Pharmaceutical Name:

Rhizoma Arisaematis

Botanical Name:

Arisaema consanguineum Schott
Arisaema amurense Maxim.
Arisaema heterophyllum Bl.

Common Name:

Arisaema tuber  
Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Source of Earliest Record:

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The tuberous rhizomes are dug in autumn or winter. After the fibrous roots and bark have been removed, the rhizomes are dried in the sun and cut into slices.

Properties and Taste:

Bitter, pungent and warm

Meridians:

Lungs, liver and spleen

Functions:

To dry dampness and resolve phlegm
To dispel wind and stop spasms
Reduces swelling and alleviates pain.

Indications and Combinations:

1.     Phlegm-damp cough manifested as profuse, dilute and white sputum and stifling sensation in the chest.
*Use with Pinellia tuber (Ban xia), Tangerine peel (Chen pi) and Immature bitter orange (Zhi shi) in the formula Daotan Tang.

2.     Phlegm-heat in the lungs manifested as cough with profuse, yellow and thick sputum and stifling sensation in the chest.
*Use with Scutellaria root (Huang qin) and Trichosanthes fruit (Gua lou).

3.     Wind-phlegm manifested as dizziness, vertigo, rattling sound in the windpipe, facial paralysis, epilepsy and convulsions in tetanus, spasms, insomnia, stroke, or seizures.
*Use with Pinellia tuber (Ban xia), Gastrodia tuber (Tian ma) and Typhonium tuber (Bai fu zi).

Dosage:

5-10 g

Cautions:

This herb is contraindicated during pregnancy. In general, the raw herb is not used for internal use.