Pinyin: Cheqiancao
Aliases
Dibiantou, Fancicao, Huipencao.
Source
Plant of the Plantaginaceae family, Plantago asiaticaPlantago asiaticaL. or Plantago depressa Willd.Plantago depressaThe dried whole herb of *Wikstroemia indica* (L.) C.A. Mey.
Botanical Description
See entry under "Cheqianzi".
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in summer, remove sediment and sand, and dry in the sun.
Medicinal Properties
1. Cheqian: Roots fascicled, fibrous. Leaves basal, long-petioled; leaf blades wrinkled, ovate-elliptic or broadly ovate when flattened, 6-13 cm long, 2.5-8 cm wide; surface grayish-green or dull green, with 5-7 distinct arcuate veins; apex obtuse or shortly pointed, base broadly cuneate, margin entire or irregularly undulate-toothed. Several spikes, flower stalks long. Capsule circumscissile, calyx persistent. Odor: faint; Taste: slightly bitter.
2. Pingcheqian: The taproot is straight and long. The leaf blades are relatively narrow, oblong-elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate, 5-14 cm long and 2-3 cm wide.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains plantain flavonoid glycosides.β- β-sitosterol, aucubin, acteoside, plantamajoside, homoplantaginin, and plantaginin, among other constituents.
Pharmacology
It has diuretic effects; has antitussive, antiasthmatic, and expectorant effects; has antimicrobial effects; has a bidirectional regulatory effect on gastric juice secretion; inhibits the stomach in the working state but has no effect on the stomach in the resting state. It can also temporarily increase intestinal fluid secretion, reduce the contraction amplitude of isolated rabbit intestinal segments, and counteract the contractile effects of barium chloride and histamine. Has anti-inflammatory effects. The extract has inhibitory effects on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and mouse sarcoma S.180It has a relatively weak inhibitory effect. It can slow the heart rate of rabbits, increase cardiac amplitude, and raise blood pressure; large doses may cause cardiac paralysis and lower blood pressure. It also deepens, enlarges, and slows respiration, promotes secretion from the bronchi and digestive tract, and stimulates the movement of the intestines and uterus.
Properties and Channel Entry
Sweet, cold. Enters the Liver, Kidney, Lung, and Small Intestine channels.
Functions and Indications
Clears Heat, promotes urination, and relieves stranguria; expels Phlegm; cools Blood; and resolves toxicity. Used for painful and difficult urination due to Heat stranguria; edema with scanty urine; summerheat-Dampness diarrhea; cough with Phlegm-Heat; hemoptysis and epistaxis; and carbuncles, swellings, and sores due to toxicity.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct in water, 15-30 g (fresh material 30-60 g); or take the expressed juice. External: apply appropriate amount as a decoction for washing, or mash and apply, or apply the expressed juice.
Precautions and Contraindications
Contraindicated in cases of deficiency with slippery discharge and insecurity of the Essence-Qi.
Prescriptions
1. For pediatric dysuria (difficult urination): Cheqiancao (Plantago asiatica, cut into pieces) 1 sheng, Xiaomai (wheat) 1 sheng. Boil the two ingredients in 2 sheng of water, reduce to 1 sheng and 2 ge, remove the residue, cook into porridge, and take 3-4 times daily. (From Qianjin Yaofang) 2. For diarrhea: Cheqiancao 12 g, Tiemabian (Desmodium styracifolium) 6 g. Pound together into a paste, mix with cold water, and take orally. (From Hunan Materia Medica) 3. For febrile dysentery: Pound Cheqiancao leaves to extract 1 zhong of juice, add 1 ge of honey, boil together for 1-2 minutes, and take in two divided doses while warm. (From Shenghui Fang) 4. For low back pain due to Dampness: Cheqiancao (with roots) 7 whole plants, Congbai (scallion white, with roots) 7 pieces, Zao (jujube) 7 pieces. Boil in 1 bottle of wine and take regularly. (From Jianbian Danfang) 5. For stranguria due to urinary stones: Decoct concentrated Cheqiancao liquid and drink it. (From Waitai, citing Zhang Wenzhong's formula) 6. For hematuria with stabbing pain: Freshly pound Cheqian (Plantago asiatica) leaves to extract 3 ge of juice, add 3 ge of fresh Shengdihuang (Rehmannia) juice and 2 ge of honey. Mix together, warm slightly, and take on an empty stomach in two divided doses. (From Shiyi Xinjian)
