Tian Hua Fen - 天花分 - Radix Trichosanthis

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Radix Trichosanthis
Common English:	Snakegourd Root Trichosanthis Root / Trichosanthes root

Category

Herbs that Clear Heat: Herbs that Drain Fire

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter Slightly Sweet (Sour)	Cold (Cool)	Lung Stomach	8-16g Tincture: 2-5ml 10-15g (Secondary source)

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Drains Heat and generates Fluids	Lung Heat and Dryness with thirst and irritability Yin Deficiency thirst Wasting and thirsting disorder (Xiao Ke) Thick sputum, blood streaked sputum
Clears and drains Lung Heat, transforms Phlegm and moistens Lung Dryness	Phlegm Heat above the diaphragm, especially when the Heat has led to Dryness
Relieves toxicity, expels pus and reduces swelling	Chuang Yung (especially breast abscesses - internal and topical)

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Rz. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu Rx. Puerariae Ge Gen Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi	Rz. Phragmitis Lu Gen Rz. Imperatae Bai Mao Gen	Rx. Adenophorae/Glehniae Sha Shen Tub. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang
Wasting and thirsting disorder and the thirst and irritability associated with injured fluids after warm febrile disease.	Thirst and irritability due to injured fluids from Heat.	Injured Yin from Stomach Heat with excessive thirst, irritability, Dryness in the mouth, cravings after eating, and emaciation which is often in diabetes.
Concha Ostreae Mu Li	Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae Chuan Bei Mu Cx. Mori Sang Bai Pi Rx. Platycodi Jie Geng	Per. Trichosanthis Gua Lou Pi
Irritability and mental disorientation due to Lung and Stomach Yin Deficiency and ascending Heat with thirst. Goiter from clumping of Phlegm-Heat.	Cough due to Phlegm-Heat in the Lungs with thick, viscous sputum or blood streaked sputum. Dry cough due to Lung Heat.	Non-productive cough, or one with scanty sputum, with a stifling sensation in the chest and thirst in the aftermath of a febrile disease.
Rx. Adenophorae/Glehniae Sha Shen Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong Rz. Phragmitis Lu Gen	Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua Bul. Fritillariae Thunbergii Zhe Bei Mu Fr. Gleditsiae Zao Jiao Ci	Fr. Forsythiae Lian Qiao Hb. Taraxaci Pu Gong Ying Bul. Fritillariae Cirrhosae Chuan Bei Mu Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua
Thirst in febrile disease.	Reduces swelling and pus.	Boils and carbuncles.
Olibanum Ru Xiang Sm. Phaseoli Chi Xiao Dou	Squama Manitis Chuan Shan Jia Fr. Gleditsiae Zao Jiao Ci Flos Lonicerae Jin Yin Hua	Tub. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong Rx. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi
Breast abscess. (internal and topical)	Yang type breast or Intestinal abscesses.	Heat and Dryness in the Lungs and Stomach. Excessive thirst and excessive water intake due to upper Xiao Ke.
Hb. Dendrobii Shi Hu Rz. Polygonati Odorati Yu Zhu Tub. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong	Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao Rx. Anemarrhenae Zhi Mu Rz. Dioscoreae Shan Yao Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi	Sm. Phaseoli Chi Xiao Dou Vinegar
Dryness with irritability.	Wasting and thirsting syndrome. Hyperthyroidism.	Topically for abscess without ulceration or necrosis.
Olibanum Ru Xiang Fr. Trichosanthis Gua Lou Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi Bul. Fritillariae Thunbergii Zhe Bei Mu Hb. Taraxaci Pu Gong Ying	Olibanum Ru Xiang
Breast abscess.	External injuries.

Notes

1. Rx. Trichosanthis Tian Hua Fen, Tub. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong, and Tub. Asparagi Tian Men Dong each clear Heat and moisten the Lungs. The first works best for Lung Heat arising from Stomach Heat, the second for Lung Heat arising from Heart Fire, and the third for Lung Dryness arising from Kidney Yin Deficiency.
2. It is often used in febrile diseases accompanied by thirst.
3. It is used particularly for swellings of the throat and chest.
4. It is reported to regulate and descend Qi, open the chest and relieve irritability.
5. To prevent an allergic reaction, perform a skin test before injecting.
6. Given by injection, it can induce abortion between 3-7 months.
7. Trichosanthin now serves as the active ingredient in GLQ223, an antiviral used for HIV infection.
8. Some sources place this herb in the Herbs that Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing: Herbs that Cool and Transform Phlegm-Heat (Cool Antitussives) category.
9. It clears stagnant Blood from trauma, unblocks menstrual flow, expels the Heat of mania, dispels yellow jaundice, moistens parched Dryness and is outstanding at relieving alcohol toxicity.
10. Research has shown that it effectively inhibits cancer cell growth, and it has been used for skin cancer.
11. It calms the Small Intestine, resolves swelling, treats breast abscess and expels pus to encourage muscle development.
12. For breast abscess, powder 30g of this herb together with 3g Olibanum Ru Xiang and take 6g per dose with wine.
13. For primary carbuncles or swelling, decoct the herb in wine, then dry it, grind it to powder, mix with millet wine, spread on paper and apply over the lesion.
14. For primary carbuncles or swelling, powder equal amounts of this herb and Sm. Phaseoli Lu Dou, mix with vinegar and apply over the lesion.
15. Tian Hua Fen and Hb. Dendrobii Shi Hu both nourish the Yin, generate fluids, alleviate thirst, clear Heat and enrich the Stomach, and they are frequently combined. Still, Tian Hua Fen is sweet and cold, enters mainly the Lungs and Stomach, generates fluids more strongly, descends Phlegm-Fire, expels pus and reduces swellings. Shi Hu is sweet, bland, slightly salty and cold; it enters the Kidneys and Stomach, enriches Kidney Jing, and is better at cooling Heat from Deficiency.
16. Tian Hua Fen and Rz. Phragmitis Lu Gen both cool Lung and Stomach Heat, nourish the Yin and generate fluids, and they are often combined for cough from Lung Heat and for insatiable thirst from febrile disease. Tian Hua Fen is stronger at nourishing Yin and generating fluids and is used chiefly for Stomach Yin Deficiency or a shortage of fluids. It also invigorates Blood, resolves toxicity and reduces swelling, treating boils, sores and toxic swellings. Lu Gen more strongly cools Heat at the Lung and Stomach Qi Level, vents and dissipates pathogens, and is best in the early stages of a warm pathogen disease. Its ability to expel pus makes it useful for Lung abscess.
17. Ameliorates the dryness of tonifying or warming substances (Secondary source)