curculigo

　　Curculigo is the rhizome of the Amaryllidaceae plant Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. Produced in the southwest and provinces south of the Yangtze River, Sichuan has a large output. Excavate before germination in early spring and when the above-ground parts wither in late autumn, remove fibrous roots, and dry in the sun to prevent moth. Slices are used raw, or soaked in rice swill and sliced.

　　[Properties] Pungent, hot. poisonous. Returns to the kidney and liver meridians.

　　[Efficacy] Warms the kidneys and strengthens yang, dispels cold and removes dampness.

　　【application】

　　1. Insufficient kidney yang and weak Mingmen fire lead to impotence, cold semen, and frequent urination. This product is pungent, hot and dry, good at replenishing the vital gate and promoting yang. It is often used together with epimedium, Morinda officinalis and golden cherry to treat the fire deficiency of the vital gate, impotence and premature ejaculation and cold infertility, such as curculigo wine ("Wan's Family Prescription").

　　2. Cold pain in the waist and knees, weak muscles and bones. This product is pungent, dispersing dryness and strong, nourishes kidney yang, dissipates cold and dampness, and strengthens muscles and bones. It is often used in the same way as Eucommia ulmoides, Duhuo, and Aconite.

　　In addition, this product can nourish the liver and kidneys, and is used to treat deficiency of the liver and kidneys, premature graying of hair and beard, and dim vision. It is often used with wolfberry, plantain, and raw and cooked rehmannia, such as Curculigo Pills ("Shengji Zonglu").

　　[Usage and Dosage] Decoction and take, 5~15g. Or drink it soaked in wine, or take it as pills or powder.

　　[Usage Note] People with yin deficiency and excessive fire should not take it. It is strong and toxic and should not be taken for a long time.

　　[Abstract from ancient books]

　　1. "Haiyao Materia Medica": "Maintains wind, warms the waist and feet, calms the five internal organs, strengthens muscles and bones, and digests food. ”“Yiyang”

　　2. "Kaibao Materia Medica": "It is mainly used for cold air in the heart and stomach, inability to eat, wind-cold paralysis of the waist and feet and inability to walk, exhaustion of the husband, drowning of the elderly, childlessness, benefiting Yang Dao,... strengthening the memory, helping the muscles and bones, benefiting the skin, increasing energy, and improving eyesight."

　　3. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Curculigo is hot in nature and is a medicine for tonifying triple burner and vitality gate. It is suitable for those whose yang is weak and essence is cold, and who are naturally timid. If the body is strong and the fire is blazing, taking it will actually activate the fire. ”

　　【Modern Research】

　　1. Chemical composition: Curculigo is mainly composed of a variety of cyclopineoid triterpenes and their sugars, polysaccharides such as methylphenol and chloromethylphenol. Others also contain nitrogen-containing compounds, alcohols, fatty compounds and flavonols.

　　2. Pharmacological effects: Curculigo can prolong the average survival time of experimental animals. Curculigo alcohol infusion can significantly increase the phagocytosis percentage and phagocytosis index of peritoneal macrophages in mice; curculigo water decoction can significantly increase the weight of the anterior pituitary gland, ovaries and uterus of rats, and significantly improve the specific binding capacity of ovarian HCG/LH receptors; curculigo alcohol infusion can significantly prolong the sleep time of mice, resist convulsions in mice caused by picrotoxin, and has calming and anticonvulsant effects.

　　3. Clinical research: The combination of Curculigo and Clematis is effective in treating paralysis syndrome caused by fire deficiency and meridian blockage (Shandong Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1989, (3): 108); Bazhen Erxian Decoction is effective in treating Sheehan syndrome (Shaanxi Traditional Chinese Medicine 1995, 16(6): 251).