When poisoned by Gouwen, take 8 liang of Shepherd's Purse and add 6 liters of water, boil until it becomes 3 liters. Take 5 he of the mixture each time, and take it 5 times a day. You can also use Shepherd's Purse to detoxify. Take 8 liang of Shepherd's Purse and add 6 liters of water, boil until it becomes 3 liters. Take 5 he of the mixture each time, and take it 5 times a day.
Introduction to Gouwen
Gouwen, also known as Huzi, Du Gen, Humiancao, Chuxing, Huangteng, Duanchangcao, Wen Ge (mentioned in "Mengxi Bitan"), Chaoyangcao, Dachayao, Dachateng, Hulangcao, Suogecao, Dapao Ye, Huanghuakuteng, Huangmengcai, Faleiteng, Tenghuang, Dachaye (in Guangxi), and Dajiku Man, among others. It is an annual vine of the Polygonaceae family. It likes sunshine, has oval-shaped leaves that grow opposite each other, small yellow flowers, 5 sepals in the shape of a funnel, oval fruit capsules, and blooms from August to November with fruit from December to February. It is distributed in Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. The whole plant contains Gouwen alkaloids (the most), Yin (the most potent), Mao, Jia, Bing, Chen, Yi, and other alkaloids.
The lethal dose of Gouwen alkaloid Yin in animal experiments is 0.8mg/kg (quite aggressive). The symptoms are respiratory paralysis. Gouwen alkaloid Yi has similar symptoms, but interestingly, at this time, the animal's heart is still beating, and substances such as ephedrine have no obvious rescue effect. This proves that Gouwen alkaloids do not act on the central or peripheral nervous system. According to the muscle weakness after poisoning, it is generally believed that they act on the motor neurons of the spinal cord. Gouwen alkaloid Jia is less toxic and can be used as an analgesic in combination with aspirin for better results. However, they do not have the paralyzing effect on nerve ganglia, which is different from arrow poison. They also have inhibitory effects on adrenaline and smooth muscle, which means they can inhibit the heart and lower blood pressure.
Medical Uses of Gouwen
Gouwen alkaloids (mainly Gouwen alkaloid Jia) can treat neuralgia, especially trigeminal neuralgia. It can also treat acute polio, but the therapeutic dose of this substance is very close to the toxic dose, so using it always makes people nervous. Once there are abnormal breathing symptoms, measures should be taken quickly. Externally, it can treat rheumatoid arthritis, abscesses, and wounds, among others.
Symptoms of Gouwen Poisoning
Neuromuscular paralysis, diplopia, digestive tract burning pain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension or constipation, fast heartbeat followed by slow heartbeat, difficulty breathing, collapse, etc. As mentioned earlier, Gouwen alkaloids act on motor neurons of the spinal cord, which makes it more difficult to handle. There is no specific treatment, and general first aid methods include gastric lavage, induced vomiting, and purgatives. Chinese medicine can be used, such as Sanhuang Tang (Huang Cen, Huang Lian, Huang Bai, Gan Cao) orally, or Honeysuckle juice and brown sugar orally. There is also a folk remedy: drinking hot fresh sheep blood is effective.
Functions and Effects of Shepherd's Purse
1. Strengthening the spleen, eliminating thirst (when a man's penis remains erect after ejaculation, it is called "strengthening the spleen"; if there is also polydipsia and polyuria, it is called "eliminating thirst", and it can cause abscesses). Take one pig kidney, one liter of black soybeans, and one and a half dou of water, boil until it becomes half. Remove the residue and leave the juice, then add three liang of Shepherd's Purse and gypsum each, two liang each of ginseng, poria cocos, magnetite, anemarrhena, kudzu root, scutellaria baicalensis, triclinium root, and licorice, and cook until it becomes three liters. Take it three times. This formula is called "Shizi Shepherd's Purse Soup". Another formula: take Shepherd's Purse, soybeans, poria cocos, magnetite, triclinium root, cooked rehmannia, cortex eucommiae, radix pseudostellariae, dendrobium, and deer antler, one liang each, and ginseng and agarwood, half liang each, grind them into powder, and mix them with mashed pig stomach, then mix them evenly into pills the size of a wuzi. Take seventy pills each time on an empty stomach, and swallow them with saltwater. This formula is called "Shepherd's Purse Pills".
2. Treating boils and swellings. Take fresh Shepherd's Purse roots and mash them to extract the juice for oral administration, and use the residue as a poultice for wounds. It can be cured in three treatments.
3. Treating black blisters on the face. Take one or two liang of Shepherd's Purse and cinnamon, grind them into a fine powder. Take one teaspoon each time and swallow it with vinegar soup.
4. Detoxifying Gouwen (the leaves of Gouwen resemble a type of celery, and eating them by mistake can be life-threatening). Take eight liang of Shepherd's Purse and add six liters of water, boil until it becomes three liters. Take 5 he of the mixture each time, and take it 5 times a day. Shepherd's Purse can also be used to detoxify. Take eight liang of Shepherd's Purse and add six liters of water, boil until it becomes three liters. Take 5 he of the mixture each time, and take it 5 times a day.
