Effects and functions of Hengzhou Linderae

As we all know, Hengzhou Wuyao is a very common medicinal material with many years of history. It can also treat many diseases. Let us learn about the medicinal value of Hengzhou Wuyao.

[Other names] Dwarf camphor (Chinese Medicinal Plant Illustrated Guide), Stephania tetrandra, Eighteen Symptoms, Nine-Pied Camphor, Food-Tending Tea, Digestive Tree (Guangxi Medicinal Plant List).

[Source] It is the root or whole plant of Stephania camphora of the Menispermaceae family. Harvested in spring and winter.

[Original form] Evergreen shrub, about 3 meters high. Stem erect; sometimes branches pendulous and climbing other trees; branches striped. The leaves are thin leathery, elliptic-rectangular or oblong-lanceolate, 4-10 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, gradually pointed at the apex, gradually narrowed at the base, with wavy edges when dry, bright green, and 3 basal veins; the petiole is 5-10 mm long. Flowers are unisexual and dioecious; cymose panicles are born in leaf axils, rarely solitary; male flowers have 6 sepals, 3 in the outer whorl, about 1 mm long, 3 in the inner whorl, about 1.3 mm long; petals are 6, broadly inverted triangles, with 2 deep lobes at the apex, sometimes the lobes are 2 more shallowly lobed; stamens are 6, about 1 mm long, longer than petals; female sepals and petals are similar to those of male flowers; staminodes are 6, tiny; carpels are 3. The drupe is flat spherical, about 5 mm long.

[Habitat distribution] Grown in the shade of forests. Distributed in Hunan, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places.

[Chemical components] The leaves contain Hengzhou ruthenium alkaloids, Hengzhou ruthenium alkaloids, Erythrina alkaloids, L-cypermethrin, camphor-leaf cypermethrin and magnolia alkaloids. The roots and wood contain lindera odorifera and lindera amine. The bark and wood contain lindermine, stephanine, camphor-leaf stephanine, etc. It also contains Hengzhou lindera alcohol, which is a mixture of DN-methyllindera alcohol and laudanine.

[Pharmacological action] Camphorwood tetrandrine has a curare-like effect. It can relax striated muscles in rat sciatic nerve-gastrocnemius and frog rectus abdominis specimens, and its intensity is less than 1/100 of tubocurarine. Generally speaking, their ganglion blocking effect is greater than their curare-like effect. Similar to hexamethonium, they can cause a drop in animal blood pressure, but the effect is not lasting. They can antagonize the effects of nicotine in isolated guinea pig intestines, rabbit atria, rabbit ear blood vessels, and bronchial specimens of guinea pigs and rabbits; they have a phytotoxic effect on isolated rabbit ear blood vessels or rabbit intestines; and they can also enhance the pressor effect of adrenal insufficiency. The curare-like effect and ganglion blocking effect can be antagonized by anticholesterase drugs such as neostigmine. It has been suggested as a ganglionic blocking agent and skeletal muscle relaxant for controlled hypotension.

【Functions and indications】 Treats hypertension, headache, hernia, abdominal pain, and rheumatic leg pain.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 2 qian.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

【Source】 From "Compendium of Materia Medica"

Everyone should be aware of the medicinal value of Hengzhou Wuyao, and you can be more targeted when consuming it in daily life. More reasonable use of the medicine can better treat some common diseases.