Chinese Herbalism
Punting-pole bamboo
Bambusa tuldoides
Also known as bamboo shavings, bamboo stem shavings, zhu ru, tabasheer, bamboo silica (tian zhu huang), bamboo sugar (tian zhu huang), zhú rú, jiāng zhú rú, tiān zhú huáng.
Bamboo shavings are the pale ribbons scraped from the middle layer of the culm of several bamboos, principally the punting-pole bamboo of southern China; the green skin is removed and the layer beneath shaved into curling strips and dried. A second drug, tian zhu huang, is the hard, chalky siliceous mass that forms inside the hollow culm of Bambusa textilis and related bamboos after injury. Both are cold, sweet phlegm-heat herbs; the shavings act on the Stomach and Lung and calm nausea, while the concretion is a stronger Heart and Liver herb for convulsions and delirium with phlegm.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Nausea and vomiting from Stomach heat, with a bitter taste and yellow coat
- Morning sickness with heat signs
- Vomiting after febrile illness or in a weak patient with residual heat
- Hiccup from Stomach heat
- Cough with thick, sticky yellow sputum that is hard to raise
- Chest oppression and chronic cough from phlegm-heat
- Insomnia, palpitations and anxiety from phlegm-heat disturbing the Heart
- Timidity, indecision and unsettled sleep after a shock or illness (Gallbladder phlegm-heat)
- Nosebleed, blood-streaked sputum and uterine bleeding from heat
- Restless fetus with heat and nausea (traditional)
- Post-stroke phlegm with slurred speech (with tian zhu huang)
- Childhood febrile convulsions with phlegm and rattling breath (tian zhu huang)
- High fever with delirium and phlegm obstructing the Heart orifices (tian zhu huang)
Specific indications
Queasy, bitter-mouthed patient who cannot sleep, feels a lump of phlegm in the throat and startles easily, with a slippery, rapid pulse and a greasy yellow coat, the picture answered by the warm-the-Gallbladder decoction
Vomiting or hiccup with a red tongue and yellow coat in someone already weakened, where ginger-processed shavings settle the Stomach without adding heat
A febrile child with rattling phlegm, glazed eyes and twitching limbs, where tian zhu huang is chosen over zhu ru because it reaches the Heart and Liver and settles wind
Safety
The record lists 7 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Zhu ru is the herb for heat, phlegm and nausea together. Its best-known setting is the warm-the-Gallbladder decoction with pinellia, tangerine peel, poria and bitter orange, for the anxious, queasy, poorly sleeping patient with a greasy yellow coat.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: slightly cold (zhu ru); cold (tian zhu huang). Taste: sweet. Channels: Lung, Stomach, Heart, Gallbladder (zhu ru); Heart, Liver (tian zhu huang). Actions: Clears heat and transforms phlegm-heat in the Lung and Gallbladder; Clears Stomach heat and stops vomiting, hiccup and nausea; Relieves restlessness, irritability and insomnia from phlegm-heat disturbing the Heart; Cools the blood to stop bleeding from heat (nosebleed, blood in sputum, uterine bleeding); Calms restless fetus with heat (traditional); Tian zhu huang: clears heat-phlegm, calms the spirit and settles convulsions, especially in children.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Decoction, zhu ru (pharmacopoeial range) | 5-10 g dried shavings daily | 5000-10000 mg |
| Decoction, jiang zhu ru (ginger-processed) | 5-10 g daily for vomiting and hiccup | 5000-10000 mg |
| Decoction, tian zhu huang (pharmacopoeial range) | 3-9 g daily | 3000-9000 mg |
| Powder, tian zhu huang | 0.6-1 g two to three times daily, swallowed with warm water | 600-1000 mg |
| Granules (5:1 concentrate), zhu ru | 1-2 g two to three times daily | 1000-2000 mg |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Bamboo shavings are the pale ribbons scraped from the middle layer of the culm of several bamboos, principally the punting-pole bamboo of southern China; the green skin is removed and the layer beneath shaved into curling strips and dried. A second drug, tian zhu huang, is the hard, chalky siliceous mass that forms inside the hollow culm of Bambusa textilis and related bamboos after injury. Both are cold, sweet phlegm-heat herbs; the shavings act on the Stomach and Lung and calm nausea, while the concretion is a stronger Heart and Liver herb for convulsions and delirium with phlegm.
Clinical Notes. Zhu ru is the herb for heat, phlegm and nausea together. Its best-known setting is the warm-the-Gallbladder decoction with pinellia, tangerine peel, poria and bitter orange, for the anxious, queasy, poorly sleeping patient with a greasy yellow coat.
Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: slightly cold (zhu ru); cold (tian zhu huang). Taste: sweet. Channels: Lung, Stomach, Heart, Gallbladder (zhu ru); Heart, Liver (tian zhu huang). Actions: Clears heat and transforms phlegm-heat in the Lung and Gallbladder; Clears Stomach heat and stops vomiting, hiccup and nausea; Relieves restlessness, irritability and insomnia from phlegm-heat disturbing the Heart; Cools the blood to stop bleeding from heat (nosebleed, blood in sputum, uterine bleeding); Calms restless fetus with heat (traditional); Tian zhu huang: clears heat-phlegm, calms the spirit and settles convulsions, especially in children.
In formulas
Punting-pole bamboo stands in 36 documented formulas in the library, among them hão gin ging dǎn tāng, zhèn nì bái hù tang, hui chùn dàn, jú pí zhú rú tāng, líng jiao gòu téng tâng, gua lou zhi shí tang.
Often paired with
tangerineCitrus reticulata
Licorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
PoriaWolfiporia extensa
PinelliaPinellia ternata
Sichuan fritillaryFritillaria cirrhosa
gou tengUncaria rhynchophyllaNearby on the shelf
Pterospora andromedeaPterospora andromedea
PumpkinCurcurbita pepo
PunarnavaBoerhavia diffusa
Puncture vineTribulus terrestris
Purging crotonCroton tiglium
Purple angelicaArchangelica Atropurpurea
Purple cliff-brakePteris Atropurpurea
Purple gromwellLithospermum erythrorhizonThe whole plate is in the library. The compass, Compare, the Sky of eleven hundred plants and the formulary open with an email address and a password, free, with the formula builder and its safety engine. Herbert without limit, his formulating, clients, the handouts and the labels are the paid room.
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