Tianhuafen, also known as Tianhuapen, is a Chinese herbal medicine. According to "Bencao Zhengyi", Tianhuafen is not actually a powder, but the sliced withered root of the plant. Tianhuafen is the root of the plant Trichosanthes kirilowii, which belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is a type of traditional Chinese medicine that has the functions of clearing heat, purging fire, generating body fluids, relieving thirst, and eliminating abscesses and swelling. It is commonly used to treat thirst and heat-related diseases, such as diabetes, jaundice, lung dryness, coughing blood, boils, and hemorrhoids. When used to treat diabetes, it is often combined with nourishing Yin herbs to achieve a dual effect of treating the root cause and symptoms.
Tianhuafen is also known by other names, such as Guanlougen (in "Benjing"), Luogen (in "Leigong Paozhi Lun"), Baiyao (in "Bencao Tu Jing"), Ruixue (in "Gang Mu"), Tianaufen (in "Chongqing Tang Sui Bi"), Huafen (in "Zengding Wei Yao Tiao Bian"), Shigua gen (in "Sichuan Zhong Yao Zhi"), Guoluofen and Luofen (in "Yaocai Xue").
According to "Leigong Paozhi Lun", Tianhuafen is derived from the root of the plant Trichosanthes kirilowii. It can be harvested in spring and autumn, with autumn being the preferred season. After harvesting, it should be washed to remove the dirt, peeled to remove the outer layer, cut into sections, and then dried. The yellow layer on the surface should be removed to make it white, or it can be fumigated with sulfur to achieve a white color.
In addition, the root of a plant called Shuangbian Guanlou, which belongs to the same family, is also used as Tianhuafen in Guangxi region. The plant morphology is detailed in the "Guanlouzi" section.
Tianhuafen is mainly produced in most parts of China, with major production areas including Henan, Guangxi, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guizhou, Anhui, etc.
Tianhuafen is a dried root that has an irregular cylindrical shape, measuring 5 to 10 centimeters in length and 2 to 5 centimeters in diameter. The surface is yellowish-white to light brown, wrinkled and uneven, with fine root marks. It is solid and heavy, powdery, and not easily broken. The longitudinal section is white with yellowish streaks of vascular bundles, while the transverse section is white with scattered light brown vascular bundle traces. It has a slight odor and a mild bitter taste after the initial mild taste. The best quality Tianhuafen is white, powdery, fine and tender, and plump in appearance, while the inferior quality ones are brown and fibrous. The Tianhuafen produced in Henan is known for its large quantity and superior quality, and is commonly referred to as "Anyang Tianhuafen".
To process Tianhuafen, impurities should be removed, and the root should be separated into different sizes. It should be soaked in water until it is about 60% transparent, then removed and moisturized until the internal and external humidity is even. It should be sliced and dried, or washed with water, removed and dried until completely dry, and then crushed into small pieces.
For identification and physical and chemical analysis, take 2 grams of Tianhuafen powder, add 20 ml of 50% ethanol, and treat with ultrasound for 30 minutes. Filter the solution to obtain the test solution. Another solution is prepared using glycine as the reference substance, dissolved in 50% ethanol to make a solution containing 1 mg/ml. Take 6 μl of the test solution and the reference solution separately, spot them on a silica gel G plate, and use n-butanol-anhydrous ethanol-ice acetic acid water (8:2:2:3) as the developing agent. After developing, remove the plate, let it dry, and spray with ninhydrin reagent. Heat it at 105℃ until the spots are clearly visible. In the chromatogram of the test solution, spots that appear at the corresponding positions to the reference solution should have the same color.
