Chinese Herbalism
Rangoon creeper
Combretum indicum
Also known as Chinese honeysuckle, drunken sailor, Burma creeper, shi jun zi, shǐ jūn zǐ, shǐ jūn zǐ rén.
Shi jun zi is the dried ripe fruit of the Rangoon creeper, a vigorous climbing shrub with fragrant flowers that open white and turn pink and red; it is native to tropical Asia and cultivated across southern China, Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi. The five-winged fruit is gathered in autumn and either used whole or shelled to give the oily kernel. It has been the standard Chinese anthelmintic for children for a thousand years, prized because it is sweet and mild rather than bitter and cold.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Roundworm (Ascaris) infestation
- Pinworm (Enterobius) infestation
- Abdominal pain with worms in children
- Childhood malnutrition with distended abdomen and poor appetite (gan ji)
- Poor appetite and loose stools with parasites
- Teeth grinding and restless sleep in children suspected of worms
- Anal itching from pinworm
- Skin itching and sores (topical, traditional)
Specific indications
A thin child with a swollen belly, sallow face, erratic appetite and worms seen in the stool, where the sweet taste makes the herb easy to give
Roundworm in a person too weak for bitter, cold anthelmintics, given with bing lang and ku lian pi
Safety
Low dose botanical. Used in drop doses in the classical practice; not a plant to dose freely.
The record lists 6 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Shi jun zi is the anthelmintic to choose for children and for the deficient, because it kills roundworm and pinworm while gently supporting the spleen. For simple roundworm it is combined with bing lang and ku lian pi in Shi Jun Zi San; for childhood malnutrition with worms it goes into Fei Er Wan with shen qu, mai ya, hu huang lian and bing lang; for pinworm it is paired with bai bu and given with a bai bu enema at night.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: warm. Taste: sweet. Channels: Spleen, Stomach. Actions: Kills intestinal parasites, especially roundworm and pinworm; Disperses food accumulation and strengthens the Spleen in childhood malnutrition with worms.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Whole fruit in decoction | 9-12 g dried fruit daily, broken before decocting | 9000-12000 mg |
| Stir-fried kernel, chewed | 6-9 g daily on an empty stomach | 6000-9000 mg |
| Kernels for children | 1-1.5 kernels per year of age daily, maximum 20 kernels |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Shi jun zi is the dried ripe fruit of the Rangoon creeper, a vigorous climbing shrub with fragrant flowers that open white and turn pink and red; it is native to tropical Asia and cultivated across southern China, Sichuan, Guangdong and Guangxi. The five-winged fruit is gathered in autumn and either used whole or shelled to give the oily kernel. It has been the standard Chinese anthelmintic for children for a thousand years, prized because it is sweet and mild rather than bitter and cold.
Clinical Notes. Shi jun zi is the anthelmintic to choose for children and for the deficient, because it kills roundworm and pinworm while gently supporting the spleen. For simple roundworm it is combined with bing lang and ku lian pi in Shi Jun Zi San; for childhood malnutrition with worms it goes into Fei Er Wan with shen qu, mai ya, hu huang lian and bing lang; for pinworm it is paired with bai bu and given with a bai bu enema at night.
Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: warm. Taste: sweet. Channels: Spleen, Stomach. Actions: Kills intestinal parasites, especially roundworm and pinworm; Disperses food accumulation and strengthens the Spleen in childhood malnutrition with worms.
In formulas
Rangoon creeper stands in 10 documented formulas in the library, among them féi ér wán, Jin jiàn féi ér wán, dǎn dào qù hui tāng, bù dài wán.
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Red budCercis canadensisThe 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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