Wu Bei Zi - 五倍子 - Galla Chinensis
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Galla Chinensis |
| Common English: | Chinese Sumac Gallnut of Chinese Sumac Nutgalls |
Category
Herbs that Stabilize and Bind (Astringents)Properties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Sour Salty | Cold | Kidneys Large Intestine Lungs | 1.5-7g Tincture: 0.5-3ml 3-9g (Secondary source) |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Astringes Lung Qi and stops cough | Chronic cough due to Lung Qi Deficiency |
Astringes the Intestines and stops diarrhea | Chronic diarrhea, Chronic hemafecia and rectal prolapse, Dysenteric disorders |
Astringes sweat, astringes the Kidneys and stops bleeding | Excessive sweating and bleeding, Nocturnal emissions, Spermatorrhea |
Descends Fire (relieves Fire toxicity), absorbs moisture (clears Dampness) and reduces swellings | Topically as a powder or wash for sores, dermatosis, toxic swellings and Damp, ulcerated skin Scar tissue |
Cools Deficiency Fire | Lung Yin Deficiency and Deficiency Fire with chronic cough with Blood or Blood-streaked sputum |
Stops bleeding | Various bleeding disorders such as uterine bleeding, hematochezia, bleeding gums, hematuria, and epistaxis |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
|
| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
| |
| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
|
Major Combinations
| Fr. Schisandrae | Fr. Trichosanthis | Fr. Chebulae |
Chronic Lung Deficiency cough. | Severe cough due to Lung Heat. | Chronic diarrhea and accompanying symptoms of abdominal pain and bloody stool. External wash or steam bath for sores and prolapse of rectum and uterus. |
| Sm. Myristicae | Poria | Fossilia Ossis Mastoid |
Chronic diarrhea. | Spermatorrhea due to consumptive Deficiency. (serve on an empty Stomach with a small amount of salt) | Abnormal sweating from Yin and Blood Deficiencies. |
| Rx. Astragali | Charred Rx. Sanguisorbae | Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae |
Rectal prolapse. | Hemafecia and bleeding hemorrhoids. | Uterine bleeding or profuse menstruation from Spleen Qi Deficiency . |
Alumen | Scolopendra | Hemostatics |
As an external wash for rectal prolapse. | Topically as a salve for scars. | Massive uterine hemorrhage. |
Fr. Schisandrae | Rx. et Rz. Rhei | Fr. Schisandrae |
Cough at dusk due to Yin Deficiency Fire Blazing upward and irritating the Lungs. Spermatorrhea, metrorrhagia, vaginal discharge, chronic diarrhea or dysentery, rectal or uterine prolapse, spontaneous sweat, night sweats, and cough and wheezing due to Lung Qi Deficiency. | Powdered and mixed with fresh water then placed around the edges of the sore for early-stage sores with no head. | Chronic cough. |
Rice Soup | Alumen | |
Fry with vinegar and grind into a powder for chronic diarrhea and dysentery during the summer. | Uterine bleeding. Bleeding due to miscarriage. |
Notes
- When injected subcutaneously, it can produce local necrosis, restlessness, respiratory depression and death.
- The medicinal part is an excrescence formed on the leaf by an insect (Melaphis Chinensis).
- Its indications include throat Bi, wasting and thirsting, and night sweats.
- As a single-herb powder, it can be used for postpartum uterine prolapse, hematochezia and hematuria.
- For epistaxis, apply it topically as a powder.
- To treat spontaneous sweating, night sweats and children's nightmares, it can be powdered, moistened, placed in the umbilicus, covered and left in place.
- Burning the nuts until they begin to smoke and exposing hemorrhoids to the smoke gives excellent results.
- Applied topically as a powder or a wash, it treats non-healing sores, ulcerations and carbuncles that ooze fluid.
- For any toxic swelling, fry it until purplish black, grind it to powder, blend with honey and spread it over the sore.
- Wu Bei Zi and Per. Papaveris Ying Su Ke both astringe the Lungs to ease cough and astringe the Intestines to stop diarrhea. Sour, astringent and cold, Wu Bei Zi astringes the Lungs and Intestines less strongly and is better suited to descending Fire, resolving toxicity, generating Yang fluids, stopping bleeding, securing Jing and astringing sweat. Ying Su Ke is the stronger astringent and relieves pain effectively.
- The leaves, Folium Rhois Chinensis Yan Fu Ye, are sour and cool and enter the Liver and Lung channels, with a dosage of 9-15g. They Clear Heat, Cool the Blood, Clear Lung Heat, stop bleeding and dissolve Phlegm. They are specific for malaria and are used for malaria, asthma, a swollen throat and measles.