The Efficacy and Function of Dacha Medicine Root
[Introduction to Dacha Medicine]:
Also known as "Duanchangcao" in Chinese, it is an annual vine plant in the family Menispermaceae. Its main toxic substance is Menispermum alkaloids. It is recorded that after ingestion, the intestines will turn black and sticky, and people will experience severe abdominal pain and eventually die. The general detoxification methods include gastric lavage, activated charcoal, alkaline water, emetics, and the use of mung beans, honeysuckle, and licorice for decoction after gastric lavage to detoxify.
Dacha medicine is a one-year vine plant in the family Menispermaceae. Its main toxic substance is Menispermum alkaloids. It is recorded that after ingestion, the intestines will turn black and sticky, and people will experience severe abdominal pain and eventually die. The general detoxification methods include gastric lavage, activated charcoal, alkaline water, emetics, and the use of mung beans, honeysuckle, and licorice for decoction after gastric lavage to detoxify.
Dacha medicine—also known as Leiteng (from "Dictionary of Chinese Medicine"), mung beans, honeysuckle, and licorice are actually universal detoxification drugs, as are lychee stems and raw soy milk. Leigongteng grows in damp places on the edge of mountain forests. It is distributed in various places south of the Yangtze River and southwestern regions. The roots are harvested in autumn, the leaves in summer, and the flowers and fruits in summer and autumn.
[Source] "Lingnan Herbal Medicine"
[Pinyin] DàCháYàoGēn
[Alias] Humanchang ("Lingnan Medicinal Plant Record"), Dacha Root ("Guangxi Medicinal Plant Atlas"), Duanchangcao Root, Zhurenshen ("Kuangxi Medicinal Plant Treatise")
[Source] The root or root bark of the Menispermum plant in the family Menispermaceae. It can be harvested all year round, the stems and seedlings are removed, washed, and dried.
The Efficacy and Function of Dacha Medicine Root:
[Habitat Distribution] Produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and other places.
[Characteristics] The dried root is cylindrical and slightly curved, with a gray-brown surface and fine longitudinal lines, with several transverse cracks and few lateral root marks. It is hard and not easily broken, with a fractured surface. The cross-section has a gray-brown cortex, a distinct phloem, a light yellow wood, a radial arrangement of vascular bundles, clear vessels, small cavities, and narrow wood rays compared to vascular bundles, which are deep yellow.
[Taste and Nature] According to "Guangxi Medicinal Plant Treatise": bitter taste, cold nature, highly toxic.
[Main Functions]
Reducing swelling, relieving pain, and promoting bone healing. It is used to treat abscesses, swelling, and toxins, as well as fractures caused by falls or injuries.
① "Fujian Folk Herbal Medicine": used to treat snake head abscess in the hand, snake venom abscess in the foot, hemorrhoids, and gas gangrene, by decoction for fumigation and washing.
② "Guangxi Medicinal Plant Treatise": soaked in wine for external application, used to treat rheumatism, fractures, and reduce swelling and relieve pain.
[Dosage and Administration] External use: soaked in wine for application, decoction for fumigation and washing, made into ointment or poultice.
[Note] Avoid internal use.
[Prescriptions]
① Used to treat unknown abscesses and phlegm nodules: Dacha Medicine Root 2 liang, Wolfbane 2 liang, Pudijin 3 liang, Suction Pus Ointment 1 liang, Jiajuhuagen 2 liang, Chicken Bone Incense 5 qian, Jiugancai 3 liang, Liao Gewang 1 liang, Raw Oil 1 jin 4 liang. Soak the above herbs for four to five days, boil in a pot until the herbs are dry, remove the residue, mix the herbal oil with 8 liang of Huangdan, and refine it into a soft ointment. Apply it to the affected area to relieve pain and reduce swelling and toxins.
② Used for bone dislocation: Dacha Medicine Root 8 liang, live chicken weighing about 10 liang (with feathers and offal), crush them together and apply to the injured area. First, reset the dislocated bone using manual techniques, and then fix it with bark and bandages. Remove them after about one hour.
③ Used to treat knife wounds: Dacha Medicine Root (remove the green peel), Turbina corymbosa, grind the two herbs and apply to the affected area. (Prescription from "Lingnan Herbal Medicine")
[Excerpt] "*Dictionary of Medicine"
