Ephedra Root Dosage

Ephedra root is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. Its main function is to treat sweating caused by excessive coldness in the body. Ephedra root is the root of the ephedra plant. It and ephedra are two medicinal herbs with opposite effects. You must pay attention to the difference when selecting and using them. Ephedra is cylindrical in shape, with a rough skin that is reddish brown or grayish brown. When using ephedra root, generally about 3-9 grams is taken internally, and an appropriate amount can be used externally.

Ephedra root benefits

[Effects and characteristics] This product has a strong antiperspirant effect and can be used for all kinds of spontaneous sweating, but it must be used according to different conditions. If spontaneous sweating occurs due to deficiency of the exterior, use Qi-tonifying medicine; if white sweating occurs due to deficiency of yang, use Yang-tonifying medicine; if night sweating occurs due to deficiency of yin, use Yin-nourishing and astringent medicine; if postpartum sweating occurs, use blood-nourishing and surface-encircling medicine. Taking both the symptoms and the root cause into consideration, good results can be achieved. It can also be ground into a fine powder with calcined dragon bone and calcined oyster and applied externally to stop sweating.

[Effects and Functions] Antiperspirant: ① Used for spontaneous sweating due to deficiency of the exterior, and can be used together with Astragalus, stir-fried white peony root, scorched Atractylodes macrocephala, etc. ② Used for spontaneous sweating due to yang deficiency, can be used together with ginseng and cinnamon twig. ③ Used for night sweats due to yin deficiency, it can be used together with Rehmannia glutinosa, Cornus officinalis, calcined dragon bone, and calcined oyster. ④ Used for postpartum sweating, it can be used together with blood-nourishing and exterior-strengthening drugs such as angelica and astragalus.

[Identification and application] This product is the root of ephedra, which is a pungent and warm antipyretic drug with a stronger diaphoretic effect, while the root of ephedra is an antiperspirant. The two are the same thing but have different effects, and they are different roots and seedlings. They should not be confused when used.

[Application of Combinations] Floating wheat and ephedra root are sweet and mild to stop sweating. Floating wheat is sweet and cool to stop sweating. Ephedra root enters the lung meridian, and "the lung is connected to the skin and hair", so it can stop sweating on the surface; floating wheat enters the heart meridian, and "sweat is the fluid of the heart", so it can invigorate qi and clear heat, cool the heart and stop sweating. Because floating wheat has a light constitution and its nature is ascending, it can reach the skin and expel the heat, so it can also stop night sweats. The two medicines are used together to promote each other, replenish qi and nourish the heart, clear away heat and cool the qi, consolidate the exterior and stop sweating. The combination of the two can indeed stop sweating. If used with Schisandra chinensis, Ophiopogon japonicus and Codonopsis pilosula, the therapeutic effect may be better.

[Precautions for use] This product is specifically used to stop sweating and should not be used by those with external pathogens.

[Usage and Dosage] Oral administration: 3-9 grams, used as decoction. For external use: Take appropriate amount and grind it into powder together with other medicines for external application.

Identification of the properties of Ephedra root

1. Properties of the medicinal material: This product is cylindrical, slightly curved, 8 to 25 cm long, and 0.5 to 1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is reddish brown or grayish brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and root marks. The outer skin is rough and easily peels off in flakes. The rhizome has nodes, the internodes are 0.7 to 2 cm long, and there are long and horizontal protruding lenticels on the surface. It is light, hard and brittle, with yellowish-white bark in cross section, light yellow or yellow wood, radial rays and pith in the center. It has a faint smell and a slightly bitter taste.

2. Properties of the medicinal material: This product is in the form of thick round slices. The outer surface is reddish brown or grayish brown, with longitudinal wrinkles and root marks. The cross section of the bark is yellowish white, the wood is light yellow or yellow, fibrous, with radial patterns, and some have pith in the center. It has a faint smell and a slightly bitter taste.