Cao Dou Kou

Naming

Cao Dou Kou (Semen Alpiniae Katsumadai)——Lei Gong Pao Zhi Lun (Lei’s Treaties on Preparation of Drugs)

The Processing of Cao Dou Kou

Origin

The immature seed of Alpinia katsumadai Hayata of family Zingiberaceae.

Location

Guangxi and Guangdong provinces, etc. in China.

Harvest

Collected in summer and autumn.

The true smell and taste

Fragrant, pungent and slight bitter.

Best quality

Dry, big, full, strong fragrant.

Processing

Get rid of the pericarp and dried in sun, unprocessed, broken when used.

The Effect of Cao Dou Kou

Property

Pungent, warm; spleen and stomach meridians entered.

Actions

Dry dampness and move qi, warm middle energizer and arrest vomiting.

Indications

A. Syndrome of obstruction of cold-damp in middle energizer

It is fragrant and warm in nature, and good at drying dampness and resolving turbidity, warming middle energizer and dispersing cold, moving qi and relieving distension. It is suitable for disturbance of qi movement due to cold-damp preponderance of spleen and stomach. It is usually combined with the middle-energizer-warming and qi-moving herbs such as Gan Jiang, Hou Po and Chen Pi.

B. Vomiting due to cold-damp

It can warm the middle energizer and disperse cold, check adverse rise of qi and arrest vomiting. For the syndrome of obstruction of cold-damp in middle energizer manifested as vomiting clear saliva, it is usually combined with the middle-energizer-warming and vomiting-arresting herbs such as Gao Liang Jiang, Chen Pi and Rou Dou Kou. For vomiting due to deficiency-cold of spleen and stomach, it is usually combined with the herbs of invigorating spleen and tonifying qi, warming middle energizer and arresting vomiting such as Ren Shen, Gan Cao and Sheng Jiang. In addition, it is warm and dry in property and acts for warming and drying cold-damp to check diarrhea. For chronic diarrhea due to cold-damp preponderance in interior it can be combined with the dampness-drying, middle-energizer-warming and qi-moving herbs such as Cang Zhu, Mu Xiang and Rou Dou Kou.

Dosage and Administrations

Decoct 3~6 g, or grind it into powder for pill and powder, decoct later.