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Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz.
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English Name |
Largehead Atractylodes, |
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Latin name |
Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz. |
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Family & Genus |
Asteraceae, Atractylodes |
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Description |
Perennial herbs. Rhizome thick and lumpy. Stem 50-80cm tall, upper branched, base woody. Stem lower leaves with long petioles, single leaves alternate, leaves 3 lobed or pinnate 5 parted, middle lobes relatively large, lobes ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, 5-8cm long, 1.5-3cm wide, apex long and acuminate, base gradually narrow, margin with long or short spiny edge, hairs or appressed spinelet toothed, apex lobes relatively large; stem upper petioles gradually short, narrowly lanceolate, dividing or non-dividing, 4-10cm long, 1.5-4cm wide. Capitulums solitary at top of branches, ca. 2.5cm long, ca. 3.5cm wide, base bracts leafy, 3-5cm long, pinnate lobes spiny; involucral bracts, campanulate, 5-8 layers, membranous, imbricate arranged, outside slightly with micro pubescence, outside layer short, ovate, apex obtuse, innermost layer multi rows, apex blunt, expanded; flowers numerous, all tubular flowers, corolla purple-red, ca. 1.5cm long, stamens 5, style slender. Achene ca. 1.3cm long, pinnate, dirty white, base joint. Flowering: September to October; fruiting: October to December. |
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Distribution |
Growing on hills. Widely cultivated. The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan and etc. |
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Part Used |
Medical part: rhizome. Chinese name: Baizhu. |
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Harvest & Processing |
In thee last ten days of October to the middle ten days of November, after the aboveground withered, excavated roots on sunny days, removed soil, cut stalks and dried the root and stem by 100℃, reduce the temperature to 60-70℃ when the bark heating, turn up side down each 4 to 5 hours, half-dried, removed fibrous root, then to 80 percent dried, stop heating, heaped up for 5-6 days, softened the bark, then completely dried. Or totally sun-dried for 15-20 days. |
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Chemistry |
Roots contain atratylone, eudesmol, palmitic acid, hinesol, humulene, sesquiterpene lactones, such as, atractylenolide; polyynealcohols, such as 14-acetyl-12-senecioyl-2E, 8Z, 10E-atractylentriol, etc; scopoletin, fructose, inulin, mannan AM-3 and amino acid, etc. |
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Pharmacology |
Gastric-ulcer-preventing, intestines-movement-influencing, hepatic-protective, beneficial to gallbladder, antioxidant and anti-tumor, blood-sugar-reducing, anticoagulation, cardiovascular-system-affecting and anti-bacteria; toxic. |
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Properties & Actions |
Taste bitter, sweet, and warm in nature.Benefiting spleen, tonifying qi, drying dampness, inducing urination, checking sweating and preventing miscarriage. |
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Indications & Usage |
Used for deficiency-weakness of spleen-qi, mental weariness and hypodynamia, abdominal distension and anorexia, loose stools, fluid retention stagnating in the interior, difficulty in urination, edema, dizziness induced by phlegm and retained fluids, aching pain due to damp arthralgia, spontaneous persipiration due to superficial asthenia, restless fetal movement.Internal: decocting, 3-15g; or prepared plaster; or made as pills or powders. Induce urination, disperse swelling, strengthen exterior and reduce sweating, remove damp and cure numbness; stir-heated for tonify spleen and stomach; stir -heated for tonify spleen and stop diarrhea. |
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Examples |
1. Tumescence due to splenic asthenia: largehead atractylodes 100g, orange peel 200g. Grind into powder, prepare pills with liquor as large as semen firmianae. Take 30 pills before meals each time with aucklandia root decoction.
2. Asthenia, indigestion: yushu (immersed into liquor, steam and dry for 9 times) 500g, China dodder (cook in liquor, dry under the sun) 500g. Grind all drugs into powder and prepare honey pills as large as semen firmianae. Take 10-15g each time. |
| Link to |
 Chinese Medicinal Material Images Database
Phytochemical Image Database
Chinese Medicine Specimen Database
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