Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma
Aliases：Lěng Fàn Tuán (Cold Rice Ball); Yìng Fàn Tóu (Hard Rice Head); Hóng Tǔ Líng (Red Tu Ling); Tǔ Bì Xiè (Tu Bi Xie); Cì Zhū Líng (Spiny Polyporus); Guò Shān Lóng (Mountain-crossing Dragon); Shān Guī Lái (Mountain Return); Jiǔ Lǎo Shǔ (Old Potato); Yǔ Yú Liáng (Yu's Surplus Grain); Bái Yú Liáng (White Surplus Grain); Xiān Yí Liáng (Immortal's Leftover Grain); Shān Niú (Mountain Ox); Tǔ Líng (Tu Ling); Shān Yìng Yìng (Mountain Hard); Fàn Tuán Gēn (Rice Ball Root); Shān Zhū Fèn (Mountain Pig Dung); Máo Wěi Shǔ (Hairy Tail Potato); Shān Yí Liáng (Mountain Leftover Grain); Shān Qí Liáng (Mountain Strange Grain).
Tǔ Fú Líng (Smilax Glabra Rhizome) is a Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried rhizome of Smilax glabra Roxb., a plant of the Liliaceae family. The rhizome is slightly cylindrical, somewhat flattened or irregularly shaped with nodular protrusions, and is hard in texture. The cut surface is whitish to light reddish-brown and starchy, becoming slippery when moistened with water. It has a faint odor and a slightly sweet and astringent taste. Tǔ Fú Líng was first recorded in the Ben Cao Jing Ji Zhu (Commentary on the Materia Medica) by Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty, and has a long history of medicinal use.
Efficacy & Actions
Detoxifies, removes dampness, and unblocks and benefits the joints.
Indications
Used for limb spasms and joint pain due to syphilis and mercury poisoning; damp-heat strangury with turbid discharge, leukorrhea, carbuncles, scrofula, and tinea.
Modern Pharmacology
Anti-inflammatory and analgesic: Exhibits significant anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Uric acid-lowering and anti-gout: Inhibits uric acid production, promotes uric acid excretion, and exerts anti-inflammatory effects. Antibacterial and antiviral: Inhibits Staphylococcus aureus, hemolytic streptococcus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, etc.; aqueous extract inhibits contact dermatitis. Immunomodulatory and antitumor: Regulates immunity, inhibits Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and aflatoxin B1-induced liver cancer lesions. Cardiovascular protection: Total flavonoids improve cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac inflammation; alleviates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury. Antioxidant: Exhibits antioxidant activity. Hypoglycemic, lipid-lowering, and antihypertensive: Lowers blood glucose, blood lipids, and blood pressure.
Ingredients
Flavonoid Glycosides: Astilbin (used as the reference standard for the determination of total flavonoids in Tu Fu Ling), isoastilbin, smilaxinosides A–E, engeletin, quercetin, etc. Steroidal Saponins: Dioscin, tigogenin, stigmasterol-3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside, etc. Phenolic Acids: 3-O-caffeoylshikimic acid, ferulic acid, succinic acid, etc. Other Components: Methyl hexadecanoate, palmitic acid, daucosterol, epicatechin, volatile oils, polysaccharides, and sterols, etc.
Usage & Dosage
Oral Administration: Decoction, the standard dosage is 15–60g. May also be prepared in pills or powder, distilled as an essence, or made into wine. Topical Application: Appropriate amount, ground into powder and mixed for external application.
Contraindications
Use with caution in patients with liver-kidney yin deficiency. Use with caution or contraindicated during pregnancy: Tu Fu Ling (Smilax Glabra Rhizome) has the properties of invigorating blood and unblocking collaterals, and is not recommended for use during pregnancy. Not suitable for patients with yin deficiency and fire excess. Use with caution in patients with spleen deficiency and diarrhea. Use with caution in patients with qi deficiency and sinking, or those with a cold-deficiency constitution. Use with caution in individuals with allergies: Allergic reactions such as vomiting, skin rash, and diarrhea may occur in those allergic to Tu Fu Ling.
Selected Formulas
For syphilitic sinew and bone contracture pain (Bencao Gangmu, Soufeng Jiedu Tang) Take Tufuling (Smilax glabra) with Yiyiren (Coix seed), Jinyinhua (Honeysuckle), Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia), Mugua (Chaenomeles), Mutong (Akebia), Baixianpi (Dictamnus root bark), and Zaojiazi (Gleditsia seed). Decoct in water and drink. For syphilitic sores (Diannan Bencao) Take 1 liang or 5 qian of Tufuling. Decoct in a mixture of water and wine and drink. For syphilitic sores (Wanbing Huichun, Fuling Tang) Take 120g of Tufuling, 30g of Jiegeng (Platycodon), 30g of Fangfeng, 1.5g of Ruxiang (Frankincense), and 1.5g of Moyao (Myrrh). Add 5 bowls of water, decoct to 3 bowls, take warm, and complete within one day. For syphilitic sores, genital ulcers, and kidney carbuncles (Yilin Zuanyao, Tufuling Tang) Take 4 liang of Tufuling, 2 liang of Huangbai (Phellodendron), 2 liang of raw Huangqi (Astragalus), and 1 liang of raw Gancao (Licorice). Decoct in water and drink. For acute gout attack (empirical formula) Take 30g of Tufuling, 20g of Fangji (Stephania root), 20g of Huashi (Talc), 10g of Niuxi (Achyranthes), and 6g of raw Gancao. Decoct in water and drink one dose daily. For psoriasis (empirical formula) Take 65g of Tufuling, 10g of Mudanpi (Moutan bark), 10g of Taoren (Peach kernel), 15g of Honghua (Safflower), 15g of Jinyinhua, and 15g of Lianqiao (Forsythia). Decoct in water and drink one dose daily.
Daily Consumption
Tu Fu Ling Pork Bone Soup: Take 50–100g of Tu Fu Ling (Smilax Glabra Rhizome) and 500g of pork spine. Crush the pork bones and stew them for about 2 hours to make a broth. Remove the bones and skim off the fat, then add the Tu Fu Ling and continue to decoct until about 2 bowls of liquid remain. Strain and drink. It helps strengthen the spleen, promote diuresis, nourish yin, and benefit the bone marrow. Tu Fu Ling Dampness-Relieving Soup: Take 30–60g of Tu Fu Ling (100–150g if fresh) and add it to a pre-made pork bone soup. Simmer for 30 minutes. When consuming, remove the herb residue and drink the soup. Tu Fu Ling Sweet Soup: Cook Tu Fu Ling together with an appropriate amount of rock sugar. It can be consumed as a daily health beverage.
Medicinal Parts
Dried rhizome.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well-ventilated, dry place. Protect from moisture, mold, and insects.
