Pinyin: Huhuanglian
Aliases
Gehuluzhe, Hulian, Jia Huanglian
Source
Scrophulariaceae plant Picrorhiza scrophulariifloraPicrorhiza scrophulariifloraDried rhizome of Pennell.
Botanical Description
Perennial herb, 5-10 cm tall. Rhizome thick, long conical, horizontal, 15-50 cm long, with dense nodes, often with dark brown scale-like old leaves and cylindrical rootlets. Leaves nearly basal, often forming a rosette; leaf blades spoon-shaped to ovate, apex rounded or obtuse, base gradually narrowing into a short petiole, margin with blunt serrations except at base, glabrous, turning black when dry. Scapes arising from the leaf cluster, covered with glandular hairs, flowers densely arranged in terminal spike-like paniculate cymes; bracts and calyx hairy, bracts ovate; sepals 4, one lobe nearly linear, the other 4 lobes nearly lanceolate, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic; corolla dark purple or light blue, bilabiate, with sparse hairs inside and outside. Capsule ovoid, apex 4-lobed. Seeds numerous, oblong, shiny, reticulate. Flowering period June to August, fruiting period August to September.
Habitat and Distribution
Born at altitudes of 3600-4400 m in high-cold regions, on rocks and in rock piles, or in shallow soil on sunny slopes. Distributed in Sichuan, Yunnan, and Tibet.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in autumn, remove the fibrous roots and sediment, and sun-dry.
Medicinal Properties
Rhizome cylindrical, slightly curved, occasionally branched, 3-12 cm long, 2-14 mm in diameter. Surface gray-brown to dark brown, with raised bud scars, circular root scars, or fine root remnants; thicker specimens have dense transverse wrinkles, and the upper part is densely covered with dark brown scale-like petiole remnants. Texture light, hard and brittle, easily broken; fracture surface pale brown or dark brown, with 4-10 white punctiform vascular bundles arranged in a ring. Odor: faint; Taste: extremely bitter.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains picroside I, picroside II, aucubin, bergenin, and 11-O- (4′-methoxygalloyl)-bergenin, picein, etc.
Pharmacology
It has hepatoprotective and choleretic effects; antifungal activity; antidiabetic activity; lowers blood lipids; inhibits hydrochloric acid-ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats; antitumor effects; and has a protective effect on the heart.
Properties and Channel Entry
Bitter, cold. Enters the Liver, Stomach, and Large Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears deficient Heat, eliminates infantile malnutrition Heat, and clears Damp-Heat
Dosage and Administration
Internal: decoct in water, 6-12 g; or prepare as pills or powder. External: appropriate amount, grind into powder for topical application; or soak to extract juice for eye drops.
Precautions and Contraindications
Those with weak Spleen and Stomach should use with caution.
Prescriptions
1. For bone-steaming consumptive disease with vexing heat, fatigue, night sweats, dry lips and mouth, pallor, and progressive emaciation: Hu Huang Lian (Picrorhiza kurroa) 60 g, Chai Hu (Bupleurum) (without rootlets) 60 g, Bie Jia (Soft-shelled Turtle Shell, raw) 60 g. Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder. Take 3 g each time, mixed with ginger-infused wine. Administer once in the morning, once at noon, and once before bedtime. (From "Sheng Hui Fang" formula San Sheng San). 2. For abscesses, sores, and swellings, whether suppurated or not: Hu Huang Lian (Picrorhiza kurroa) and Chuan Shan Jia (Pangolin scales, burnt to preserve nature) equal parts, ground into powder. Mix with tea or egg white and apply topically. (From "Yi Jian Fang"). 3. For eczema of the external ear (rotten ear sore): Grind Hu Huang Lian (Picrorhiza kurroa) into a fine powder, mix with sesame oil, and apply externally. (From "Wai Ke Zheng Zhi Quan Shu"). 4. For oral erosion (mouth sores): Hu Huang Lian (Picrorhiza kurroa) 1.5 g, Xi Xin (Asarum) and Xuan Huang Lian (Coptis) each 9 g, Huo Xiang (Patchouli) 3 g. Grind the above four ingredients into a powder. Use 1.5 g each time, apply dry to the mouth, rinse and spit out after several washes. (From "Wei Sheng Bao Jian" formula Hu Huang Lian San). 5. For bloody dysentery: Hu Huang Lian (Picrorhiza kurroa), Wu Mei Rou (Smoked Plum pulp), and Zao Xia Tu (Furnace hearth earth) equal parts, ground into powder. Take with clear tea (made from aged tea leaves) on an empty stomach, warm. (From "Pu Ji Fang" formula Huang Lian Wan).
