Authentic Scutellaria baicalensis pictures

Bupleurum, the name of a Chinese herbal medicine. Also known as camellia root and earth gold tea root, it is a perennial woody plant of the genus Bupleurum in the family Lamiaceae; the fleshy underground stems are hypertrophic, the leaves are hard and papery, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, the racemes are terminal on the stems and branches, Corolla purple, purple-red to dark blue, the filaments are flat, the styles are long and thin, the bottom of the flower pot is annular, the ovary is dark brown, the small nuts are ovoid, and the fruiting period is from July to September. Bupleurum grows on grassy slopes in spring, at an altitude of 60 to 1300 (1700 to 2000) meters. It is produced in Heilongjiang Province, Liaoning Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hebei Province, Henan Province, Gansu Province, Shaanxi Province, Shanxi Province, Shandong Province, Sichuan and other places, and can be grown in most provinces in northern China. Its root is used as medicine, with a slightly bitter taste and cold nature. It has the effects of clearing away heat, detoxifying and removing dampness, removing fire and toxins, activating blood circulation, and nourishing the fetus.

1. Preparation methods of Chinese medicine

1. Remove the residue from the Scutellaria baicalensis slices, boil them in boiling water for 10 minutes, remove them, simmer them thoroughly, slice them, and dry them; or steam them for 30 minutes, remove them, slice them, and dry them (be careful to avoid exposure to the sun).

2. Wine-cooked Scutellaria baicalensis: Take slices of Scutellaria baicalensis and stir-fry them until dry with wine.

2. Physiological characteristics

It is a perennial herb that grows naturally in areas with relatively dry spring sunshine, such as mountain tops, hillsides, forest edges, and roadsides. It likes warmth and is cold-resistant. The underground part of the adult main stem can still safely overwinter at an ultra-low temperature of -35℃, and will not wither at a high temperature of 35℃, but it cannot withstand continuous hot weather above 40℃. It is resistant to drought but afraid of waterlogging. If there is water accumulation in the ground or too much rainfall, its growth and development will be poor, and in severe cases, the roots will rot and it will die. Farmland with poor drainage is not suitable for planting. The soil layer should be soil and sandy soil. The pH value should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Avoid repeated cropping.

3. Function

Clears away heat, detoxifies and eliminates dampness, removes fire and toxins, promotes blood circulation, and nourishes the fetus. It is mainly used to treat febrile diseases, respiratory tract infections, wind-heat cough, cold-damp jaundice, pneumonia, dysentery, hemoptysis, red eyes, fetal movement disorder, hypertension, carbuncles, furuncles, etc. The clinical antibacterial performance of Bupleurum is better than that of Scutellaria baicalensis, and it does not cause drug resistance.

4. Main Smelting

It is used for damp-heat, summer-heat dampness, chest tightness, shortness of breath, nausea, cold-damp fullness, diarrhea, jaundice, wind-heat cough, high fever, thirst and loss of appetite, blood heat, vomiting and epistaxis, carbuncles, sores and toxicity, and fetal movement disorder.

5. About collocation

1. Baldness in children: Take equal parts of Hibiscus tiliaceus flower, Coptis chinensis and Bupleurum chinense and grind them into powder. Wash with rice water and apply with sesame oil. (Puji Fang)

2. Bloody diarrhea that does not stop: 5 liang of Kochia scoparia seeds, 1 liang each of Sanguisorba officinalis and Bupleurum chinense, grind into powder. Take one teaspoon each time, mixed with warm water. (Sheng Hui Fang)

3. Vomiting blood and epistaxis. Treat insufficient heart qi. For vomiting blood and epistaxis, Xiexin Decoction is the main treatment: 2 liang of Coptis chinensis, 1 liang each of Scutellaria baicalensis and Bupleurum chinense, 3 liters of water, boil 1 liter, drink hot to obtain laxative effect. (Zhang Zhongjing's "Golden Chamber and Jade Box")

6. Place of Origin

The wild bupleurum is mainly distributed in the north-central Inner Mongolia and most of the three northeastern provinces. It is one of the main origins of wild Chinese herbal medicine in northern China, including Chengde, Hebei, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia and several other large-scale production areas. The cultivation of Bupleurum is mainly distributed in the four major planting areas of Shandong Province, Shanxi Province, Shaanxi Province and Gansu Province.