Stephania tetrandra

Radixcoccullitrilobi

Japanese snail seed root

[alias] Radix stephaniae guangfangji, Radix stephaniae tubae, Radix Aucklandiae, Radix Aucklandiae.

[source] it is the root of the family stephaniaceae, Cocculus strilobus (Thunb.) DC. The plant form is twining woody vines. The root is irregularly cylindrical, and the outer skin is yellow. Branchlets longitudinally striated and pilose. Leaves alternate, ovate or broadly ovate or ovate oblong, 4-14cm long and 2.5-6cm wide, apex varied, base round, cuneate or heart-shaped, pubescent on both sides; petiole short, hairy. The flowers are unisexual, the cymes are arranged in panicles; the sepals are 6, 2-whorled; the petals are 6, light yellow, 2-whorled; the male flowers have 6 stamens and opposite petals; the female flowers have 6 staminodes and 6 carpels. Drupe subglobose, bluish black, whitish. The flowering period is from May to August and the fruiting period is from August to September.

It grows in hills, hillsides, roadsides, shrubs and sparse forests. It is mainly produced in East China, Central South and southwest China.

[harvest] dig, wash, slice and dry the roots all year round.

[character] the root is irregular cylindrical, about 1.5cm in diameter. The surface is yellow or gray brown, slightly uneven, with obvious longitudinal groove and a few transverse wrinkles. It is hard, yellow and white in cross section, with radial texture. It tastes bitter.

[chemical constituents] the roots contain many alkaloids, such as magnoflorine, TRILOBINE, isotrilobine, Ho motrilobine, trilobamine, normenisarine and colobine.

Cold in nature, bitter and pungent in taste.

Function indications: dispel wind and relieve pain, clear swelling with water, detoxify and lower blood pressure. For rheumatic arthralgia, neuralgia, nephritis edema, urinary tract infection; external treatment of traumatic injury, snake bite.

Chinese PinYin : Mu Fang Ji