Pinyin: Baiying
Aliases
Baimaoteng, Wangdonghong, Maohulu.
Source
Solanaceae plant Solanum lyratumSolanum lyratumThunb. dry whole plant.
Botanical Description
A perennial twining herbaceous plant, reaching up to 5 m in height. The base is woody, the upper part is herbaceous; the stems, leaves, and petioles are densely covered with jointed long hairs. Leaves are alternate; petioles are 1-3 cm long; leaf blades are mostly hastate or lyre-shaped, 3-8 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, apex acuminate, base cordate, margin entire or undulate on the upper part, usually with 1-2 pairs of auriculate or hastate lobes on the lower part, occasionally entire, with prominent midvein. Cymes are terminal or axillary and lateral; calyx is 5-lobed, persistent; corolla is blue-violet or white, 5-lobed, lobes reflexed from the base; stamens 5, filaments very short, anthers dehiscing by apical pores; pistil 1, style slender, stigma small, capitate, ovary ovoid, 2-locular. Berry is spherical, about 1 cm in diameter, red when ripe. Seeds are nearly discoid, flattened. Flowering from July to September, fruiting from October to November.
Habitat and Distribution
Born in moist and shaded areas along roadsides, on mountain slopes, under bamboo forests, and in shrublands at elevations of 200-2800 m. Distributed in East China, Central-South China, Southwest China, as well as Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Taiwan, and other regions.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest the whole plant in summer and autumn, use fresh or dry in the sun.
Chemical Constituents
This product primarily contains solanine, anthocyanins, and their aglycones.
Pharmacology
Has antitumor and antifungal effects.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, bitter, cold, with slight toxicity. Enters the Liver, Gallbladder, and Kidney channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat and drains Dampness, resolves toxicity and reduces swelling. Indicated for Damp-Heat jaundice, cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, nephritis with edema, rheumatic joint pain, Damp-Heat vaginal discharge in women, high fever with convulsions in children, carbuncles and scrofula, eczema with pruritus, and herpes zoster.
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: decoction, 15-30 g, fresh 30-60 g; or soak in wine. External use: appropriate amount, wash with decoction, apply mashed, or apply with expressed juice.
Precautions and Contraindications
It is slightly toxic and should not be taken in excessive doses, otherwise toxic reactions such as a burning sensation in the throat, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and dilated pupils may occur.
Prescriptions
1. Treats lung cancer: *Solanum lyratum* and *Sedum sarmentosum* 30 g each. Decoct in water for oral administration, 1 dose daily. (*National Compendium of Chinese Herbal Medicine*) 2. Treats wind-fire red eyes: Fresh *Solanum lyratum* leaves, pounded, mixed with human milk, applied externally to the eyelids. (*Fujian Chinese Herbal Medicine*) 3. Treats suppurative otitis media: *Solanum lyratum* juice squeezed and dripped into the ear. (*Hunan Materia Medica*) 4. Treats scabies: *Solanum lyratum* whole plant 30-40 g (dried 24-36 g), with 180 g fatty pork, add appropriate amount of water, decoct, and take in two divided doses. (*Fujian Folk Herbal Medicine*) 5. Treats sore throat, carbuncle, swelling, toxin, and lymph node tuberculosis: *Solanum lyratum* and *Metaplexis japonica* 30 g each. Decoct in water for oral administration. (*Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines from Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai*) 6. Treats skin pruritus: *Solanum lyratum* and *Melia azedarach* leaves, appropriate amounts, decoct in water and wash the affected area. (*Qingdao Chinese Herbal Medicine Handbook*) 7. Treats rheumatic joint pain: *Solanum lyratum* 30 g, *Lonicera japonica* 30 g, *Acanthopanax gracilistylus* 30 g, steep in 500 g of good wine for oral administration. (*Guiyang Folk Herbal Medicine*)
