Huang Teng Gen
StarFibraurea recisa Pierre
☯ TCM Properties
Clears Heat, descends Fire, disperses Wind, reduces Blood pressure and removes numbness
Traditional Chinese Uses
Huang Teng (the bright-yellow root and woody stem of Fibraurea recisa, Menispermaceae) is a bitter, cold heat-clearing herb rich in protoberberine alkaloids, entering the Liver and Heart channels. It clears Heat and drains Fire, resolves toxicity, and moves the bowels, and is used for toxic-heat sores, boils, and swellings, red swollen painful eyes, sore throat, and Damp-Heat diarrhea and dysentery. Like the related Coptis, its bitter cold nature makes it a broadly antimicrobial detoxifying herb.
Entering the Liver, it also descends ascendant Liver Fire and disperses Wind, and folk use extends to lowering raised blood pressure, calming skin itching, and relieving numbness. The decocted stem is a household remedy in southern China and Vietnam for "clearing heat" and settling the stomach. It is given in decoction; being cold and bitter it is used cautiously in Spleen-Stomach cold-deficiency.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Huang Teng Gen is the root (and woody stem) of Fibraurea recisa Pierre (Menispermaceae), a large woody dioecious vine of evergreen broadleaved forests in southern Yunnan, Guangxi, and Vietnam. The woody stem may reach 10 cm diameter and many meters in length, with a deeply furrowed grayish-brown bark; the wood and bitter yellow inner bark are intensely yellow due to high content of protoberberine alkaloids (palmatine, jatrorrhizine, berberine). Alternate, leathery, broadly ovate to elliptic leaves are 10-25 cm long, with three to five prominent palmate veins and long petioles. Small yellowish-green flowers in axillary panicles produce ellipsoid yellow drupes 2-3 cm long. Used in southern Chinese and Dai ethnomedicine to clear heat-toxin, treat dysentery, conjunctivitis, sore throat, and abscesses, the plant's alkaloid profile underlies its activity against enteric pathogens. Sustainability concerns have arisen due to wild harvesting.
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.
📝 Notes
Public notes from the community and your own private notes on Huang Teng Gen.
No notes yet.