4.1.2 The Three Musketeers of Araceae family在线视频

Chapter knowledge

1.The origin of Banxia’s name

2.Banxia’s Character

3.Banxia’s efficacy

4.Banxia’s specifications of processing

5.The character of Shuibanxia

6.Tiannanxing’s character

7.Tiannanxing’s efficacy and specifications of processing

1.The origin of Banxia’s name

Banxia's name came from the explanation in Jijiu Pian, written by Yan Shigu, which claimed that "Banxia's seedlings grow out in May, which is the middle of the summer and that's where its name came from".

2.Banxia’s Character

Banxia is mostly round or oblate,usually not more than 2 cm in diameter. It's white,

the center has a hollow yellow-brown stem mark,surrounded by a dense brown pitted root mark, and the upper end is blunt round and smooth.It's solid, dense and the fracture surface is powdery.The taste is stimulating to the throat and may get the tongue numb.

3.Banxia’s efficacy

The raw Banxia is mainly used as external medicine for its role of removing the swelling and pain. On the contrary, the processed Banxia is mainly taken orally. The usually specifications of processing include Jiangbanxia, Qingbanxia and Fabanxia.

4.Banxia’s specifications of processing

Qingbanxia is soaked or boiled or pickled with 8% alum water, which would eliminate the side effect of being stimulating to the throat, and reduce its toxicity.

Therefore,Qingbanxia is mainly used for drying dampness and resolving phlegm.

Jiangbanxia is boiled with ginger alum water,pickled and steamed or cooked with ginger. The juice of ginger would reduce the toxicity of Banxia and strengthen its efficacy of warming the middle.So it is mainly used for warming middle, resolving phlegm, descending adverse qi and arresting vomiting.

Fabaxian was made by adding lime and licorice juice.It was mainly used to dispel cold phlegm and wet phlegm,and it also had the function of regulating and harmonizing spleen and stomach.

5. The character of Shuibanxia

Shuibanxia is the tuber of Typhoniumflagelliforme. Shuibanxia are elliptic, conical or semicircular in shape with a white or yellowish but not smooth surface and lots of faintly visible pointy root marks. Its upper end is like a circle with raised bud marks;while the lower end is slightly pointed,shaped like Litoujian.Its texture is firm and the broken section is powdery. Additional,it is spicy, tongue-tingling and throat piercing.

The content of main components of β-sitosterol,amino acid, oleic acid and inorganic elements in Banxia are different.The toxicity of Shuibanxia was about 3.2 times stronger than that of Banxia, while the efficacy of relieving cough and vomit of Banxia were stronger than those of Shuibanxia. Therefore, Banxia and Shuibanxia are two different herbs, which cannot be replaced by each other.

6. Tiannanxing’s character

The crude drug of Tiannaxing was oblate, 1 - 2cm high and 1.5 - 6.5cm in diameter, which was significantly larger than Banxia.The surface is off-white or light brown in color, smooth, with hollow stem marks at the top and pitted root marks around. Additional,some tubers even have small oblate lateral buds around. It's hard, not easily broken,has uneven white powdery cross sections,slightly spicy smell and hot tastes.

7.Tiannanxing’s efficacy and specifications of processing

Tiannanxing is also toxic,and the poisoning can lead to tongue, throat itchy and hot, swelling, or even as serious as suffocation and respiratory stop.Its toxicity is stronger than Banxia. Therefore, the internal medicine should be processed, usually adding alum, ginger and other auxiliary materials to reduce its toxicity and enhance its function of drying dampness and resolving phlegm.

And the product is usually called as Zhinanxing.Tiannanxing has another commodity specification called Dannanxing, whose traditional processing method is to grind the Tiannanxing into powder,mix with the ox bile and store for a long time.

Due to the long processing cycle of traditional processing methods,it is now improved by adding Zhinanxing to ox bile and steaming the mixture slightly.

Dannanxing has the efficacy of clearing heat and resolving phlegm as well as settling the wind-cold and sudden fright. It's mainly used for healing syndrome of phlegm-heat and stirring wind convulsion,madness and phlegm-heat cough.