Lu Gen - 芦根 - Rhizoma Phragmitis
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Rhizoma Phragmitis |
| Common English: | Reed Rhizome |
Category
Herbs that Clear Heat and Drain Fire: Herbs that Clear Heat in the Qi StageProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Sweet (Acrid) | Cold | Lung Stomach | 15-30g For promoting rashes: up to 60g Tincture: 2-5ml |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears Heat and irritability from the Lungs and Stomach and generates fluids | Internal Heat patterns with high fever, irritability and thirst, dry mouth and throat. Lung abscess, Lung carbuncle, Lung Heat (especially when acute) |
Clears Stomach Heat, Regulates Stomach Qi, Relieves thirst, Stops vomiting | Stomach Heat (especially when accompanied by rebellious Qi) |
Clears Heat and promotes urination | Dark, scanty urine and hematuria especially when accompanied by irritability and thirst |
| Vents rashes | Wind-Heat rashes that are not completely expressed |
| Relieves food poisoning | Relieves food poisoning due to ingestion of fish and crabs Alcohol poisoning |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Rx. Trichosanthis | Flos Chrysanthemi | Caul. Bambusae in Taeniam |
Injury to fluids from febrile disease with irritability, thirst and Dryness. | Wind-Heat Attacking the Lungs with cough and thirst. | Irritability, thirst, nausea and vomiting due to Stomach Fire. |
| Sm. Coicis | Gypsum | Gypsum |
Lung abscesses with with purulent sputum striped with fetid blood. | Dry mouth, severe bad breath, and toothache due to Stomach Fire. | Fever, thirst and irritability. |
| Flos Lonicerae | Rz. Imperatae | Gypsum Shi Gao Rz. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu |
Lung Heat with cough, thick yellow sputum or lung abscess. | Warm febrile disease with thirst and irritability. (can be used as a stand-alone pair or as the basis of a small prescription) | Internal Heat with high fever. Thirst and perspiration. |
Fr. Gardeniae | Rx. Platycodi | Rx. Platycodi |
Irritability. | Cough and thirst due to Lung Heat. | Bronchitis with chest pain, congestion, no sweat, aversion to Cold and fever. |
Rx. Bupleuri | Rz. Imperatae | Sm. Coicis |
Alternating chills and fever, chest congestion and pain. | Blood-streaked sputum. | Lung abscess at the pus-forming stage with, chest congestion, pain, cough, fever, and copious, bloody, foul-smelling sputum. |
Rx. Adenophorae/Glehniae | ||
Lung abscess during the suppuration stage. |
Notes
- It is equally effective for Bladder Damp-Heat and for Phlegm-Heat in the Lung.
- It is particularly useful for dangerous spiking fevers, scanty urination and hematuria.
- Lu Gen and Rz. Imperatae Bai Mao Gen both promote urination, generate fluids and clear Heat. Lu Gen concentrates on the Stomach and Lungs and excels at clearing Heat at the Qi level. It cools the Lungs, drains the Stomach, guides out Phlegm-Heat, and vents and disseminates external pathogens. It treats cough from Lung Heat, externally contracted disorders, and measles that fail to express. Bai Mao Gen is superior for clearing Heat at the Blood level and cooling the Blood to stop bleeding. It concentrates on the Heart, Lungs, Stomach and Bladder, guiding Heart Fire out through the urine. It treats hematuria, hemoptysis, epistaxis and Damp-Heat jaundice. The two herbs are very similar and may be substituted for one another when needed.
- Fresh Reed Rhizome Xian Lu Gen is sweet, cool and very juicy. For cooling Heat and generating fluids it is more potent than Dried Reed Rhizome. It is used whenever Heat from a warm pathogen disease produces Qi level or Wei Level disorders, or for any lingering pathogenic influence after a febrile disease, provided there is thirst from injury to Yin. Raise the dosage by a factor of three to five.
- Succus Phragmitis Rhizomatis (Fresh Reed Rhizome Juice) Xian Lu Gen Zhi strongly nourishes Yin and restores Fluids, and is useful for febrile disorders with restless thirst, and for Stomach Heat with vomiting and nausea when decoctions cannot be kept down.
- Reed Stalk Wei Jing enters the lungs and Heart to treat Deficiency Heat of the upper Jiao.
- Some sources treat it as the same herb as Wei Jing.
From Class
- Heat-clearing yet moistening herbs: Ju Hua, Sang Ye, Bo He, Sheng Di, Zhi Mu, Lu Gen: Heat-clearing yet moistening herbs reverse the heat→dryness→phlegm→wind progression in neurology; Ju Hua and Sang Ye also clear external wind and go to the eyes. (Shea)
- Mai Men Dong / Zhi Mu / Lu Gen: For hydration with downward movement: Mai Men Dong generates stomach fluid and descends (12 g); Zhi Mu and Lu Gen promote urination; Ge Gen rejected as it rises. (Yuen)