The efficacy and function of Guotanlong

Guotanlong is a kind of Chinese medicinal material with very wide functions. We can use Guotanlong in many places. Guotanlong also plays a very important role in the treatment and relief of many diseases. Now let us learn about Guotanlong.

[Alias] Iron wire grass, black bone awn, yangju grass (Lingnan Medicinal Records), iron wire fern, black bone awn dustpan (Guangzhou Flora), snail fern, black foot fern, five-clawed black fern (Guangxi Medicinal Plant Atlas), black-footed spear (Luchuan Materia Medica), snail fern (Nanning City Pharmacopoeia), iron-footed road dustpan (Jiangxi Folk Herbal Medicine), iron Lu Ji, black fly wing, small bear gall (Lingnan Herbal Medicine), chicken claw lotus (Hunan Pharmacopoeia), black-footed road base, iron strainer (Jiangxi Folk Herbal Prescriptions), iron-footed wolffly, double-armored grass, chicken bone grass, black-footed chicken, five-clawed fern, iron wolffly (Zhejiang Folk Commonly Used Herbs).

[Source] It is the whole herb or rhizome of the Adiantum officinale plant of the Adiantum family . It can be harvested throughout the year and used fresh or dried.

[Original form] Perennial herb, 40 to 50 cm tall. The rhizome is short and erect, covered with narrowly lanceolate, acuminate scales. The petioles are clustered, tough, dark brown to purple-black, shiny, scaly at the base, naked on the upper part, 10-25 cm long; the leaves are leathery, naked on both sides, irregularly broadly ovate, about 20 cm long and 15 cm wide, with 2 or 3 asymmetrical dichotomous branches; the central pinnae are the largest, linear-lanceolate, 10-15 cm long, about 2 cm wide, and blunt at the apex; the pinnae are oblique-elliptical to fan-shaped, alternating on both sides of the rachis, 1 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, with short petioles covered with hairs, rounded upper and outer edges with fine serrations, and right-angled lower edges, slightly imbricately arranged on the rachis, or sparsely; the veins are not obvious, fan-shaped; the rachis is dark brown, shiny, with reddish-brown short bristles on it. The sori are elliptical, growing at the top of the veins on the upper or outer edge of the pinnae, and are usually connected; the ascocarp is the same shape as the sori, formed by the reflexion of the leaf margin serrations.

[Habitat distribution] Grown in the shade and wet places under the forest. Distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, Zhejiang and other places.

【Chemical composition】 The whole plant contains flavonoids, organic acids, amino acids, phenols and sugars.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, pungent, cool.

【Functions and indications】 Clears away heat, promotes dampness, eliminates blood stasis and relieves swelling. Treat acute infectious hepatitis, dysentery, diarrhea, sand stranguria, vomiting blood, blood in the stool, scrofula, bruises, burns, traumatic bleeding, and furunculosis.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 0.5-1 liang; or mash into juice. For external use: mash and apply, grind into powder and sprinkle or mix and apply.

[Additional prescription] ① For treating dysentery: Wash and mash one or two liang of the whole herb of Gastrodia elata, add cold boiled water and pound it together, remove the residue and take the juice, mix with sugar and drink. (Jiangxi "Handbook of Herbs")

[Clinical Application] For the treatment of acute infectious hepatitis: Take 4 liang of fresh dragon fruit (2 liang of dried one), add brown sugar and decoct it, take 1 dose per day, divided into 2 doses. Children should take half the dosage. Take until symptoms disappear. Ten cases of acute icteric hepatitis in children were treated. The general symptoms improved within an average of 3 days, the jaundice subsided within an average of 4.5 days, the liver enlargement was reduced to varying degrees in follow-up examinations 2 months later, and the liver function recovered within an average of 28 days. Six cases of anicteric hepatitis in children were treated. The general symptoms improved within an average of 3 days. After 2 months of liver enlargement, some cases returned to normal after reexamination. The liver function recovered within an average of 28 days. Five cases of acute icteric hepatitis in adults were treated. The general symptoms improved in an average of 5 days, the jaundice subsided in an average of 12.5 days, and the liver enlargement was reexamined 2 months later. The tenderness disappeared, the liver enlargement was reduced, and the liver function recovered in an average of 30 days. 40 cases of non-icteric hepatitis in adults were treated. After treatment, only 20 cases showed improvement in general symptoms (average 6 days), there was no change in liver enlargement, liver function returned to normal in 5 cases, and improved but unstable in 10 cases. Practice has shown that Guotanlong is highly effective in the early stages of acute hepatitis, but has no obvious effect on chronic hepatitis. Although it is effective for anicteric hepatitis, it is not ideal. Side effects: Some cases experienced nausea, decreased appetite, dizziness, chest tightness and other reactions after taking the medicine, which disappeared after stopping the medicine.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Illustrated Records of Plant Names and Realities"

After learning so much about the various aspects of the Chinese medicine Guotanlong, I believe that we can remain calm when facing the troubles of the disease and treat the treatment of the disease correctly.