Effects and functions of Camphorwood

The Chinese medicinal herb Camphora is a very good Chinese medicinal material. It has a very good effect in regulating the body and is also widely used in medicine. Let’s take a look together.

[Other names] White bamboo shoots (Lingnan Medicinal Records), Guangdong smilax (Lingnan Herbal Records).

[Source] It is the rhizome of the Zingiber officinale plant of the Zingiberaceae family. It can be harvested throughout the year, but autumn is the best time. After digging out the rhizomes, remove the fibrous roots, stems, leaves, mud and sand, and dry them in the sun or cut them into slices and dry them in the sun.

[Original form] Closed-sheath ginger, also known as water banana flower.

[Habitat distribution] It grows in moist areas under forests in valleys or in bushes and grass beside streams. It is distributed in Guangdong, Guangxi and other places. Produced in Guangdong.

[Properties] The dried rhizomes are mostly cut into slices, about 2 to 6 cm long, 1.5 to 2 cm wide, and about 2 mm thick. The cork is thin and smooth, gray-yellow or gray-brown, with sparse whorls, and residual fine roots and root marks. The cross section is grayish white, with numerous scattered fibers and vascular bundles. The fibers are non-lignified or weakly lignified, soft and not prickly. The thin-walled cells contain starch granules unique to the Zingiberaceae family. It has a faint smell and a light, slightly bitter taste. The best ones are thin, grayish white in color and without any black.

[Chemical composition] The dry rhizome contains 3.86% total sapogenins, of which 2.12% diosgenin is obtained. There are also tigaosapogenin, various saponins and β-sitosterol glucoside.

[Pharmacological action] The sapogenin contained in the bulb of Camphora sphaerocephala has "anti-inflammatory" and "anti-arthritic" effects on carrageenan-induced and formaldehyde-induced acute foot inflammation in rats, and significantly inhibits the exudation of granulomatous cystic inflammation and the formation of cotton ball granulomatous cysts caused by croton oil in rats.

【Nature and flavor】Pungent, cold, poisonous.

【Functions and indications】 Promotes diuresis and reduces swelling. Treat edema, leucorrhea, carbuncle and ulcer.

[Usage and Dosage] For internal use: decoct in water, 1 to 2 qian; or stew with meat. For external use: decoct in water for washing or mash for application.

【Note】 Pregnant women and people with weak spleen and stomach should not take this product.

[Additional prescription] ① To treat swelling caused by dropsy: use the red head of camphor tree, mash it, wrap it in silk, and tie it in the navel. The disease will be cured by urination.

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

[Source] From "Essentials of Raw Medicinal Herbs"; 1. "Main Poisonous Species in the South": The roots of Cinnamomum camphora are poisonous when fresh. If consumed in excessive amounts, the patient may experience oral dizziness, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. Rescue method: Drink stale, cold porridge and water, one bowl each time, every fifteen minutes, until the diarrhea stops. If the poisoning is severe, symptomatic treatment should be given. Guangzhou herbalist introduces: Chew and swallow two cents of licorice juice or decoct it in water.

The above are the effects and functions of the camphor tree. We can also eat the camphor tree reasonably according to our own situation to relieve the pain caused by the disease.