WH Acupuncture & Herbs Centre

The medicinal is the plant tissue deformation caused by pests on the leaf of Rhus chinensis Mill., Rhus potaninii Maxim., or Rhus punjabensis Stew. Val. Sinica (Diels) Rchd. et Wils. It is mainly formed by Melaphis chinensis (Bell) Baker parasitized. This medicinal material is collected in autumn, the parasite inside must be killed by steaming. The dried raw form can be used as medicine.

Medicinal Properties: Sour, astringent and cold; relate to lung, large intesting and kidney meridians.

Medicinal Efficacies: Astringe lung and lower fire; astinge intestines to stop diarrhea; astringe perspiration and stop bleeding; absorb dampness and heal sore.

Clinical Applications:

1. Cough, emptysis               It is especially used to treat cough and emptysis. In treating prolonged cough due to deficiency of the lung, it can be used in combination with Wuweizi and Yingsuqiao. For cases of cough with sputum due to lung-heat, it is combined with Gualou and Huangqin. For cough and emptysis due to heat burning the lung meridian, it is often used with Oujie and Baiji

       2.Prolonged diarrhea or dysentery In treating prolonged diarrhea or dysentery, it can be used in combination with Hezi and Wuweizi.

       3.Spontaneous perspiration and night sweat             It is used for spontaneous perspiration and night sweating, it can be taken alone, ground into a baked cake form together with buckwheat powder, or ground and mixed with water, and applied on the navel.

      4.Metrorrhagia and metrostasis, hematochezia, hemorrhoids with bleeding  In treating metrorrhagia and metrostasis, it can be used by itself, or combined with Zonglutan and Xueyutan. In treating hematochezia and hemorrhoids with bleeding, it can be used with Huaihua and Diyu, or by steaming and washing the affected area in decoction.

      5.Damp sore, swollen sore with toxicity       In treating damp sore with exudate, ulcer which fail to heal, furunculosis, anal prolapse, prolapse of uterus, it can be used alone or together with Kufan, by external use or steaming and washing affected area in decoction. In addition, it has the function of astringing essence to stop spermatorrhoea. It can be used in treating emission, spermatorrhoea due to kidney deficiency leading to essence not being consolidated.

[Usage and Dosage]: 3-9g is used in pill or powder, 1-1.5g every time. Appropriate amount is used for external use. Ground into powder for external use or in decoction for steaming and washing.

[Precautions]: It is contraindicated in dysentery patient due to damp-heat. 

五倍子为漆树科植物盐肤木Rhus chinensis Mill.．青麸杨Rhus potaninii Maxim.或红麸杨Rhus punjabensis Stew. Val. Sinica (Diels) Rchd. et Wils.．叶上的虫瘿，主要由五倍子蚜 Melaphis chinensis (Bell) Baker 寄生而形成。我国大部分地区均有，而以四川为主。秋季摘下虫瘿。煮死内中寄生虫，干燥。生用。