☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat and resolves toxicity; Dispels Wind and stops pain; Resolves Dampness and r educes swelling
Traditional Chinese Uses
Bei Dou Gen is the rhizome of the Asiatic (Daurian) moonseed, Menispermum dauricum (Rhizoma Menispermi). Bitter and cold, entering the Lung, Stomach, Large Intestine, Bladder and Heart channels, it clears Heat and resolves toxicity, dispels Wind and stops pain, and drains Dampness to reduce swelling. Its best-known use is for Heat-toxin sore, swollen throat, including tonsillitis and pharyngitis, where it is a common ingredient.
It is also applied to damp-heat dysentery and enteritis, and to Wind-Damp painful obstruction (rheumatic joint pain). The rhizome is rich in alkaloids such as dauricine, which underlie its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects; because of this alkaloid content dosage should be kept moderate. It is typically decocted, usually around 3-9 g.
Botanical Description
Menispermum dauricum, the Daurian moonseed, is a slender deciduous woody climbing vine of the Menispermaceae family native to northeastern China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and adjacent Russia, where it inhabits forest margins, thickets, and stream banks. The plant produces twining annual or biennial green stems that ascend two to three meters from a long, creeping, branching, yellow-brown subterranean rhizome. Leaves are alternate, long-petioled, and broadly peltate with a heart-shaped or shallowly three- to seven-lobed outline, smooth above and finely pubescent beneath. The vine is dioecious, bearing small greenish-yellow unisexual flowers in slender axillary panicles in early summer; female plants subsequently produce small spherical drupes that ripen blue-black, each containing the distinctive crescent or horseshoe-shaped seed characteristic of the family.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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