Medicinals

hú lú bā / 胡芦巴 / 胡蘆巴 / fenugreek [seed];

Latin pharmacognostic name: Trigonellae Semen

Alternate English names: foenngreek [seed]; foenugreek [seed]

Alternate Chinese names: 芦巴 lú bā; 胡巴 hú bā; 胡庐巴 hú lú bā; 葫芦巴 hú lú bā

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Supplementing agents / Yáng-supplementing agents

Properties: Bitter; warm.

Channel entry: kidney channel.

Indications:

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 3–10g in decoctions, powders, or pills.

Warning:

Contraindicated in yīn vacuity with effulgent fire.

Product Description:

This seed is rhomboid or rectangular in shape, 3–5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, and 2 mm thick. The exterior surface is yellowish brown or reddish brown, and smooth. The two faces each have a diagonal furrow that meets the other at the hilum and micropyle. This seed is hard and is not easily broken. The seed coat is thin. The longitudinal section shows a circle of endosperm, which turns sticky after soaking in water. The cotyledons are slightly asymmetrical, and pale yellow in color. The radicle is long, fat, and crooked. On the transverse section, the endosperm is seen to account for the larger part of the total area, while the two cotyledons appear round, with the radicle at one end.

Quality:

The best seeds are large, full, and without impurities.

Product Area:

Cultivated in Hénán, ānhuī, and Sìchuān. Also grows in India, southern Europe, and north Africa.

Etymology:

The name hú lú bā (hú luó bā) is explained an alleged corruption of hú luó bó zǐ 胡萝菔子, ""foreign radish seed,"" this seed first having been introduced to the Chinese by the people of the south roughly 1,000 years ago. See also the etymology of lái fú under 莱菔子.

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