Pinyin: Gouguye
Aliases
Gougouci, Bajiaoci.
Source
Plant of the Aquifoliaceae family *Ilex cornuta*.Ilex cornutaDried leaf of Lindl. ex Paxt.
Botanical Description
Evergreen small tree or shrub, 3-8 m tall. Bark gray-white, smooth. Leaves hard and leathery, oblong-quadrangular, 4-8 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, apex with 3 hard spinose teeth, the central tooth recurved, base truncate, with 1-2 spinose teeth on each side, apex shortly pointed, base rounded, upper surface dark green and glossy, lower surface yellow-green, both surfaces glabrous. Dioecious or occasionally polygamous, flowers clustered in leaf axils of 2-year-old branches; flowers yellow-green, 4-merous; calyx cup-shaped, small; petals spreading, obovate to oblong, about 2.5 mm long, about 1.5 mm wide, fused at base; stamens 4, style about 3 mm long; ovary 4-locular, style very short. Drupe berry-like, spherical, bright red when ripe, 4-8 mm in diameter; pyrenes 4, bony. Flowering period April-May, fruiting period September-October.
Habitat and Distribution
Grows on hillsides, valleys, mixed forests or thickets near streams. Distributed in Gansu, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in autumn, remove impurities and dry in the sun.
Medicinal Properties
Leaf blades rectangular or oblong-rectangular, occasionally long-ovate, 3-8 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide. Apex with 3 larger hard spinose teeth, the apical one often recurved, base truncate or broadly cuneate, lateral margins sometimes with 1-3 spinose teeth each, margin slightly revolute; long-ovate leaves often without spinose teeth. Upper surface yellow-green or green-brown, glossy, lower surface gray-yellow or gray-green. Venation pinnate, petiole relatively short. Texture leathery, hard and thick. Odor: faint; Taste: slightly bitter.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains caffeine, lupeol, ursolic acid, kudingcha glycoside, and ziyuglycoside components.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, cool. Enters the Liver and Kidney channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat, nourishes Yin, benefits the Kidneys, and calms the Liver. Used for hemoptysis due to pulmonary tuberculosis, tidal fever and night sweats, and dizziness.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct in water, 9-15 g. External use: appropriate amount, pound to extract juice or boil into paste for application.
Precautions and Contraindications
Those with Spleen and Stomach deficiency cold and Kidney Yang insufficiency should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For fatigue and weakness due to overwork and blood loss: use several jin of Holly leaves, remove the spines, add 2-3 jin of red dates, decoct into a paste, and collect with honey. (From "Ben Jing Feng Yuan") 2. For pulmonary tuberculosis: dry 30 g of tender Holly leaves, steep in boiling water and drink as tea. (From "Hunan Materia Medica") 3. For pulmonary tuberculosis with hemoptysis and tidal fever: use 9-15 g each of Holly leaf, Glehnia root, Ophiopogon root, and Bletilla tuber, decoct in water and take orally. (From "Zhejiang Medicinal Flora") 4. For Liver and Kidney Yin deficiency with dizziness, tinnitus, and soreness of the lower back and knees: use 9-15 g each of Holly leaf, Wolfberry, Ligustrum fruit, and Eclipta herb, decoct in water and take orally. (From "Zhejiang Medicinal Flora") 5. For lumbar muscle strain and lumbosacral pain: use 15 g of Holly leaf, 15 g of Mulberry mistletoe, and 1 pair of pig kidneys, stew in water, remove the dregs, add an appropriate amount of yellow wine, and eat the meat and drink the soup. (From "Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine") 6. For rheumatic arthritis: mash 120 g of fresh tender Holly branches and leaves, add 360 g of white wine, and steep for 1 day. Take 15-30 g warm every night before bed. (From "Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine") 7. For boils and sores: chop fresh Holly leaves, mix with distiller's grains, mash, and apply externally. Replace when dry. (From "Anhui Chinese Herbal Medicine") 8. For vitiligo: extract the juice from fresh Holly leaves or decoct to a thick paste, and apply to the affected area. (From "Hubei Chinese Herbal Medicine Record")
