Descurainiae Semen、Lepidii Semen
Aliases：Dīng Lì (Dingli Seed); Dà Shì (Great Adaptability); Dà Shì (Great Chamber); Là Jiāo Cài (Chili Pepper Vegetable); Méi Máo Hāo (Eyebrow Wormwood); Pó Pó Hāo (Old Lady Wormwood); Mǐ Mǐ Hāo (Rice Grain Wormwood); Là Má Má Zǐ (Spicy Hemp Seed).
Tíng Lì Zǐ (Tinglizi / Semen Lepidii seu Descurainiae) is a Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried ripe seed of Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb. ex Prantl. or Lepidium apetalum Willd., plants of the Brassicaceae family. The former is commonly known as “Nán Tíng Lì Zǐ” (Southern Tinglizi), and the latter as “Běi Tíng Lì Zǐ” (Northern Tinglizi).
Efficacy & Actions
Drains the lung, relieves wheezing, promotes diuresis, and reduces edema.
Indications
Used for phlegm-rheum congesting the lung, cough and wheezing with profuse sputum, chest and hypochondriac distension and fullness, inability to lie flat, thoracic and abdominal edema, and difficult urination. It may also be used for upper respiratory tract infections, lobar pneumonia, exudative pleurisy, congestive heart failure, and cor pulmonale with patterns of phlegm-rheum congesting the lung.
Modern Pharmacology
Improvement of cardiovascular function: Exhibits cardiotonic effects and can be used in the treatment of heart failure. Studies have shown that it can ameliorate cardiomyocyte injury. Antitussive, expectorant, and antiasthmatic effects: Exhibits significant antitussive, expectorant, and antiasthmatic effects. Diuretic effect: Exhibits diuretic effects. Antitumor effect: Exhibits antitumor activity. Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects: Exhibits anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. Estrogen-like effect.
Ingredients
It contains various chemical components, including cardiac glycosides, glucosinolates and isothiocyanates, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, organic acids, fatty oils, and others.
Usage & Dosage
Oral Administration: Decoction, 3–10g, should be wrapped in a cloth for decoction. For promoting diuresis and reducing edema, use it raw; for treating phlegm-rheum cough and wheezing, use it stir-fried. Topical Application: Appropriate amount, decocted in water for washing, or ground into powder and mixed for external application.
Contraindications
Use with caution in patients with lung-deficiency cough and wheezing, spleen-deficiency edema and distension, and kidney-deficiency edema. Should not be taken for a prolonged period. Becomes sticky when wet; should not be washed with water.
Selected Formulas
For lung abscess with dyspnea and inability to lie flat (Jin Gui Yao Lue, Tingli Dazao Xiefei Tang) Take one Tinglizi (Lepidium seed, fried until yellow, crushed into a pill the size of a bullet) and 12 Dazao (red dates). First, boil the dates in 3 sheng of water until 2 sheng remains, remove the dates, add the Tingli pill, and decoct until 1 sheng remains. Take in one dose. For abdominal fullness with dry mouth and tongue, and fluid retention between the intestines (Jin Gui Yao Lue, Jijiao Lihuang Wan) Take 1 liang each of Fangji (Stephania root), Jiaomu (Zanthoxylum seed), Tingli (fried), and Dahuang (Rhubarb). Make into honey pills the size of waxberry seeds. Take one pill each time, three times daily. For sudden ascites (Buque Zhouhou Fang) Take 1 liang of Tinglizi and 20 pieces of Xingren (Apricot seed). Fry until yellow, crush, and divide into 10 doses. For scrofulous nodules (Taiping Shenghui Fang) Take 2 he of Tinglizi and 0.5 jin of Douchi (fermented soybean). Crush together into a cake, warm over a fire, and apply to the affected area.
Daily Consumption
It is generally not used in daily dietary therapy; it should be used under the guidance of a physician, with a standard dosage of 3–10g.
Medicinal Parts
贮于干燥容器内，密闭，置阴凉通风干燥处，防蛀。
Selection & Storage
Store in a dry, airtight container in a cool, well-ventilated, dry place, protected from insects.
