The efficacy and function of Tianzhuhuang

There are so many medicinal herbs in the world, and it is inevitable that there are some that we are not familiar with. But as long as we have the spirit of learning throughout our lives, I believe we can slowly learn more medical herbs. So do you know about the medicinal herb Tianzhuhuang?

[Other names] Bamboo yellow, bamboo yellow, bamboo paste, bamboo sugar

[Source] Medicinal material source: It is the sap stored between the bamboo nodes of the Poaceae plants such as green-skinned bamboo and thin bamboo, which is a block-like substance formed after drying and condensation.

[Original morphology] 1. The green-skinned bamboo pole is 8-10m high and 3-5cm in diameter, with a drooping tip and a straight lower part; the internodes are 40-70cm long, green in color, covered with white wax powder when young, and covered with light brown prickles, which later become hairless; the branches often start from the 7th to 11th nodes in the middle and lower part of the pole, growing in clusters of several or more branches, with the central branch being slightly thicker and longer. The sheath falls off early; the auricles are small and unequal, the large auricle is narrow and oblong to lanceolate; the margin of the sheath tongue is serrated; the sheath segments are erect and easy to fall off. The leaf sheath is glabrous, with ridges on the back and raised longitudinal ribs; the leaf auricles are usually sickle-shaped, with curved and radiating hairs on the edges; the leaf tongue has erode edges; the leaf blades are linear, needle-shaped to narrowly lanceolate, generally 9-17cm long and 1-2cm wide, with acuminate tips and subtended awls at the apex, and nearly rounded or cuneate bases. Pseudospikelets are solitary or clustered at each node of the branch, dark purple when fresh and bronze when dry; spikelets contain 5-8 florets, and the apical florets are sterile; there is only one glume, with 21 veins; the lemma is elliptic, with 25 veins; the palea is needle-shaped, with 2 ridges, and 10 veins between the ridges; the scales are unequal, and the edges are covered with long cilia; the filaments are slender, the anthers are yellow, the base of the ovary is petiolate, the style is covered with short stiff hairs, and the stigma is 3 feathery.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: 1. Green bamboo is often cultivated near rivers and villages at low altitudes. 2. Thin bamboo often grows in mountain evergreen broad-leaved shrub forests at an altitude of 1500-2500m.

[Properties] Identification of properties: This product is in the form of irregular polygonal flakes or granules with different sizes, some of which are only 1-2mm long. The surface is white, milky white, gray-brown or gray-blue, translucent and slightly shiny. It is light, hard and brittle, easy to break, with a shiny cross-section, slightly powdery, and slippery to the touch. It has strong water absorption, bubbles are produced when placed in water, and it is insoluble in water. It has a slight odor, sweet taste, a cooling sensation, and sticks to the tongue when licked. The best ones are those with large pieces, grayish white color, shiny texture, fine texture, light weight and strong hygroscopicity.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet; Cold

【Meridian】 Heart; Liver; Gallbladder

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat and resolves phlegm; cools the heart and calms the nerves. It is used to treat infantile convulsions, epilepsy, stroke, phlegm-induced confusion, fever, coma, phlegm-heat cough and asthma.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 3-9g; or make into pills or powder; grind into powder, 0.6-1g each time. For external use: Take appropriate amount, grind into powder and apply to the affected area.

[Note] People without damp-heat, phlegm or fire should take it with caution. People with spleen deficiency, cold stomach and loose stools should not take it. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "It can also cool the middle part if used for a long time."

[Additional recipe] "Linhai Zhi" says: "It is grown in Tianzhu country." Hence it is named Tianzhu Huang. Kou Zongshi said: "This is grown inside bamboo, just like the bamboos grown in yellow soil in patches." Therefore it is named bamboo yellow.

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【Clinical application】 1.1. Used for symptoms such as phlegm-heat, convulsions and epilepsy. Tianzhuhuang is cold in nature, can clear the heat from the heart and liver, and can also resolve phlegm and open the orifices. It is a good medicine for clearing heat, resolving phlegm, cooling the heart and calming the nerves. It tastes sweet and has slow effects, and is especially suitable for use in pediatrics. For the treatment of acute convulsions caused by phlegm-heat in children, drugs such as Gastrodia elata, Cinnabar, Indigo are often used to clear away heat and resolve phlegm, extinguish wind and calm the nerves. Prescriptions such as Baolong Pills and Lijing Pills are included in Xiaoer Yaozheng Zhikuai. For the treatment of epilepsy due to phlegm-heat, it is often combined with Curcuma aromatica, Alum, Bombyx batryticatus and other drugs to achieve the effect of clearing away heat, resolving phlegm, calming epilepsy and stopping convulsions. For the treatment of stroke with phlegm and heat accumulation, and a saw-like sound in the throat, it can be combined with Acorus calamus, Arisaema consanguineum, bezoar and other drugs to achieve the effect of clearing the heart and resolving phlegm, opening the orifices and refreshing the mind. It can clear the heart and cool the liver, and can also treat coma and delirium caused by fever. It is often used with rhinoceros horn (replaced by buffalo horn), raw rehmannia, honeysuckle and other medicines to clear the heart, cool blood and detoxify.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

In order to let more friends know about Tianzhuhuang, you can introduce it to your friends so that more people will know how to use this medicine.