Properties: Sweet, slightly sour, cool
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Bladder, Liver, Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Releases the Exterior and Dispels Wind-Heat
Respiratory diseases, especially viral infections
External wash for allergic rashes including eczema, diaper rash and pruritis
Stomach cramps and diarrhoea
- Clear Heat and Drains Dampness
Inflammatory bowel conditions, Damp-Heat digestive diseases
Hepatitis, fatty liver disease, metabolic diseases
Hypertension, cardiovascular disease
Diabetes (消渴 Xiao Ke), hyperglycaemia, presumably best for Upper or Middle Jiao Xiao Ke
May prevent cellular DNA damage, for delaying ageing and prevention of cancer
Suggested Daily Dosage: 3-9g in decoction, or drunk as tea.
Notable Constituents:
- Aspalathin
The main flavonoid in roobois, a dihydrochalcone with hypoglycemic, xanthine oxidase inhibitory and antioxidant activity
- Chrysoeriol
Flavonoid with antioxidant and bronchodilatory activity (Khan & Gilani, 2006)
- Nothofagin
Dihydrochalcone with antioxidant activity
- Benzoic acid
Fungistatic compound common in plants and animals, especially berries, and widely used as a preservative.
- Cinnamic acid
Used as flavouring in certain pharmaceuticals and perfumes and as a precursor to aspartame sweetener.
Notes:
No traditional actions can be found anywhere so the actions are inferred from those given at https://baike.baidu.com/item/南非红灌木茶
The anti-hypertensive activity has been documented as ACE inhibitory, both competitive and non-competitive but no specific constituent has been identified and it is thought to be a combination of flavonoids, phenolic acids and chrysoeriol (Persson, 2012; Persson et al., 2010)
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.
