Medicinals
tǔ fú líng / 土茯苓 / 土茯苓 / smooth greenbrier [root]
Latin pharmacognostic name: Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 山归来[1] shān guī lái; 草禹余粮 cǎo yǔ yú liáng; 刺猪苓 cì zhū líng; 硬饭 yìng fàn; 仙遗粮 xiāng yí liáng; 土萆 tǔ bēi; 冷饭团 lěng fàn tuán; 山猪粪 shān zhū fèn; 毛尾薯 máo wěi shǔ; 地胡苓 dì hú líng; 土苓 tǔ líng; 山遗粮 shān yí liáng; 狗朗头 gǒu lǎng tóu; 尖光头 jiān guāng tóu; 山硬硬 shān yìng yìng; 奇良 qí liáng
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Heat-clearing agents / Heat-clearing toxin-resolving agents
Properties: Sweet, bland; balanced.
Channel entry: liver and stomach channels.
Indications:
- Clears heat and resolves toxin; resolves mercury poisoning:
Syphilis ; mercury poisoning. - Clears and disinhibits dampness: Strangury (lìn) patterns, impediment (bì) patterns, vaginal discharge, eczema,
damp sores due to damp-heat.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 15–60g in decoctions. Also used externally.
Warning:
Use with care in liver-kidney yīn vacuity. Do not drink tea while taking tǔ fú líng (this is said to cause hair loss).
Quality:
Best are pale brown rhizomes that are flowery and not fibrous in substance.
Product Area:
Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Fújiàn, Jiāngxī.