Corydalis ambigua
StarCorydalis ambigua
Synonyms: Capnoides ambigua, Pistolochia ambigua, Corydalis jezoensis, Corydalis ambigua var. papillosa, Capnoides jezoensis
Western Herbalism Properties
Traditional Uses
In Japanese kanpō medicine the dried tuber of Corydalis ambigua is one of the accepted source species for the crude drug 延胡索 engosaku (Chinese yán hú suǒ), traditionally indicated for the relief of internal pain — gastric pain, dysmenorrhoea, abdominal cramping and traumatic pain — in formulae such as An-chū-san. Tsumura kanpō pharmacopoeial monographs list C. ambigua tuber among the permitted botanical origins of the drug alongside C. yanhusuo and C. turtschaninovii, with activity attributed principally to isoquinoline alkaloids of the protoberberine and aporphine classes (notably tetrahydropalmatine and corydaline), which underlie the analgesic and antispasmodic actions catalogued in modern East Asian pharmacology (Tsumura kanpō literature; cf. Bensky, 2004, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.).
Botanical Description
Corydalis ambigua Cham. & Schltdl. is a small spring-ephemeral perennial herb of the Papaveraceae (subfamily Fumarioideae) native to north-eastern Asia, ranging from the Russian Far East (Kamchatka, Sakhalin, Primorye) through north-eastern China (Heilongjiang, Jilin), Korea and Japan (Hokkaido, northern Honshu). It grows from a small, globose underground tuber (a corm-like swollen rhizome) 1–2 cm across, sending up a single slender, glabrous stem 10–25 cm tall in early spring before the deciduous forest canopy closes. The basal and stem leaves are biternately compound, with delicate, glaucous-green, deeply divided segments. The inflorescence is a short terminal raceme of 5–15 flowers; each flower is zygomorphic, about 1.5–2.5 cm long, sky-blue to pale blue-violet (rarely whitish or pink), with a long basal spur typical of the genus. The slender capsular fruit dehisces to release small black seeds bearing a fleshy elaiosome dispersed by ants. The plant dies back to the tuber in early summer.
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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