Properties: Lung, heart
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Bitter, pungent, and cold
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity, dispels Stasis and disperses swellings
Swelling pain in the throat
Swollen welling abscess and toxic clove sores
Poisonous snake bite
Knocks and falls
Suggested Daily Dosage: 9-15g in decoction. Also eaten as food.
Cautions: Contains toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
The traditional preparation method involves pre-treating with ash or baking soda and soaking in water to remove harshness. This may be reducing the toxicity too.
Interactions:
- Drugs or herbs that affect CYP3A4 liver enzymes: May reduce clearance time of toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, increasing the toxicity of this herb.
Notable Constituents:
- Petasin
Sesquiterpene and ester of petasol and angelic acid with anti-inflammatory, vasodilator, anti-allergic and antineoplastic effects.
- Petasitenine
Toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid that may cause liver damage or cancer with prolonged exposeure.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
