Ephedra (Mahuang)
Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Ephedrae
Botanical Name: 1. Ephedra sinica Stapf; 2. Ephedra
equisetina Bunge; 3. Ephedra
intermedia Schrenk et Mey.
Common Name: Ephedra, Ephedra Mormon
tea
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong
Bencao Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations: Herbaceous twigs or stems are collected from the Beginning of
Autumn (thirteenth solar term) to Frost's Descent (eighteenth solar term),
dried in a shady place and then cut into pieces and used either raw or baked
with honey.
Properties & Taste: Pungent-spicy,
bitter and warm
Meridians: Lung and urinary bladder
Functions: 1. To promote diaphoresis;
2. To pacify asthma; 3. To benefit urination
Indications & Combinations:
1. Wind-cold type of exterior syndrome
manifested as chills, fever, headache, general pain, nasal obstruction, absence
of sweating, thin and white tongue coating and superficial and tense pulse. In
such cases, Ephedra (Mahuang) is used with Cinnamon twigs (Guizhi) in the
formula Mahuang Tang.
2. Cough and asthma due to invasion by
exogenous wind and cold. Ephedra (Mahuang) is used with Apricot seed
(Xingren) in the formula Sanniu Tang.
3. Edema with exterior syndrome. This
disease in traditional Chinese medicine is similar to acute nephritic edema in
Western medicine. Ephedra (Mahuang) is used with Gypsum (Shigao) in the formula
Yuepi Tang.
Dosage: 1.5-10 g
Cautions & Contraindications: This
herb causes heavy sweating. It should be used cautiously in deficiency conditions
with sweating or asthma and cough due to failure of the kidneys in receiving
qi.
0 Comment:
Post a Comment