WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

It is the rhizome of Dioscorea bulbifera L.,family Dioscoreaceae. The rhizoes are dug and collected in autumn and winter. After the leaves and fibrous roots are removed, they are washed clean and sliced to be dired in the sun. The raw are used.

[ Medicinal Properties ]: Bitter, neutral and toxic; relate to lung and liver meridians.

[ Medicinal Efficacies ]: Resolve phlegm, soften hardness and dissipate mass; clear heat and remove toxin; cool blood and stop bleeding.

[ Clinical Applications ]: 1. Goiter      To treat qi goiter below neck, it is soaked in liquor for drinking, or combined with Haizao and Muli in Xiaoying Decoction. In codern times, it treats many kinds of thyroid swelling.

2. Carbuncle ,sore throat, bite by poisonous snake       It is effictive alone. In modern times, it treats tumors in thyroid and digestive tract , in combination of Haizao, Kunbu, Baihuashenshecao and Shancigu.

3. Blood-heat manifested as hematemesis, epistaxis and hemoptysis       It usually treats blood-heat resulting in hematemesis, epistaxis and hemoptysis with Puhuang and Zonglutan, with better effects for hemoptysis.

It can also treat cough and dyspnea.

[ Usage ad Dosage ]: 5-15g. 1-2g is ground into powder for oral administration.

[ Precautions ]: Over-use or prolonged administration causes vomiting and abdominal pain, so it must be used with caution when treating deficiency of spleen and stomach. Since it damages liver in a certain degree, it is used with caution in cases of damaged liver functions.

黄药子为薯蓣科植物黄独Dioscorea bulbifera L.的块茎。主产于湖北、湖南、江苏等地。秋冬两季采挖。除去根叶及须根，洗净，切片晒干生用。