【Name】
Banbianqi (from "Lingnan Caiyao Lu")
【Aliases】
Gancao Jue ("Guangzhou Zhiwu Zhi"), Gancao Fengweijue ("Zhongguo ZhuYao Zhiwu Tushuo - Juelei"), Banbianlian, Banbianjue ("Guangxi Yaozhi Tuzhi"), Banfengwei Cao ("Nanning Shi Yaowuzhi"), Banbianfengyao ("Guizhou Minjian Yaowu"), Fenghuangweiba Cao ("Zhejiang Tianmushan Yaowuzhi"), Danbianqi, Banbianshu ("Changyong Zhongcaoyao Shouce" of Guangzhou Troops).
【Source】 This is the whole plant of Banbianqi, a plant from the family Pteridaceae.
【Plant Morphology】 Banbianqi
Banbianqi is a perennial herb, 30 to 100 centimeters tall. The rhizome is short and creeping, covered with narrow lanceolate, dark brown scales. The leaves are scattered; the petioles are stout, erect, 20 to 50 centimeters long, dark brown, or black near the base, shiny, bare and clean like the leaf axis; the leaves are nearly leathery, hairless on both sides, ovate-lanceolate, 15 to 50 centimeters long, 10 to 25 centimeters wide; once pinnate, deeply divided in the upper part to the leaf axis, the lobes are linear or elliptical, straight or sickle-shaped, entire, extending down at the base; there are 4 to 8 opposite semi-pinnate lobes at the lower part, sparsely hairy, long-pointed at the top, entire on the upper edge, deeply divided on the lower edge to the midrib, the lobes are linear or sickle-shaped, extending down at the base; the veins of the leaves are obvious, single or branched. The sporangia are linear, arranged continuously along the leaf edge, and the sporangia covers are membranous.
It grows in shady and moist places under the forest, by the streamside, or on the wall. It is distributed in East China, South China, Southwest China, and Taiwan.
【Collection】 It can be collected all year round, washed, and dried.
【Properties and Taste】 "Xin" (pungent), "Liang" (cool) according to "Lu Chuan Bencao".
【Functions and Indications】 Stops bleeding, promotes tissue regeneration, detoxifies, and reduces swelling. It is used to treat hematemesis, external bleeding, back rash, boils, bruises, and swollen and painful eyes.
① "Lingnan Caiyao Lu": "For snake bites, crush the leaves and apply with sugar to treat ulcers, wash with boiled water."
② "Nanning Shi Yaowuzhi": "Stops bleeding, promotes tissue regeneration, reduces swelling, and relieves pain. Used to treat bruises, dysentery, back rash, snake bites."
③ "Zhejiang Tianmushan Yaowuzhi": "The rhizome is decocted and taken orally to treat swollen and painful eyes."
【Usage and Dosage】 Internal use: Decoction, 9 to 15 grams. External use: Crush and apply, grind into powder and sprinkle, or wash with boiled water.
【Selected Formulas】① Stops hematemesis: Take fresh Banbianqi, crush it, and mix with rice soup to drink the juice.
② Stops bleeding and heals wounds: Crush fresh Banbianqi and apply it or sprinkle the powder on cuts and wounds.
③ Treats carbuncle on the horse's mouth: Take two parts of tender Banbianqi leaves and one part of brown sugar. Crush and apply. (① The formula below is from "Guangxi Yaozhi Tuzhi")
④ Treats stroke: Take three grams each of Banbianfengyao, Shichangpu, and Matai Jueming, decoct and take orally. ("Guizhou Minjian Yaowu")
