絡石藤

Naming

Luo Shi Teng (Caulis Trachelospermi)——Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Shen Nong’s Herbal)

The Processing of 絡石藤

Origin

The foliferous stem of Trachelospermum jasminoides (Lindl.) Lem. of family Apocynaceae.

Location

Jiangsu, Hubei and Shandong provinces, etc.

Harvest

Collected from winter to next spring.

The actual smell and taste

Light smell and slightly bitter taste.

Best quality

Dry and long stem, leafiness, and green color.

Processing

Dried in sunlight, cur into segments and unprocessed.

The Effect of 絡石藤

Property

Bitter, slightly cold; heart, liver and kidney meridians entered.

Actions

Dispel wind-damp, unblock collaterals, cool blood and relieve swelling.

Indications

A. Arthralgia syndrome due to wind, dampness and heat

It excels in dispelling wind-damp, unblocking collaterals and clearing heat with slightly cold nature, and is suitable to treat arthralgia syndrome due to wind, dampness and heat characterized by spasm of tendons and vessels, aching pain of waist and knees. It can be used singly or combined with other wind-damp-dispelling and heat-clearing, and collaterals-unblocking herbs, for example, Ren Dong Teng, Qin Jiao and Di Long, etc.

B. Swelling pain of throat, sore and abscess

It enters heart, liver meridians and blood system, and is bitter and cold in nature, and has the actions of clearing heat and cooling blood, relieving sore throat and swelling. For red swelling and sore throat, it can be decocted singly and then swallowed slowly, or combined with toxicity-removing and sore-throat-alleviating herbs such as Sheng Ma, She Gan and Jie Geng. For sores and abscess marked by swelling and pain, it is often combined with heat-clearing and toxicity-removing, and blood-activating and abscess-curing herbs, for example, Pu Gong Ying, Ru Xiang, Zao Jiao Ci and Gua Lou.

In addition, it can unblock collaterals and relieve swelling to stop pain, and is also indicated for traumatic injury, swelling pain due to blood stagnation. It is often combined with blood-activating and collaterals-unblocking herbs to enhance the effects of relieving swelling to stop pain, for instance, Shen Jin Cao, Tou Gu Cao, Hong Hua and Tao Ren, etc.

Dosage and Administrations

Decoct 6~12 g. Proper dosage of pounded fresh products is for topical administration.