Medicinals
gōu téng / 钩藤 / 鉤藤 / uncaria [stem and thorn]
Latin pharmacognostic name: Uncariae Ramulus cum Uncis
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 钩藤钩子 gōu téng gōu zǐ; 钓钩藤 diào gōu téng; 嫩钩钩 nèn gōu gōu; 金钩藤 jīn gōu téng; 挂钩藤 guà gōu téng; 钩丁 gōu dīng; 倒挂金藤 dǎo guà jīn téng; 钩钩 gōu gōu; 钩藤钩 gōu téng gōu; 双钩藤 shuāng gōu téng
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Liver-calming wind-extinguishing agents / Wind-extinguishing tetany-relieving agents
Properties: Sweet; slightly cold.
Channel entry: liver and pericardium channels.
Indications:
- Extinguishes wind and checks tetany: Convulsions due to liver wind stirring internally in febrile disease or to heat-phlegm epilepsy.
- Clears heat and calms the liver: Headache and dizziness due to liver fire flaming upward or ascendant hyperactivity of liver yáng.
- Additional uses: Gōu téng may be combined with chán tuì (蝉蜕 Cicadae Periostracum, cicada molting) and bò hé (薄荷 Menthae Herba, mint) to treat night crying in infants because it has a liver-cooling fright-checking action.
- Modern applications: In recent years, gōu téng has been used extensively in the treatment of hypertension.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 10–15g in decoctions. The active constituents are easily damaged by prolonged exposure to heat, so gōu téng should be added at the end when preparing a decoction.
Product Description:
This product is a stalk bearing thorns shaped like fishhooks. The thorns spring from the stalk in twos, at 90 degrees to each other and are 1.2–2 cm long, and 2 mm wide at the base. The stems bear slight longitudinal ridges and share with the thorns a smooth lustrous reddish-brown surface. Below the thorns are marks where stipules were once attached. The transverse section of the stem is whitish brown. The decocting pieces are short sections of the stem, each with two hooks.
Quality:
Unbroken hooks and a reddish luster are marks of good quality.
Product Area:
Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Húnán, Jiāngxī.
Etymology:
The name gōu téng 钩藤, literally ""hook vine,"" describes the main physical feature of this item, as do the English and Latin uncaria (L. uncus means hook).