Chinese Gentian (Longdancao)
| Pharmaceutical Name: | Radix Gentianae |
| Botanical Name: | Gentiana scabra Bge. Gentiana triflora Pall. Gentiana manshurica Kitag. |
| Common Name: | Chinese Gentian |
| Source of Earliest Record: | Shennong Bencao Jing |
| art Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: | The roots, or rhizomes, are gathered in autumn , dried in the sun and cut into pieces. |
| Properties and Taste: | Bitter and cold |
| Meridian: | Liver, gall bladder and stomach |
| Functions: | To clear heat and dry dampness To reduce fire in the liver |
| Indications and Combinations: | 1. Damp-heat syndrome: a) Damp-heat jaundice . *Use with Oriental wormwood (Yinchenhao) and Capejasmine (Zhizi) . b) Damp-heat leukorrhea manifested as pain and swelling in the genitals and eczema. *Use with Phellodendron bark (Huangbai), Flavescent sophora root (Kushen) and Plantain seed (Cheqianzi). 2. Upward attack of liver fire manifested as headache, distending sensation in the head, red eyes, deafness and pain in the coastal regions. *Use with Scutellaria root (Huangqin), Capejasmine (Zhizi), Bupleurum root (Chaihu) and Clematis stem (Mutong). 3. Fever, spasms and convulsions. *Used with Uncaria stem (Gouteng) and Ox gallstone (Niuhuang). |
| Dosage: | 3-10 g |
| Cautions: | This herb is contraindicated in cases with weakness and cold in the spleen and stomach. |