Pinyin: Chunpi
Aliases
Chouchun, Chungenpi, Chubaipi, Chugenpi
Source
This herb is from the Simaroubaceae plant *Ailanthus altissima* (Mill.) Swingle.Ailanthus altissimaDried root bark or dried bark of (Mill.) Swingle.
Botanical Description
Deciduous tree, up to 20 m tall; bark smooth with vertical stripes; young branches initially covered with yellow or yellowish-brown soft hairs, later glabrous. Leaves odd-pinnate, with 13 to 27 leaflets; leaflets opposite or subopposite, papery, ovate-lanceolate, 7-13 cm long, 2.5-4 cm wide, apex long-acuminate, base oblique, truncate or slightly rounded, with 1 or 2 coarse teeth on each side, each tooth with a gland on the back; adaxial surface dark green, abaxial surface grayish-green, with an unpleasant odor when crushed. Panicles 10-30 cm long; flowers pale green, pedicels 1-2.5 mm long; sepals 5, imbricate; petals 5, with stiff coarse hairs at the base on both sides; stamens 10, filaments densely covered with stiff coarse hairs at the base, filaments longer than petals in male flowers, shorter than petals in female flowers; anthers oblong, about 1 mm long; carpels 5, styles fused, stigmas 5-lobed. Samaras oblong-elliptic, 3-4.5 cm long; seeds located in the middle of the wing, oblate. Flowering April to May, fruiting August to October.
Habitat and Distribution
In China, it is distributed in all provinces except Heilongjiang, Jilin, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Ningxia, Gansu, and Hainan.
Harvesting and Processing
Can be stripped and collected throughout the year, then dried in the sun, or the rough outer bark may be scraped off before drying in the sun.
Properties
The root bark is in irregular sheet-like or rolled pieces of varying length and width, 0.3-1 cm thick. The outer surface is grayish-yellow or yellowish-brown, rough, with numerous protruding longitudinal lenticels and irregular longitudinal and transverse cracks; areas with the rough outer bark removed appear yellowish-white. The inner surface is pale yellow, relatively smooth, densely covered with fusiform small holes or spots. Texture is hard and brittle; the cross-section is granular in the outer layer and fibrous in the inner layer. Odor: faint; Taste: bitter. The dry bark is in irregular plate-like pieces of varying sizes, 0.5-2 cm thick. The outer surface is grayish-black, extremely rough, with deep cracks.
Chemical Constituents
This product primarily contains ailantholide, ailanthone, quassin, 11-acetylamarolide, ailanthinone C,b- Carboline derivatives and other constituents.
Pharmacology
Has anti-cancer and anti-amoebic activities.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, astringent, and cold. Enters the Large Intestine, Stomach, and Liver channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and dries Dampness, astringes and stops vaginal discharge, stops diarrhea, and stops bleeding. Used for red and white vaginal discharge, Damp-Heat diarrhea and dysentery, chronic diarrhea and dysentery, bloody stools, and uterine bleeding.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct in water, 6-12 g. Or taken in pill or powder form. External use: appropriate amount, decoct in water for washing; or apply as a paste.
Prescriptions
1. For trichomonal vaginitis: Chunpi 15 g, decoct in water and take orally. Additionally, use Qianliguang (whole plant) 30 g, Bohe and Shechuangzi 15 g each, decoct in water for external washing. (Jiangxi *Zhongcaoyaoxue*) 2. For cystitis and urethritis: Chunpi 12 g (fresh 45 g), fresh Cheqiancao 60 g. Decoct and take orally. (*Anhui Zhongcaoyao*) 3. For hepatosplenomegaly: Chunpi, simmer to form a paste. Apply to the affected area on cloth, change once daily. (*Anhui Zhongcaoyao*) 4. For joint pain: Chouchun Genpi 30 g. Use equal parts wine and water, with 1 pig trotter. Stew together and take orally. (*Fujian Yaowuzhi*) 5. For red and white vaginal discharge with Damp-Heat: Chunpi 12 g, Huangbai and Huangqin 9 g each, Jiguanhua and Fanbaicao 15 g each. Decoct in water and take orally. (*Huashan Yaowuzhi*)
