I heard that summer cypress can treat hyperthyroidism, but I also heard that you can't eat summer cypress if you have hyperthyroidism. Which one is true? Can you really eat summer cypress for hyperthyroidism?
Can Summer Cypress Treat Hyperthyroidism?
Summer cypress can assist in the treatment of hyperthyroidism, but it cannot cure it on its own.
Hyperthyroidism is a disease characterized by the dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Traditional Chinese medicine recognizes different manifestations of hyperthyroidism, such as liver and gallbladder heat, phlegm-dampness in the liver, insufficient kidney yin, and spleen-stomach yang deficiency. It is a complex pathological process involving multiple organs and multiple causes.
Summer cypress has a cold nature and a pungent and bitter taste. It enters the liver and gallbladder meridians, and is particularly effective in clearing liver fire, dispersing nodules, and reducing swelling, which can assist in the treatment of hyperthyroidism.
Prescription of Summer Cypress for Hyperthyroidism
Prescription: 9g Codonopsis pilosula, 30g Astragalus membranaceus, 30g Rehmannia glutinosa, 30g Summer cypress, 15g Polygonum multiflorum, 15g Paeonia lactiflora, 12g Cyperus rotundus, 15g Trionyx sinensis, 15g Testudinis plastrum, 15g Dioscorea opposita.
Usage: Decoction with water, take 1 dose daily, decoct twice and mix the two decoctions for consumption in two separate times.
Efficacy: Tonify qi and nourish yin, soften hardness and disperse nodules.
Indications: This prescription can be used to treat hyperthyroidism. It can effectively treat common symptoms such as palpitations, heat intolerance, excessive sweating, irritability, fatigue, tremors in the arms, and protruding eyeballs. It can also alleviate symptoms such as thyroid enlargement and red tongue.
Summer Cypress Recipes for Hyperthyroidism
Chrysanthemum and Summer Cypress Honey Drink
1. Source: "Dietary Recipes for Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases"
2. Ingredients: 10g chrysanthemum, 30g summer cypress, 30g honey.
3. Preparation: Wash the chrysanthemum and summer cypress, put them in a pot together, add an appropriate amount of water, simmer for 40 minutes, remove the residue and take the juice. When the medicinal juice cools down, add an appropriate amount of honey.
4. Consumption: Take it anytime.
5. Efficacy: Clear liver fire, lower liver fire. It assists in the treatment of hyperthyroidism with liver fire hyperactivity.
Summer Cypress Salad
1. Source: "Healthy Recipes with Common Wild Plants"
2. Ingredients: 300g fresh summer cypress stems, appropriate amount of refined salt, monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, sesame oil.
3. Preparation: Remove impurities from the summer cypress, blanch it in boiling water, remove and wash away excess water, cut into sections and place on a plate. Add refined salt, monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and mix well.
4. Consumption: Serve as a side dish with meals, eat as desired.
5. Efficacy: Clear liver fire, disperse nodules. It assists in the treatment of hyperthyroidism with liver fire hyperactivity and simple thyroid enlargement.
Effects and Actions of Summer Cypress
Improving Vision
According to traditional Chinese medicine, liver fire can cause redness, swelling, and pain in the eyes. Summer cypress has a cold nature and mainly enters the liver meridian. It can be used to clear liver fire and improve vision. When combined with mulberry leaves, chrysanthemum, and cassia seed, it can treat eye disorders such as redness, swelling, headache, dizziness, and night pain. It has the effect of improving vision and protecting the eyes.
Lowering Blood Pressure
The decoction, water extract, ethanol-water extract, and ethanol extract of summer cypress can significantly lower blood pressure. The stems, leaves, spikes, and whole plant all have antihypertensive effects, with the spikes showing the most significant effect.
Anti-inflammatory and Antibacterial
The water decoction and alcohol precipitate of summer cypress have significant anti-inflammatory effects. The decoction has inhibitory effects on bacteria such as Shigella, Salmonella, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Proteus, Staphylococcus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Diuretic
Summer cypress contains saponins, flavonoids, iridoid glycosides, and plant acids such as ursolic acid, caffeic acid, and free syringic acid. Therefore, it has a certain diuretic effect and is effective in promoting urination, clearing cloudy urine, and treating prostatitis.
Treating Constipation
The decoction of summer cypress (1:50~1:200) can cause strong contractions of the uterus in rabbits. In isolated rabbit intestines, high concentrations of the decoction can enhance peristalsis, with the duodenum being the most sensitive and the ileum being less sensitive. Therefore, summer cypress can promote bowel movements and treat constipation.
