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Aspidistra elatior Bl.
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English Name |
Cast-iron Plant, Common Aspidistra |
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Latin name |
Aspidistra elatior Bl. |
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Family & Genus |
Liliaceae, Aspidistra |
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Description |
Perennial evergreen herbs, up to 90cm. Underground rhizome horizontal growing, coarse and hard, with numerous fibrous roots. Leaves solitary; leaves leathery, grow from underground rhizomes, erect; elliptic-lanceolate or wide-lanceolate, 7.5-11cm wide, apex acute, base narrow, formed into groove-shaped green, narrow, long petioles; leaves green and shiny, usually with different sized pale yellow spots, with numerous prominent parallel veins. Flowers single borne from rhizome, close to ground, scapes short ; perianth campanulate, inside purple-brown, outside with purple-brown spots; stamens 8, borne near lower part of perianth tube, stigma prominently 4 lobed, relatively large, diameter ca. 14mm. Berry ovate, with 1 seed. Flowering: March to May. |
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Distribution |
Distributed in south of Yangtze River. |
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Part Used |
Medical part: rhizome. Chinese name: Zhizhubaodan. |
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Harvest & Processing |
Collected over the year, removed fibrous root and leaf, well washed, used fresh or sliced and sun-dried. |
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Chemistry |
Underground parts contain protoaspidistrin, methylprotoaspidistrin and spirostanol, etc. |
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Properties & Actions |
Pungent, sweet. Little cold.Activate blood, relieving pain, clearing lung, checking cough, inducing urination and treating strangury. |
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Indications & Usage |
Injuries from falls, rheumatic arthralgia, lumbago, amenorrhea and stomachache, cough with lung heat, painful urination because of kidney stones, difficulty in urination.Internal: decocting, 9-15g, fresh used 30-60g. Or made as medicinal liquor; external: appropriate amount, triturated for application. |
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Examples |
1. Injuries from fall: jiulongpan, decoct in water to stop pain, pestle and wrap lesions to connect fractured bones.
2. Arthralgia: root and stem of cast-iron plant 30g, beal's mahonia 15g. Stew with half liquor and half water, swallow.
3. Abdominal pain due to amenorrhea: root and stem of Cast-iron Plant 9-15g. Decoct in water and swallow. |
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Permanent URL：https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/cmed/mpid/detail.php?herb_id=D01049 |
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