Medicinals
lián qiào / 连翘 / 連翹 / forsythia [fruit];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Forsythiae Fructus
Alternate English names: weeping forsythia [fruit]; weeping golden bell [fruit]
Alternate Chinese names: 大翘子 dà qiào zǐ; 空壳 kōng ké; 连翘壳 lián qiào ké; 汉连子 hàn lián zǐ; 连壳 lián ké
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Heat-clearing agents / Heat-clearing toxin-resolving agents
Properties: Bitter; slightly cold.
Channel entry: lung, heart, gallbladder channels.
Indications:
- Clears heat and resolves toxin: Initial-stage external contraction of wind-heat (warm disease); heat entering the pericardium in warm disease.
- Disperses welling-abscesses and binds: Swollen welling-abscesses, boils, and other
sore s; painful swollen throat; scrofula, phlegm nodes, and goiter.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 10–15g in decoctions.
Warning:
Use with care in vacuity cold patterns. Do not use for ruptured flat- or welling-abscesses exuding clear pus in patients suffering from qì vacuity.
Product Description:
This fruit is ovate with acute points at each end. It is 0.7–2.5 cm long, and 0.5–1 cm wide, splitting into two points at the tip. The exterior surface of the exocarp is yellowish brown and bears irregular protuberant lines and speckles. Its interior surface is paler in color, and smooth and has a distinct septum, although the seeds are usually missing.
Quality:
Dry, yellowish fruits with thick shells, and copious seeds are the best.
Product Area:
Shānxī, Hénán, Shānxī, Húběi, Shāndōng.