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Ephedra
(ma huang)
Herba
Ephedrae
Properties:
Ephedra is pungent and slightly bitter in flavour, warm in
nature and acting on the lung and urinary bladder
channels. The pungent and the warm is dispersing cold.
Ephedra has main effects of facilitating the circulation
of the lung-qi, relieving exterior syndromes, alleviating
asthma and inducing diuresis, with the strongest
dispersing power. It is indicated for exterior syndromes
of excess type affected by pathogenic wind-cold, dyspnea
of excess type due to obstruction of the lung-qi, wind
edema and anhidrosis.
Effects:
Inducing sweating to dispel
exopathogens, facilitating the circulation of the lung-Qi
to relieve asthma, and inducing diuresis to remove edema.
Indication:
1.
For treatment of exterior syndromes of excess type
affected by pathogenic wind-cold with symptoms of
wind-cold type of common cold, aversion to cold,
anhidrosis, fever and headache the herb is often used in
combination with cinnamom twig such as Ephedra Decoction
for strengthening the effect of dispersing wind-cold.
2.
Ephedra is often used in combination with apricot
kernel to strengthen the effects of arresting cough and
relieving asthma, such as Sanao Decoction, for treatment
of dyspnea of excess type due to wind-cold attacked on the
lung and impairment of ventilating and descending function
of the lung; with pinellia tuber, dried ginger, asarum herb
and other drugs to remove dampness, resolve phlegm, warm
the lung and eliminate fluid retention. such as Xiao
Qinglong Decoction, for treatment of cold fluid retention
in the lung, stagnation of phlegm and Qi with abundant
thin sputum; and with raw gypsum o clear heat from the
lung, arrest cough and relieve asthma, such as Ma Xing Shi
Gan Decoction, for treatment of heat of excess type in he
lung, high fever and dyspnea.
3.
For treatment of initial edema mainly facial, with
exopathogenic exterior syndromes, that is, wind edema, the
herb is always used in combination with white atractylodes
rhizome such as Yuebi Jiazhu Decoction for strengthening
the effects of diuresis to remove edema.
Dosage
and Administration: 1.5-10g.
Raw herb is strong for inducing sweating, and stir-baked
is mild for inducing sweating but better at relieving
asthma.
Precautions:
Patients with debility, hyperhidrosis and asthma of
deficiency type should be prohibited to use Ephedra.
Note: This herb is not
allowed to use to people in some countries now. |
