One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia, a traditional Chinese medicine, is the rhizome of the plant Aconitum gymnandrum of the family Ranunculaceae. It has the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain. It is commonly used to treat joint and bone pain caused by wind, cold, and dampness, as well as bruises and injuries caused by falls and bites from insects or snakes. However, One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia is highly toxic. So why do traditional Chinese medicine practitioners still like to use it?
[Introduction to One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia]
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia is a perennial herbaceous plant, about 90 centimeters tall. The rhizome is conical. The stem has short pubescence.
The leaves are opposite, petiolate, palmately divided, with lobes that are feather-like shallowly divided or have coarse teeth. The upper surface is green with a few short hairs, while the lower surface is light green and almost hairless.
The inflorescence is a raceme, with numerous flowers; the bractlets are 2, nearly linear, located above the middle of the flower stalk; the sepals are 5, petal-like, yellow-green, and one sepal on the upper side is helmet-shaped.
[Effects and Functions of One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia]
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia, also known as Peng An Na Bu Luo Ma Cha Wa (in Tibetan), has a bitter and pungent taste, warm nature, and strong toxicity. It is classified under the liver meridian. It is a classic Tibetan medicine originating from Tibet, widely used by the general public as an analgesic for bruises and injuries.
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia has the effects of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain. It is commonly used to treat joint and bone pain caused by wind, cold, and dampness, as well as bruises and injuries caused by falls and bites from insects or snakes.
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia has remarkable and immediate therapeutic effects on sprains, swelling and pain, rheumatism, and redness and swelling caused by various internal and external injuries, both when taken orally or applied externally.
1. Various types of pain
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia has a pungent and warm nature, strong dispersing properties, and is particularly effective in dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain. It is a good medicine for treating various types of pain.
2. Ulcers, abscesses, and venomous bites
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia can counteract toxins, promote blood circulation, and relieve pain. It can be applied topically with alcohol to treat ulcers, abscesses, venomous bites, bee stings, etc.
Treatment for bruises and injuries, venomous snake and insect bites: Take five qian (about 15 grams) of One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia, soak it in one jin (about 500 grams) of alcohol for ten days, and use it externally (for external use only, strictly forbidden for internal use) (from "Commonly Used Tibetan Medicinal Herbs").
[Reasons for Poisoning from One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia]
One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia is highly toxic. When used properly, it can treat diseases, but when used improperly, it can be fatal. There have been frequent incidents of poisoning and death due to accidental ingestion or overdose.
Among many incidents of poisoning from herbal liquor, the incidence of poisoning from aconitine, a type of alkaloid in Aconitum gymnandrum, is the highest, making it the "culprit" in recent news about poisoning from herbal liquor.
The main component of One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia is aconitine, which has analgesic effects on various types of neuralgia and gout. However, due to its high toxicity, it is no longer used clinically. Traditional Chinese medicine uses mung beans and honeysuckle to detoxify it.
Chinese medicine and folk medicine widely use various types of Aconitum to reduce fever and relieve pain, treating stubborn rheumatic diseases. However, since Aconitum often contains aconitine, caution must be exercised when using it. The lethal dose of aconitine (oral) is 0.2 milligrams, and the lethal dose is 2.5 milligrams.
Therefore, I remind everyone that aconitine, which is highly toxic in One Branch of Snow Mountain Artemisia, must be used under the guidance of a professional doctor!
