Pinyin: Beidougen
Aliases
Bianfugegen, Machuanling, Shandougen, Kudougen.
Source
Menispermaceae plant *Menispermum dauricum* DC.Menispermum daur-icumOf the dried rhizome of DC.
Botanical Description
A perennial twining vine, reaching over 10 m in length. Rhizome slender, creeping, yellow-brown or blackish-brown, branched. Branchlets green, with fine longitudinal striations. Leaves alternate; orbicular-reniform or ovate, margin 3-7 shallowly lobed, lobes nearly triangular, 5-15 cm long and wide, apex acute, base cordate or truncate, upper surface green, lower surface pale, palmate veins 5-7; petiole peltate, 6-15 cm long. Axillary short panicles, peduncle 3-7 cm long; flowers small, yellow-green, with small bracts; dioecious; male flowers with 6 or 8 sepals, obovate; petals 6-9, smaller than sepals; stamens 10-20; female flowers with 3 carpels, separate. Drupes oblate-spherical, 8-10 mm in diameter, black-purple when ripe, endocarp hard, reniform-oblate, with raised annular sculpturing. Flowering period May-June, fruiting period July-September.
Habitat and Distribution
Born on hillside forest edges, thickets, field margins, roadsides, and gravelly beaches, or climbing on rocks. Distributed in Northeast, North, East, and Shaanxi.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in spring and autumn, remove fibrous roots and sediment, then dry.
Medicinal Properties
This product is slender, cylindrical, curved, and branched, reaching up to 50 cm in length with a diameter of 0.3-0.8 cm. The surface is yellowish-brown to dark brown, often with numerous curved fine roots, and visible protruding root scars and longitudinal wrinkles; the outer bark is easily peeled off. The texture is tough and not easily broken, with an uneven fracture surface, fine fibers, a pale yellow xylem arranged radially, and a central pith. The odor is faint, and the taste is bitter.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains dauricine, 6-dedaunorubicinol, magnoflorine, sinomenine,N- Demethyl cocculine, cocculine, menisperine, dauricine, sinomenine and other constituents.
Pharmacology
It has antiarrhythmic, antihypertensive, inhibits platelet aggregation, and antithrombotic formation effects; additionally, it has anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antitussive and expectorant, antibacterial, local anesthetic, and muscle relaxant effects.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, cold; minor toxicity. Enters the Lung, Stomach, and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat, resolves toxicity, expels Wind, and alleviates pain. Used for swollen and sore throat, Heat-toxic diarrhea and dysentery, and Wind-Dampness impediment pain.
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: decoct and take 3-9 g
Precautions and Contraindications
Forbidden in cases of Spleen deficiency with loose stools. Dosage should not be excessive.
Prescriptions
1. For sore throat: a. Bei Dou Gen and She Gan, 3 g each. Grind together into a fine powder and insufflate into the throat. b. Bei Dou Gen 9 g, Jie Geng 3 g, Suan Jiang 8 pieces. Decoct in water, take twice daily. (From "Jilin Chinese Herbal Medicine") c. Bei Dou Gen, Xuan Shen, Niu Bang Zi, 15 g each, Ku Geng 7.5 g, Gan Cao 5 g. Decoct in water. (From "Changbai Mountain Plant Medicine Journal") 2. For chronic tonsillitis: Bei Dou Gen 9 g, Jin Lian Hua 3 g, Sheng Gan Cao 6 g. Decoct in water. (From "Hebei Chinese Herbal Medicine") 3. For lung-heat cough: Bei Dou Gen, Qian Hu, Niu Bang Zi, Pi Pa Ye, 9 g each. Decoct in water. (From "Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai") 4. For dysentery and enteritis: Bei Dou Gen 9 g, Xu Chang Qing 9 g. Decoct in water. (From "Zhejiang Medicinal Flora") 5. For toothache: Bei Dou Gen 9 g, Xuan Shen and Di Gu Pi 6 g each, Gan Cao 3 g. Decoct in water. (From "National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicines") 6. For low back pain: Bei Dou Gen 30 g, Bai Jiu 50 ml. Soak for 7 days, take 1 cup twice daily. (From "Jilin Chinese Herbal Medicine") 7. For damp-heat jaundice: Bei Dou Gen 9 g, Yin Chen 15 g, Sheng Da Huang 6 g, Zhi Zi 9 g. Decoct in water. (From "Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai") 8. For tinea capitis: Bei Dou Gen 30 g, Bai Tang (white sugar) appropriate amount. Grind together into powder, mix with egg to form a paste, and apply to the affected area. (From "Jilin Chinese Herbal Medicine")
