The efficacy and function of gansui

In daily life, people are not only very familiar with various foods, but also come into contact with a lot of medicines in daily life. Among them, gansui is a relatively common Chinese medicinal material. Given that there are still many people who don’t know much about gansui, let’s take a detailed look at it below.

【English name】 RADIX KANSUI

[Other names] Cat's eye [Northwest], Huagudan, Ganze, Swollen hand flower, Xuangenzi

[Source] This product is the dried root of Euphorbia kansui Liou. mss., a plant of the Euphorbiaceae family . Dig it up before flowering in spring or after the stems and leaves wither in late autumn, remove the skin and dry it in the sun.

[Properties] This product is oval, oblong or bead-shaped, 1 to 5 cm long and 0.5 to 2.5 cm in diameter. The surface is off-white or yellowish white, with brown outer skin residue in the depressions. It is brittle and easy to break. The cross section is floury and white, and the wood has slightly radial texture. The long cylindrical ones are more fibrous. It has a faint smell and tastes slightly sweet and spicy.

【Identification】 This product is white powder. There are many starch granules. Single granules are spherical or hemispherical, with a diameter of 5 to 34 μm, and the hilum is dot-shaped, fissure-shaped or star-shaped. Compound granules are composed of 2 to 8 sub-granules. The unsegmented milk ducts contain light yellow fine granular substances. The thick-walled cells are rectangular, fusiform, triangular or polygonal, with slightly lignified or non-lignified walls. Margined pit ducts are common, often accompanied by fiber bundles.

[Preparation] Vinegar-soaked Gan Sui : Take clean Gan Sui, mix it with vinegar, stir-fry until slightly dry, and let it cool. For every 100kg of kansui, use 30kg of vinegar.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter, cold; poisonous.

[entry into meridians] Enter the lung, kidney and large intestine meridians.

【Function and indications】Diarrhea and expelling fluid. It is used for edema, water accumulation in the chest and abdomen, accumulation of phlegm and fluid, qi reversal, cough and wheezing, and difficulty in defecation and urination.

[Usage and Dosage] 0.5-1.5g, mostly made into pills or powders after processing.

【Note】 It is forbidden to use for the weak and pregnant women; it should not be used with licorice.

【Storage】Place in ventilated and dry place to prevent moth.

[Remarks] (1) It is used for symptoms such as pleural effusion, ascites, and facial edema, and is often used together with other herbs such as morning glory, euphorbia, and genkwa. Used for epilepsy caused by phlegm, it can be used with cinnabar. It is used for swelling and pus caused by stagnation of damp heat, but it is mainly used at the initial stage and must be taken orally with heat-clearing and detoxifying drugs.

【Excerpt】 National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines

[Source] "Ben Jing"

Through the introduction in the above article, I believe everyone has a certain understanding of gansui. I hope everyone can follow the doctor's advice when taking it, and at the same time pay attention to exercise and enhance their own resistance.