Lepidium
Seed (ting li zi)
Semen
Lepidii seu Descurainiae
Properties:
It is bitter and acrid in flavour, and strongly cold in
nature. It is tropistic to the lung, large intestine
channels. Its acridness is good at dispersing; bitterness.
At purging; strong coldness, at removing heat and sending
down abnormally ascending Qi. Its main effects are
clearing away the lung-heat, sending down rebellious lung-qi, relieving asthma and
dyspnea. Therefore, it is
used for latent phlegm-fire in the lung, cough and asthma
due to reversed flow of Qi. When the flow of lung-qi is
restored, diuresis occurs spontaneously to remove water
retention and edema disappears. Thus, it is used to cure
edema and dysuria.
Effects:
Purging the heat accumulation in the lung to relieve
asthma, diuresis and eliminating edema.
Indications:
1. For treatment of accumulation of
phlegm-heat in the lung, cough and asthma due to
rebellious Qi, facial edema and orthopnea, it is usually
used together with Fructus Ziziphi Jujubae to purge the
heat accumulated in the lung, send down rebellious Qi,
induce diuresis, such as Tingli Dazao Xiefei Tang.
2. For treatment of excess
syndromes, including retention of fluid in chest and
abdomen, edema and asthma, dysuria and constipation, it is
used frequently together with Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, Radix
Stephaniae Tetrandrae, Radix Euphorbiae kansui, and other
herbs having the function of removing water retention,
such as Daxianxiong Wan, Jijiao Lihuang Wan.
Dosage and Administration:
3-10g.
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