Pharmaceutical Name:

Radix Lithospermi seu Arnebiae

Botanical Name:

Lithospermun erythrorhizon sieb. et zucc
Arnebia euchroma (Royle Johnst)
Macrotomia euchroma

Common Name:

Lithospermun root
Arnebia root
Groomwell root

Source of Earliest Record:

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The roots are dug in spring or autumn, dried in the sun, soaked in water and cut into slices.

Properties and Taste:

The roots are dug in spring or autumn, dried in the sun, soaked in water and cut into slices.

Meridian:

Heart and liver

Functions:

To cool blood and invigorate blood
To release toxins and bring the rash to the surface
To promote bowel movement and moisten the intestines

Indications and Combinations:

1.     Incomplete expression of rash in measles due to toxic heat in the blood.
*Use with Cicada slough (Chan tui), Arctium fruit (Niu ban gzi).

2.      Maculopapule in febrile disease.
*Use with Red peony (Chi shao), Moutan bark (Mu dan pi), Honeysuckle flower (Jin yin hua) and Forsythia fruit (Lian qiao).

3.     Prevention of measles.
*Use with Licorice root (Gan cao).

4.      Boils, carbuncles, burns and injury due to cold.
*Use with Chinese angelica root (Dang gui) Dahurian angelica root (Bai zhi) and Dragon’s blood (Xue jie) as an external application in the formula Shengji Yuhong Gao.

Dosage:

3-10 g

Cautions:

This herb is contraindicated during weakness of the spleen accompanied by diarrhea.