Spora Lygodii
The Processing of Spora Lygodii
Origin
The mature spore of the perennial climbing fern Lygodium japonicum (Thunb.) sw. of family Lygodiaceae.
Location
In Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces, etc.
Harvest
Collected the leaf in autumn when the spore is mature but not falling.
The true smell and taste
Slight smell and bland in taste.
Best quality
Dry, yellow-brownish, light and smooth, able to float in water, no impurity, sound can be heard when it is fired.
Processing
Get rid of impurity and unprocessed.
The Effect of Spora Lygodii
Property
Sweet, bland and cold; bladder and small intestine meridians entered.
Actions
Induce diuresis to treat stranguria.
Indications
Stranguria
It has the actions of clearing damp-heat from bladder and small intestine. It is good at inducing diuresis to treat stranguria and alleviating pain in urinary tract, so it is the essential herb for all stranguria syndromes. It should be combined with other herbs to strengthen the curative effect according to syndromes. For heat-stranguria with acute pain, it is ground into powder and taken with Gan Cao decoction to increase the actions of clearing heat and treating stranguria in Quan Zhou Ben Cao (Materia Medica of Quanzhou). For blood-stranguria, it can be used with the herbs of clearing heat and inducing diuresis, cooling blood and stopping bleeding such as Xiao Ji, Bai Mao Gen and Shi Wei. For urolithic stranguria, it can be used with Ji Nei Jin and Jin Qian Cao to treat stranguria and remove stone.
Additionally, it can also induce diuresis to alleviate edema. For edema, it is usually combined with Ze Xie, Zhu Ling and Fang Feng to strengthen the actions of inducing diuresis to alleviate edema.
Dosage and Administrations
Decoct 6~15 g. It should be decocted with wrapping.