Ce Bai Ye (Chinese Arborvitae Twig)

Naming

Ce Bai Ye (Cacumen Platycladi)——Ming Yi Bie Lu (Miscellaneous Records of Famous physicians)

The Processing of 侧柏叶

Origin

The tender twig and leaf of evergreen macrophanerophytes ofPlatycladus orientalis (L.) Franco of family Cupressaceae.

Location

Everywhere in China.

Harvest

Mostly in summer and autumn.

The actual smell and taste

Fragrant smell, bitter, astringent and a little pungent taste.

Best quality

Tender leaves with light green color and no crushed pieces.

Processing

Discarded thick twigs, purified and dried in shadow; unprocessed or stir-baked into charcoal.

The Effect of 侧柏叶

Property

Bitter, astringent cold; lung, liver and spleen meridians entered.

Actions

Cool blood and stop bleeding, resolve phlegm and stop cough.

Indications

A. Bleeding caused by blood heat

This herb is bitter, astringent and cold in nature, good at clearing blood heat. It can also astringe and stop bleeding. Therefore it is quite effective to various bleeding especially caused by blood heat. For hematemesis and epistaxis due to recklessly blood flow due to blood heat, it is always combined with other heat-clearing and blood-cooling hemostatics. For instance it is combined with He Ye, Di Huang, etc. from Jiao Zhu Fu Ren Lian Fang. The juice of these fresh herbs is pounded out and taken orally. For deficiency-cold bleeding, it is also combined with the interior-warming and cold-dispelling herbs. For example, it is combined with Gan Jiang and Ai Ye in Bai Ye Tang from ]in Kui Yao Lue,indicated for deficiency-cold middle qi with signs of constant hematemesis.

B. Cough due to lung heat

Being bitter and cold with actions of clearing and purging, it is good at clearing lung-heat and resolving phlegm, and stopping cough. For cough and dyspnea caused by lung-heat accompanied by thick and difficult expectorating sputum, it is used singly or combined with heat phlegm-clearing and resolving herbs and antitussive and antasthmatics, such as Bei Mu and Zhu Ru, etc.

In addition, for injuries due to hot liquid or fire, and alopecia, it is applied externally.

Dosage and Administrations

Decoct 10~15 g. Proper dose for external application. When stopping bleeding, stir-bake it into charcoal; when resolving phlegm and stopping cough, use the unprocessed.