Gan Sui is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb, mainly found in Gansu and Luoyang. Gan Sui root can be used for various therapeutic purposes. Let's take a look at the usage and contraindications of Gan Sui!
Usage of Gan Sui
Gan Sui has been widely used in clinical practice to treat various diseases. The main applications of Gan Sui are as follows:
1. It is mainly used to treat chest and abdominal ascites, similar to the application of Qian Niuzi, but only for those with strong Qi and real pathogens.
2. It is used to treat ascites caused by liver cirrhosis. It is often combined with herbs that promote diuresis and water drainage, such as Ginseng (or Codonopsis pilosula), Insect-Shaped Bamboo Shoot, Black Qian Niuzi, Agarwood, and Cinnamon, to achieve good results in reducing swelling.
3. It is used to treat pleural effusion caused by exudative pleurisy. In the acute phase, if there are symptoms of real heat, such as flushing, chest pain, constipation, dry mouth and thirst, and restlessness, it is considered as a "chest congestion" pattern. Gan Sui alone is not sufficient in this case, and it needs to be combined with Rhubarb and Yuanming Powder, such as in the Da Xianxiong Tang.
4. It is used to treat edema caused by nephritis (both acute and chronic). Take 6g of Gan Sui, grind it into powder, and put it in the kidney of a male pig. Wrap it with bamboo paper soaked in water and simmer it over fire. After it is cooked, cut the pig kidney into 7 slices and take 1 slice per day. Swelling will begin to reduce after taking 4-5 slices.
Contraindications of Gan Sui
Due to the strong medicinal properties of Gan Sui, it is not recommended to self-medicate. It is safer to use under the guidance of a doctor. The side effects and contraindications of Gan Sui are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. Pregnant women should avoid using it. Generally, it should be stopped after the illness is cured.
2. It is recommended to use simmered Gan Sui or vinegar-processed Gan Sui to reduce its vomiting and other side effects. After being processed with vinegar, the toxic and irritating effects of Gan Sui are reduced. Both raw Gan Sui and processed Gan Sui have strong toxicity and laxative effects, so they should not be used excessively.
3. Traditional experience suggests avoiding the combination of Gan Sui with Yuan Hua and Da Ji (traditional Chinese herbs), but the preliminary experimental results in modern times are inconsistent.
Some reports have shown that, according to experiments on rabbits, there were no significant changes in respiration, heart rate, body temperature, pupillary response, or gastrointestinal function after taking Gan Sui (or Yuan Hua and Da Ji) in combination with Gan Cao. However, other experiments have shown that the combination of Gan Sui and Gan Cao produces different reactions depending on the ratio of their dosages.
