Pharmaceutical Name:

Radix Trichosanthis

Botanical Name:

Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim.
Trichosanthes japonica Regel.

Common Name:

Trichosanthes Root
Snakegourd Root

Source of Earliest Record:

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The roots are dug in autumn or winter.  After cleaning, the skin is peeled off.  Then, the roots are cut into pieces or slices and dried in the sun.

Properties and Taste:

Bitter, slightly sweet and cold

Meridian:

Lung and stomach

Functions:

To clear heat and promote the production of body fluids;
To reduce swelling and dispel pus

Indications and Combinations:

1.     Thirst in febrile diseases.
*Use with Glehnia root (Shashen), Ophiopogon root (Maidong) and Reed root (Lugen).

2.      Extreme thirst in diabetes.
*Use with Pueraria root (Gegen), Schisandra fruit (Wuweizi) and Anemarrhena rhizome (Zhimu).

3.     Dry cough due to lung heat.
*Use with Mulberry bark (Sangbaipi), Tendrilled fritillary bulb (Chuanbeimu) and Platycodon root (Jiegeng).

4.      Boils and carbuncles. 
*Use with Forsythia fruit (Lianqiao), Dandelion herb (Pugongying), Tendrilled fritillary bulb (Chuanbeimu) and Honeysuckle flower (Jinyinhua).

Dosage:

10-15 g

Cautions:

This herb should be used with caution during pregnancy.