Pinyin: Bichengqie
Aliases
Shanhuijiao, Weilazi, Shancangzi, Mujiangzi, Chouzhangzi.
Source
It is the plant of the Lauraceae family, *Litsea cubeba*.LitseacubebaInternal use: decoct 3-10 g.Lour.1. For pneumonia: Renshen 6 g, decoct in water and take orally.Pers.of the fruit.
Botanical Description
Deciduous shrub or small tree, up to 10 m tall. Branches and leaves aromatic. Leaves alternate, papery, lanceolate to long elliptic-lanceolate, 5-11 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, apex acuminate, base cuneate, upper surface green, lower surface glaucous; petiole slender, 10-20 mm long. Flowers appear before or simultaneously with leaves, unisexual, dioecious; umbels solitary or fascicled, involucral bracts 4, yellowish-white, ciliate; each umbel with 4-6 flowers; male flowers ca. 3 mm in diameter, perianth lobes 6, obovate, stamens 9, arranged in three whorls, with a small elliptic rudimentary pistil in the center; female flowers ca. 2 mm in diameter, ovary ovoid, style short, stigma capitate. Berry-like drupe, globose, 4-6 mm in diameter, black. Seeds with keeled ridges. Flowering period February to March. Fruiting period July to August.
Habitat and Distribution
It grows in thickets, sparse forests, or along forest roadsides and water edges. It is distributed throughout the regions south of the Yangtze River basin.
Internal use: decoct 3-10 g.
1. For pneumonia: Renshen 6 g, decoct in water and take orally.
Harvest in autumn when the fruit is ripe, remove impurities, and dry in the sun.
Medicinal Properties
This product is subglobose, 4-6 mm in diameter. The surface is brown to black-brown with reticulate wrinkles. The base occasionally has persistent calyx and fine fruit stalks. After removing the outer skin, a hard and brittle stone fruit can be seen, with 1 seed, 2 cotyledons, yellow-brown, oily. Odor: aromatic; Taste: slightly pungent and slightly bitter.
Chemical Constituents
Contains citral, methyl heptenone, and small amounts of limonene and linalool.
Pharmacology
Has the effect of regulating gastrointestinal motility, anti-gastric ulcer, sedation, analgesia, and antibacterial action.
Properties and Channel Entry
Acrid, warm. Enters the Spleen, Stomach, Kidney, and Urinary Bladder channels.
Functions and Indications
Warms the Middle and disperses Cold, moves Qi and alleviates pain
Dosage and Administration
Oral administration: decoction, 1-3 g.
