Pinelliae Rhizoma
Aliases：Shuǐ Yù, Dì Wén, Hé Gū, Shǒu Tián, Shì Gū, Yáng Yǎn Bàn Xià, Dì Zhū Bàn Xià, Má Yù Guǒ, Sān Bù Tiào, Fàn Shí Zǐ, Lǎo Hé Shàng Tóu, Lǎo Guā Tóu, Dì Bā Dòu, Wú Xīn Cài Gēn, Lǎo Guā Yǎn, Dì Léi Gōng, Gǒu Yù Tóu; also known as Bàn Yuè Lián, Dì Bā Dòu, Lǎo Yā Yù Tóu, and others.
Bàn Xià is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried tuber of Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Breit., a plant belonging to the genus Pinellia of the family Araceae. The tuber is subglobose in shape, sometimes slightly oblique, 0.7–1.6 cm in diameter, with a white or pale yellow surface. It has a depressed stem scar at the apex, surrounded by dense root scars. It is firm in texture, with a white, starchy cross-section. It has a faint odor and a pungent, numbing, and throat-irritating taste. The name “Bàn Xià” (literally “Half Summer”) derives from its growth characteristics—it is harvested in the fifth lunar month (around the summer solstice), when summer is half over, hence the name “Bàn Xià.” It was first recorded in Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer‘s Materia Medica).
Efficacy & Actions
Dries dampness and resolves phlegm; descends counterflow and stops vomiting; disperses glomus and dissipates nodules.
Indications
Indicated for damp-phlegm and cold-phlegm patterns, cough and wheezing with profuse phlegm, phlegm-fluid with dizziness and palpitations, wind-phlegm vertigo, phlegm syncope headache, vomiting and nausea, chest and epigastric fullness and oppression, and plum-pit Qi (globus hystericus). For external use, it treats carbuncles, swellings, and phlegm nodules.
Modern Pharmacology
Modern research has demonstrated that Bàn Xià possesses antitussive, expectorant, antiemetic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, sedative, and hypnotic effects. A total of 212 compounds have been isolated and identified from Bàn Xià, covering a wide range of types including alkaloids, volatile oils, amino acids, organic acids, flavonoids, ceramides, and phenylpropanoids. Studies have also found that Bàn Xià exhibits significant antitumor, anti-asthmatic, gastric mucosal barrier-enhancing, and antidiarrheal effects, with mechanisms possibly related to the regulation of inflammatory pathways and the induction of tumor cell apoptosis. In addition, Bàn Xià and its active components (β-sitosterol, baicalin, baicalein, and quercetin) have also shown significant effects in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Ingredients
Bàn Xià mainly contains organic acids, alkaloids, volatile oils, amino acids, sterols, and other active components. It also contains flavonoids, ceramides, and phenylpropanoids. Studies suggest that ephedrine, trigonelline, guanosine, adenosine, uridine, inosine, uracil, calcium oxalate, succinic acid, and adenine may serve as potential quality markers (Q-Markers) for Bàn Xià.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: decoct in water, generally after processing, 3–9 g; or make into pills or powders. For external use: apply an appropriate amount, either grind into juice for application or grind into powder and mix with wine for topical application to the affected area.
Contraindications
Should not be used together with Aconitum carmichaelii (Chuan Wu), processed Chuan Wu, Aconitum kusnezoffii (Cao Wu), processed Cao Wu, or Aconite (Fu Zi) — this is one of the "Eighteen Incompatibilities". Contraindicated in cases of Yin deficiency with dry cough, thirst due to fluid depletion, bleeding disorders, and dry-phlegm patterns. Use with caution during pregnancy. Use with caution in patients with abnormal liver function. Should not be used concomitantly with M-cholinoceptor blockers such as atropine; when combined with sedatives, the dosage should not be excessive. The raw product should be used with caution for internal administration. Improper use may cause poisoning, manifesting as itching, pain, and numbness of the mouth, tongue, and throat, hoarseness, slurred speech, salivation, nausea, and vomiting.
Selected Formulas
For damp-phlegm cough with profuse white sputum (Taiping Huimin Heji Ju Fang, Erchen Tang) Take Banxia (Pinellia) together with Chenpi (Tangerine peel), Fuling (Poria), and Gancao (Licorice). Decoct in water and drink. For globus hystericus (sensation of a foreign body in the throat) (Jin Gui Yao Lue, Banxia Houpo Tang) Take Banxia with Houpo (Magnolia bark), Zisu (Perilla), and Fuling. Decoct in water and drink. For gastritis due to liver-spleen disharmony (empirical formula) Take 60g of vinegar-processed Banxia, 10g each of Shanyao (Chinese yam) and Jineijin (Chicken gizzard lining), and 40g of Zhebeimu (Fritillaria thunbergii). Grind into powder. Take 3g each time, three times daily. For diarrhea due to food injury (empirical formula) Take 10g each of Banxia, Muxiang (Costus root), Chenpi, and Shenqu (Medicated leaven), plus 5g each of Huanglian (Coptis) and Gancao. Decoct in water and drink as tea.
Daily Consumption
As Bàn Xià is toxic, its daily dietary use should be conducted under the guidance of a physician, and only processed products should be used. The recommended dosage for processed products is 3–9 g. Spleen-strengthening and Dampness-resolving Soup: Bàn Xià 15 g, Coix Seed 50 g, Lily 10 g, and rock sugar to taste. Add water and cook for 30 minutes. Anti-emetic Congee: Bàn Xià 6 g, Chinese Yam 30 g, and rice 50 g. Decoct Bàn Xià in water, strain to remove the residue, use the liquid to cook congee with the rice, and add Chinese Yam powder at the end.
Medicinal Parts
Dried tuber.
Selection & Storage
Store in a ventilated, dry place. Protect from insects and moisture.
