|
Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi
|
English Name |
Kudzu, |
|
Latin name |
Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi |
|
Family & Genus |
Fabaceae, Pueraria |
|
Description |
Perennial deciduous vine, up to 10m long. Whole plant covered with brown coarse hair. Tuberous root terete, fleshy, bark grey-yellow, interior silty, strong fibrous. The base of the stalk stout, upper much branched. Leaves alternate; Long stipitate; ternately compound leaves; longer terminal petiolule; leaf blade rhombic round shape, length 5.5-19cm, width 4.5-18cm, apex acuminate, base rounded, sometimes undulately 3 lobed, covered by white decumbent pubescence on both sides, below more dense, lateral leaflet smaller, obliquely ovate, unequal between both sides, dorsal surface pale white, with frosting, covered by white decumbent pubescence on both sides; stipules inserted shield-shaped, ovate long elliptic, small stipules needle-shaped. Racemes axillary or terminal, peduncles densely yellow-white tomentose; flowers dense; corolla purple blue or purple, 10-12mm long; bracts narrowly linear, caducous, bracteoles ovate or lanceolate; calyx campanulate, 0.8-1cm long, calyx 5 toothed crack, calyx teeth lanceolate, upper 2 teeth connate, below one tooth longer; vexil suborbicular or ovoid, apex retuse, base with two short ears, petals narrowly elliptic, shorter than vexils, usually only one side of the base with ear, keel slightly longer than petal; stamens 10, disomic; ovary linear, styles bent. Pod linear, flat, length 6-9cm, width 7-10mm, densely yellowish brown hirsute. Seeds ovoid, reddish brown, glossy. Flowering: April to August, fruiting: August to October. |
|
Distribution |
Growing in roadside tussock, on hill-slopes and dank places. Distributed in Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu and etc. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Hunan, Henan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Sichuan and etc. |
|
Part Used |
Medical part: roots. Chinese name: Gegen. |
|
Harvest & Processing |
Excavated in autumn and winter, cut into slices or tubers when fresh, and dried. |
|
Chemistry |
Mainly contains flavonoid and saponin, etc. |
|
Pharmacology |
Blood-flow in brain and coronary blood vessels increasing, beneficial to myocardial metabolism, anti-myocardial ischemia, anti-hypertension, antiarrhythmic, blood-fat-lowering, intelligence-improving, spasm-relieving, antifebrile and blood-sugar-lowering. |
|
Properties & Actions |
Sweet pungent, cool.Resolving the flesh and clearing heat, engendering liquid, upbearing yang and relieving diarrhea and promoting eruption. |
|
Indications & Usage |
Fever and headache caused by exogenous pathogens, stiffness of the neck, hydrodipsia, diabetes, diarrhea, dysentery of heat type, hypertension, pain due to stiffness of the neck, measles without adequate eruptions.Oral administration: decocting, 9-15g. External application: appropriate amount, powdered for external compress. Not use in cases of excess fire due to yin deficiency or frenetic movement of hot blood. |
|
Examples |
1. Taiyang disease, stiff nape of neck and back, absent sweating, aversion to wind: kudzu root 4 liang, Chinese ephedra 3 liang (remove nodes), ramulus cinnamomi 2 liang (remove peel), fresh ginger 3 liang (cut into pieces), ural licorice 2 liang (stir fried), peony 2 liang, Chinese jujube 12 (torn apart). Add the above 7 drugs into 1 dou of water. First cook with Chinese ephedra and kudzu root, then reduce to 2 sheng decoction and white foam. Add all drugs, cook and collect 3 sheng decoction, then remove residues. Warm up and swallow 1 sheng. Cover with quilt to promote perspiration.
2. Drunkenness: kudzu root juice 1 dou 2 sheng, drink till awakened.
3. Hemorrhage due to toxic heat, or heat substance: fresh kudzu root 2 jin. Pestle and collect 1 sheng of juice, mix with 1 sheng of lotus root juice, and swallow. |
| Link to |
 Chinese Medicinal Material Images Database
Phytochemical Image Database
|
|
