Guangxi People’s Publishing house,1986. 14. National Chinese Medicine Authority “Chinese Materia Medica” Editorial Board. Chinese Materia Medica: Mongolian Medicine Volume [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2005. 15. National Chinese Medicine Authority “Chinese Materia Medica” Editorial Board. Chinese Materia Medica: Uighur Medicine Volume [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 2005.

10  Medicinal Angiosperms of Poaceae

757

1 6. Yi S Y et al. List of medicinal plants in Chongqing [M]. Chongqing:Chongqing Press, 2009. 17. China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation. The Chinese Traditional Medicine Resource [M]. Beijing: Science Press,1995. 18. China National Traditional Chinese Medicine Corporation. The Chinese Traditional Medicine Resource Records [M]. Beijing: Science Press,1994. 19. Liang G L, Yi S Y et al. Wild Medicinal Plant Resources in Jinfo Mountain [M]. Beijing: China Science and Technology Press, 2013. 20. Chen S C, Tan J, Dai C Y et al. Medicinal Flora of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River [M]. Chongqing: Chongqing University Press, 2016. 21. Wan D G. Sichuan authentic Chinese herbal Materia Medica [M]. Chengdu: Sichuan Science and Technology Press, 2005. 22. Li Y H et al. Field Handbook of medicinal plant in Xinjiang [M]. Urumqi: Xinjiang People’s Saitary Press, 2013. 23. Zhu Y C. Medicinal plants in North China [M]. Harbin: Heilongjiang Science and Technology Publishing House, 1989. 24. Editorial Committee of Flora of Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Flora of China. Vol. 1-80 (126 Volumes.) [M]. Beijing: Science Press, 1959-2004. 25. Three Dimensional Illustrated Book of Chinese Traditional Medicine (Volume 1-3). Guangdong Science and Technology Press, 2015-2021.

Correction to: Common Chinese Materia Medica – Volume 9 Huagu Ye

Correction to: Chapter 3 and Chapter 7 in Huagu Ye, Common Chinese Materia Medica – Volume 9 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1 The book was inadvertently published with incorrect figures in Chapter 3 and 7, page 292 and 579, respectively. This has been updated in the book.

The updated original version of this chapters can be found at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5892-1_3 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5892-1_7 © Chemical Industry Press 2022 H. Ye et al. (eds.), Common Chinese Materia Medica, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5920-1_11

C1