Pinyin: Longdan
Aliases
Dancao, Didancao, Siyedan.
Source
Gentianaceae plant Gentian.Gentiana scabraDried root and rhizome of Bge.
Botanical Description
Perennial herb, 30-60 cm tall. Rhizome short, with numerous slender roots clustered on it, up to 30 cm long. Flower stem solitary, unbranched. Leaves opposite; sessile; lower leaves scale-like, connate at base, 5-10 mm long; middle and upper leaves nearly leathery, blade ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2.5-7 cm long, 0.7-3 cm wide, apex acute or long acuminate, base cordate or rounded, upper surface dark green, lower surface pale, margin revolute, rough; veins 3-5. Flowers numerous, clustered at branch tips and leaf axils, without pedicel; each flower with 2 lanceolate or linear-lanceolate bracts, 2-2.5 cm; calyx campanulate, 2.5-3 cm long, apex 5-lobed, often reflexed or spreading, irregular; corolla tubular-campanulate, blue-purple, 4-5.5 cm long, sometimes with numerous yellow-green spots in the throat, apex 5-lobed, lobes ovate, plicae triangular; stamens 5, inserted at middle of corolla tube, filaments broad at base; ovary narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, style short, stigma 2-lobed. Capsule enclosed, oblong, stipitate. Seeds numerous, brown, shiny, reticulate, with broad wings at both ends. Flowering August to September, fruiting September to October.
Habitat and Distribution
Growing at an altitude of 200-1,700 m on hillside grasslands, roadsides, riverbank thickets, and understory meadows. Distributed in Northeast China as well as Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in spring and autumn, washed clean, and dried.
Medicinal Properties
The rhizome is irregularly lump-shaped, 1-3 cm long, 0.3-1 cm in diameter; the surface is dark grayish-brown or dark brown, with stem scars or remaining stem bases at the upper end, and numerous slender roots growing around and below. The roots are cylindrical, slightly twisted, 10-20 cm long, 0.2-0.5 cm in diameter; the surface is pale yellow or yellowish-brown, with prominent transverse wrinkles mostly on the upper part, becoming finer toward the lower part, with longitudinal wrinkles and rootlet scars. The texture is brittle, easily broken, with a somewhat flat fracture surface; the bark is yellowish-white or pale yellowish-brown, the wood is lighter in color, arranged in dotted rings. Odor: faint; Taste: very bitter.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains gentiopicroside, swertiamarin, gentianine, gentianine alkaloid C, kaempferol, sweroside, swertiamarin, ferulic acid, salicylic acid, etc.
Pharmacology
Has hepatoprotective, choleretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, sedative, antipyretic, anticonvulsant, and analgesic effects; also exhibits antipathogenic, ascaricidal, antihypertensive, diuretic, stomachic, small intestinal stimulant, and skeletal muscle relaxant actions.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, cold. Enters the Liver and Gallbladder channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and dries Dampness, drains Liver and Gallbladder Fire. Used for Damp-Heat jaundice, genital swelling and itching, abnormal vaginal discharge, eczema with itching, Liver Fire causing red eyes, tinnitus and deafness, hypochondriac pain and bitter taste in the mouth, persistent erection, and infantile convulsions with spasms.
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: decoct 3-6 g in water; or made into pills or powder. External use: an appropriate amount, decoct in water for washing; or grind into powder for topical application.
Precautions and Contraindications
Forbidden for those with Spleen and Stomach weakness.
Prescriptions
1. For acute icteric infectious hepatitis: Longdan (Gentian) 12 g, Yinchen 12 g, Yujin 5 g, Huangbai 5 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Qingdao Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook) 2. For sudden hematuria with pain in the penis: Longdan (Gentian) one handful, decoct in water and take orally. (Bencao Huiyan) 3. For nocturnal sweating all over the body in children: Longdan (Gentian) in an appropriate amount, or with Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia), ground into powder, form into pills with vinegar and rice flour, the size of mung beans. Take 5-7 pills with rice water. (Tongshen Wan from Youke Leicui) 4. For hypertension: Longdan (Gentian) 9 g, Xiakucao (Prunella) 15 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (Fujian Materia Medica)
