Yin Tonics
Bei Sha Shen (Coastal Glehnia Root)
Naming
Bei Sha Shen (Radix Glehniae)——HuiYan Ben Cao (Collection of Materia Medica)
The Processing of 北沙参
Origin
The root of the perennial herbaceous plant Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidt ex Miq. of family Umbelliferae.
Location
Cultivated in most areas in China.
Harvest
Plucked in summer and autumn.
The actual smell and taste
Slight smell, slightly sweet.
Best quality
Even coarse, plug skin removed, white-yellow color.
Processing
Unprocessed.
The Effect of 北沙参
Property
Sweet, slightly cold; lung and stomach meridians entered.
Actions
Nourish yin of lung and stomach, clear heat of lung and stomach.
Indications
A.Lung yin deficiency syndromes
It can nourish lung yin and clear lung heat. For dry cough with little phlegm, blood in phlegm, dryness in throat, and hoarseness due to lung yin deficiency with dryness-heat in lung, it is combined with lung-clearing and dryness-moistening herbs, for instance, it is used with Nan Sha Shen and Zhi Mu in Run Zao Yang Yin Tang from Yi Fang Xin Jie. For cough without phlegm, or with little phlegm, blood in phlegm, hemoptysis, bone-steaming and tidal fever due to lung yin deficiency, it is combined with herbs of nourishing yin, moistening lung, relieving cough and eliminating bone steaming felling, such as Mai Dong, Zhi Mu, Chuan Bei Mu and Bie Jia.
B.Stomach yin deficiency syndromes
It is indicated for thirst with more drinking, hunger but no appetite, dry stool, no coating or red tongue with little fluid, or stomachache, distending in stomach, retching and other symptoms due to stomach yin deficiency, because it can nourish stomach yin to produce fluid and relieve thirst, and clear stomach heat. It is usually combined with yin-nourishing and fluid-producing herbs, such as Shi Hu, Yu Zhu, and Wu Mei.
Dosage and Administrations
Decoct 10~15 g.
Sources and further reading
We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.
- Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
- Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
- Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
- NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.
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