WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

It is the dried ripe seed of Lepidium apetalum Willd. and Descurainia Sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl, family Cruciferae. The former is habitually called "Beitinglizi", the latter "Nantinglizi". The plants are cut in summer when the fruits are ripe and dried in the sun. The seeds are rubbed out and the impurities are removed. The raw slices or stir-baked ones are used.

[ Medicinal Properties ]: Pungent, bitter and extremely cold; relate to lung and urinary bladder meridians.

[ Medicinal Efficacies ]: Purge lung to relieve dyspnea; induce diuresis to relieve edema.

[ Clinical Applications ]: 1. Phlegm-fluid accumulation     To treat phlegm-fluid accumulation resulting in cough and dyspnea, fullness in chest, being unable to lie and general edema, it is combined with Dazao in Tingli Dazao Xiefei Decoction.

2. Edema, ascites in chest and abdomen, difficult urination       For damp-heat accumulation with abdominal edema, it is used together with Fangji, Jiaomu and Dahuang in Jishu Lihuang Pills; for thoracic accumulation syndrome with ascites in chest and hypochondrium, with Xingren, Dahuang and Mangxiao in Daxianxiong Pills. In recent years, it is used to treat exudative pleurisy and pleural effusion.

In recent years, it is ground for oral administration or combined with Fuzi and Huangqi to treat pulmonary heart disease and heart failure with edema and dyspnea effectively.

[ Usage and Dosage ]:3-9G. Decoct wrapped.

[ Medicinal Comparison]: Similarities: Sangbaipi and Tinglizi can purge lung to relieve dyspnea and induce diuresis to relieve edema and so they are effective for cough and dyspnea due to lung heat, edema and difficult urination.

Differences: Sangbaipi is sweet and cold and rather effective for clearing lung heat with its mild action, so it usually treats cough and dyspnea due to lung heat and edema of mild type. Tinglizi is bitter and cold and mainly effective for purging phlegm-fluid retention in lung with violent purging powder, and so it usually treats phlegm-fluid accumulation in lung, cough and dyspnea with quick breathing, ascites in chest and abdomen, edema and distending fulleness of excess syndrome.

葶苈子为十字花科植物独行菜 Lepidium apetalum Willd.或播娘蒿 Descurinia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl的成熟种子。前者称“北葶苈”，主产于河北、辽宁、内蒙古、吉林等地；后者称“南葶苈”，主产于江苏、山东、安徽、浙江等地。夏季果实成熟时采割植株，晒干，搓出种子，除去杂质，生用或炒用。