Japanese Stemona Root

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Hubei, Guangxi, Yunnan, Sichuan.

Stemona sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq: Fusiform, upper apex relatively thin and long, wrinkled and curved, 5~12cm long, 0.5~1cm diameter. Externally yellowish-white to pale brownish-yellow, with irregular deep longitudinal grooves, occasionally with horizontal wrinkles. Hard and easily broken texture, fractured surface is flat, horn-like, pale yellowish-brown or yellowish-white. Wide phloem, flat and wrinkled stele. faint odor. Taste sweet and bitter. Stemona japonica (Bl.) Miq: both ends gradually become thin, with many irregular creases and horizontal wrinkles. Stemona tuberosa Lour: long fusiform or long strips, 8~24cm long, 0.8~1.2cm diameter. Externally light yellowish-brown to grayish-brown, with shllow longitudinal wrinkles or irregular longitudinal troughs. Firm texture; fracture surface is yellowish-white to dark brown, with relatively large stele and off-white pith.

Superior medicinal material is thick and strong, firm, and yellowish-white.

Sweet, bitter, slightly warm.

Moistens the lung, downbears qi, relieve cough, and kills worms. Applied to Lingering cough, coughing due to tuberculosis, whooping cough, externally applied to take care of head lice, body lice, enterobiasis, pruritus vulvae.

Processed Baibu: horizontal cut section of Baibu, refined honey (100 jin of Baibu cut sections with 12 jin and 8 liang of honey) melted bu heat with modest spoiled water, stir evenly, cover tightly for a little while to absorb honey water, fried inside a pot with slow fire till light yellow and not sticky to hands, take out and place to cool. Shape like Baibu cut section, externally brownish-yellow or brown, with slightly charred spots and stickiness. Taste sweet. Moisten the lung, relieve cough. Primarily apply to coughing due to deficiency of yin.