Pinyin: Gansui
Aliases
Gan'gao, Toutonghua, Mao'eryan.
Source
Euphorbiaceae plant *Euphorbia kansui*Euphorbia kansuiT.N.Liou ex T.P.Wang's dried root tuber.
Botanical Description
Perennial herb, 25-40 cm tall, entire plant contains white latex. Roots slender, curved, often with moniliform, finger-like, or long-ellipsoid tuberous roots at the middle and terminal portions, externally brown. Stems usually branching from the base, purplish-red in the lower part, pale green in the upper part. Leaves alternate, sessile; leaf blades linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, 2-9 cm long, 4-10 mm wide, apex obtuse, base cuneate, margin entire. Cyathium terminal, with 5-9 rays, basal leaves whorled, oblong or narrowly ovate, 1.5-2 cm long, 8-9 mm wide; each ray often further branched, slender, 2-4 cm long; bracts 1 pair, triangular-ovate, 5-9 mm long, margin entire; involucre turbinate, about 2 mm long, apex 4-lobed, lobes ovate-triangular, margin with white hairs; glands 4, crescent-shaped, yellow, with horns at both ends, located on the outer edge between the lobes; male flowers 8-13, each with 1 stamen; female flower 1, positioned at the center of the male flowers, style 3, separate, stigma 2-lobed. Capsule subglobose, glabrous, grayish-brown, about 2 mm long. Flowering period April to June, fruiting period June to August.
Habitat and Distribution
It is mostly found on grassy slopes, field edges, and roadsides. It is distributed in Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, and Sichuan.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested before flowering in spring or after the stems and leaves wither in late autumn, then shaken to remove the outer bark and dried in the sun.
Medicinal Properties
This product is elliptical, long cylindrical, or bead-like in shape, 1-5 cm long and 0.5-2.5 cm in diameter. The surface is whitish or yellowish-white, with brown outer bark remnants in depressions. The texture is brittle, easily broken, with a starchy, white fracture surface and slightly visible radial striations in the xylem; the long cylindrical ones are more fibrous. The odor is faint, and the taste is slightly sweet and pungent.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains euphol.αIngenol, kansuinol, 20-deoxyingenol-3-benzoate, ingenol-3-(2,4-decadienoate)-20-acetate,β- beta-sitosterol, etc.
Pharmacology
Has cathartic, anti-fertility, and immunosuppressive effects.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, cold; toxic. Enters the Lung, Kidney, and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Expels water and disperses fluid accumulation, reduces swelling and dissipates nodules
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: mostly processed into pills or powder, 0.5-1.5 g. External use: appropriate amount, used raw.
Precautions and Contraindications
Contraindicated for those with Qi deficiency and Yin depletion, Spleen and Stomach weakness, and for pregnant women; should not be used together with Gancao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis).
Prescriptions
1. For edema with abdominal distension: Gansui (stir-fried) 6.6 g, Heiqianniu 45 g. Grind into powder, decoct in water, and take in small sips frequently. (From *Puji Fang*) 2. For constipation: Gansui (stir-fried) 30 g, Muxiang 0.3 g. Grind the two ingredients into a powder. Take 3 g per dose, mixed with warm honey wine, without strict dosage limit. (From *Shengji Zonglu*, Gansui Powder) 3. For various types of Dampness-related lower back pain, swelling and fullness of the limbs, as well as stabbing pain in the hypochondrium due to alcohol injury, dry mouth, and yellow eyes: Gansui (boiled) 30 g, Danggui and Chenpi each 15 g. Grind into powder. Take 9 g per dose, mixed with wine before meals. (From *Weisheng Yijian Fang*) 4. For wasting-thirst disorder (diabetes): Gansui (stir-fried thoroughly with wheat bran until yellowish-brown) 15 g, Huanglian (removed root hairs) 30 g. Grind the above into fine powder, mix with water-soaked steamed cake to form pills the size of mung beans. Take two pills per dose, swallowed with mint decoction, without strict timing. Avoid Gancao for three days. (From *Yangshi Jiacang Fang*, Suoshui Pills) 5. For sudden deafness: Blow Gansui powder into the left ear and Gancao powder into the right ear for immediate effect. Alternatively, wrap Gansui powder in cotton, insert into the ear, and chew Gancao in the mouth, which also works well. (From *Renshu Bianlan*)
