The efficacy and function of Atractylodes

When it comes to Atractylodes lancea, we are all familiar with it. Atractylodes lancea is not only edible but also has very high medicinal effects. Eating Atractylodes lancea regularly can have very good health-preserving and health-care effects.

【English name】

RHIZOMAATRACTYLODIS

【Alias】

Red sedge, spearhead vegetable

【Properties】

Atractylodes macrocephala

: It is irregularly beaded or nodular cylindrical, slightly curved, occasionally branched, 3 to 10 cm long and 1 to 2 cm in diameter. The surface is gray-brown with wrinkles, transverse lines and residual fibrous roots, and the top has stem scars or residual stem base. It is solid in texture, with yellowish white or off-white cross section, and scattered with numerous orange-yellow or brown-red oil chambers. If exposed for a while, white fine needle-shaped crystals may precipitate. It has a unique aroma and tastes slightly sweet, spicy and bitter.

【Identification】

(1) The powder of this product is brown. Calcium oxalate needles are tiny, 5 to 30 μm long, and are irregularly packed in the thin-walled cells. The fibers are mostly in bundles, long and spindle-shaped, about 40 μm in diameter, with very thick walls and lignified. There are many stone cells, sometimes connected with cork cells. They are polygonal, sub-circular or sub-rectangular, 20 to 80 μm in diameter, and have very thick walls. Inulin is common and the surface has radial texture.

【Preparation】

Atractylodes macrocephala

: Remove impurities, wash, soak, cut into thick slices, and dry.

【Nature and flavor】

Pungent, bitter, warm.

【Meridian】

It enters the spleen, stomach and liver meridians.

【Function and indications】

Drying dampness, strengthening the spleen, dispelling wind and cold, and improving eyesight. It is used for abdominal distension, diarrhea, edema, beriberi, paralysis, rheumatic pain, colds, and night blindness.

【Storage】

Store in a cool, dry place.

【Remark】

(1) It is used to treat dampness blocking the spleen and stomach, resulting in abdominal distension, loss of appetite, fatigue, and thick, greasy white tongue coating. It is often used in combination with Magnolia officinalis and Tangerine peel. It can also be used in combination with Angelica dahurica to treat leucorrhea caused by cold and dampness. Although this product is warm and dry, it has strong dampness-drying power, and is often used with heat-clearing products to treat symptoms of damp-heat. For example, for damp-heat leucorrhea, it can be used with Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Sophora flavescens, and Rhizoma Cibotii; for damp-heat descending, swollen and painful feet and knees, and weakness, it can be used together with Phellodendron chinense, Achyranthes bidentata, Coix seed, etc.; for damp-heat diseases, it can be used together with Gypsum, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, etc. It is particularly suitable for arthralgia caused by severe cold and dampness, and can be used together with Qianghuo, Duhuo, etc. It is used for symptoms such as headache, body pain, and anhidrosis caused by wind, cold and dampness, and is often used together with Notopterygium wilfordii, Asarum, and Saposhnikovia divaricata. It has the function of improving eyesight and is an important medicine for treating night blindness. It can be used together with pig liver or sheep liver, Lithospermum officinale, etc. In addition, this product has a fragrant smell and can ward off evil. People often burn Atractylodes lancea and Angelica dahurica together indoors during the Dragon Boat Festival in the lunar calendar to ward off epidemics. According to recent experiments, this method can indeed play a role in disinfection and sterilization.

【extract】

Chinese Pharmacopoeia

【Source】

Zhenglei Bencao

This article introduces to us what Atractylodes lancea is. We know that Atractylodes lancea has very high medicinal effects, but we must remind everyone that Atractylodes lancea should generally not be eaten indiscriminately, otherwise it will cause serious consequences. I hope everyone will treat it with caution.