Tong Cao - 通草 - Medulla Tetrapanacis

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Medulla Tetrapanacis
Common English:	Rice Paper Plant Pith Tetrapanax

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet Bland	Slightly Cold (Cool) (Cold)	Lung Stomach (Bladder)	2-10g To promote lactation: 15-18g Tincture: 1-3ml 2-4.5g (Secondary source)

Actions

Indications/Syndromes

Promotes urination, resolves Dampness and
Clears Heat

Damp-Warm febrile disease

Damp-Heat painful urinary dysfunction

It is usually used as an assistant

Promotes lactation

Insufficient or absent lactation

CONTRAINDICATIONS

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Concurrent use with diuretics such as chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, furosimide (Lasix), bumetanide (Bumex) and torsemide (Demadex) may lead to increased elimination of water and electrolytes.

Talcum Hua Shi Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren	Per. Arecae Da Fu Pi	Hb. Dianthi Qu Mai Fol. Pyrrosiae Shi Wei
Summerheat with Turbid Dampness causing painful urinary dysfunction, a stuffy chest, heaviness in the body, and headache.	Damp-Heat Obstructing the Middle with edema, and abdominal distention.	Bloody Lin. Dysuria. Pain due to Damp-Heat in the Bladder.
Sm. Vaccariae Wang Bu Liu Xing Squama Manitis Chuan Shan Jia	Sm. Vaccariae Wang Bu Liu Xing Squama Manitis Chuan Shan Jia Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Rx. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong	Fr. Amomi Bai Dou Kou Talcum Hua Shi Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren
Insufficient lactation.	Insufficient lactation. (stronger effect)	Painful urination, cloudy urination and heaviness of the body due to Damp-Heat.
Poria Fu Ling Polyporus Zhu Ling Per. Arecae Da Fu Pi	Talcum Hua Shi Sm. Coicis Yi Yi Ren Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia Cx. Magnoliae Officinalis Hou Po Fr. Amomi Bai Dou Kou
Edema with dysuria.	Damp febrile disorders with sensations of heaviness of the body, lack of thirst, chest oppression afternoon fever and dysuria.

The processed pith is used as a craft material and is the source of the rice paper used in calligraphy.
It can both raise and descend: it promotes urination and also lifts Qi to the breast to encourage lactation.
Tong Cao and Caul. Akebiae Mu Tong both promote urination, unblock and promote flow in the channels and collaterals, cool Heat and promote lactation. Tong Cao leaches out Dampness better but clears Heat less effectively than Mu Tong. Being bland, it lacks the bitterness and harsh, drastic nature of Mu Tong. It does not harm the Yin and suits mild Damp-Heat. Mu Tong is bitter and cold; it clears and descends Fire of the Heart and Small Intestine, is used more for ulcers of the mouth and tongue, rough urination and hematuria, and is better at clearing accumulated blocked clumps.
Ram. Aeschynomene Indicae Geng Tong Cao promotes diuresis, treats Lin syndrome and encourages lactation. Its dosage is 3-6g.