Pinyin: Feizi
Aliases
Feishi, Beizi, Yushanguo, Xiangfei.
Source
1. For pneumonia: Renshen 6 g, decoct in water and take orally.TorreyagrandisDried mature seeds of *Forsythia suspensa* (Thunb.) Vahl.
Botanical Description
Evergreen tree, up to 25 m tall, with a DBH (diameter at breast height) of 55 cm. Bark pale grayish-yellow, deep gray, or grayish-brown, irregularly fissured longitudinally. Branchlets subopposite or whorled; first-year branchlets green, second- to third-year branchlets yellowish-green, pale brown, or dark greenish-yellow, rarely pale brown. Leaves linear, usually straight, 1.1-2.5 cm long, 2.5-4 mm wide, apex mucronate or with a short spine-like tip, base rounded, upper surface glossy green with indistinct midvein and 2 slightly distinct longitudinal grooves, lower surface pale green. Dioecious; male cones solitary in leaf axils; female cones paired in leaf axils, each with 2 pairs of decussate bracts and an outer small bract at base; ovules erect, solitary on the aril. Seeds ellipsoid, ovoid, obovoid, or oblong-ellipsoid, 2-4.5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter; aril pale purplish-brown when mature, white-powdered, apex with a small protruding tip; endosperm slightly wrinkled. Flowering in April; seeds mature in October of the following year.
Habitat and Distribution
Born in warm and humid yellow soil, red soil, and yellow-brown soil, mixed in forests. Distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou, and other regions at altitudes below 1400 m in mountainous areas.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest in autumn when seeds are mature, remove the fleshy aril, wash clean, and sun-dry.
Medicinal Properties
This product is ovoid or oblong-ovoid in shape, 2-3.5 cm long and 1.3-2 cm in diameter. The surface is grayish-yellow or pale yellowish-brown with longitudinal wrinkles, one end is bluntly rounded with an elliptical hilum visible, and the other end is slightly pointed. The seed coat is hard and about 1 mm thick. The kernel surface is wrinkled, the outer endosperm is grayish-brown and membranous, and the inner endosperm is yellowish-white, fleshy, and rich in oil. The odor is faint, and the taste is slightly sweet and astringent.
Chemical Constituents
This product primarily contains fatty oil.
Pharmacology
Expels hookworms.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, balanced. Enters the Lung, Stomach, and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Insecticidal and eliminates accumulation, moistens the Lung to stop cough, and moistens dryness to unblock the bowels. Used for hookworm disease, ascariasis, taeniasis, abdominal pain due to parasitic accumulation, infantile malnutrition due to parasitic accumulation, dry cough due to Lung dryness, and constipation.
Dosage and Administration
Oral administration: decoction 15-50 g, use raw with shell, crush before decocting; or 10-40 pieces, stir-fry until cooked, remove shell, chew the kernel; or make into pills or powder. For expelling parasites, use a larger dose taken in a single dose; for constipation and hemorrhoids, use a small dose taken regularly.
Precautions and Contraindications
For patients with Spleen deficiency causing diarrhea and loose stools due to intestinal hypermotility, use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For duodenal hookworm, roundworm, and pinworm: Feizi (Torreya grandis, chopped) 30 g, Shijunziren (Quisqualis indica, finely chopped) 30 g, Dasuanban (garlic cloves, finely chopped) 30 g. Decoct in water, remove the residue, and take 3 times daily on an empty stomach before meals. (Modern Practical Chinese Materia Medica) 2. For taeniasis (tapeworm): Eat 7 Feizi kernels daily for 7 consecutive days. (Shi Liao Ben Cao / Materia Medica for Dietotherapy)
