Root of Hookhair Gerbera
Aliases：Dà Huǒ Cǎo (Great Fire Grass), Niú ěr Duo Huǒ Cǎo (Ox-ear Fire Grass), Bái Yè Bù Fān (White Leaf Not Turning), Xiǎo Yī Zhī Jiàn (Small Single Arrow), Bái Tóu Wēng (Old Man’s Beard) (Note: This is different from Pulsatilla chinensis, which also shares the same Chinese name).
Bái Dì Zǐ Wǎn is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried root of Gerbera delavayi Franch. [also known as Gerbera barbellata or Leibnitzia], a plant belonging to the genus Gerbera of the family Asteraceae. This plant is a perennial herb, 15–30 cm tall, with numerous slender, fibrous roots. The leaves are basal, elliptic-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 5–12 cm long and 2–4 cm wide, green on the upper surface and densely covered with greyish-white woolly hairs on the lower surface. The capitulum is solitary at the top of the scape; the flowers are white to pinkish, later turning pale reddish-purple. Bái Dì Zǐ Wǎn was first recorded in Kunming Folk Commonly Used Herbal Medicine.
Efficacy & Actions
Clears heat, promotes diuresis, regulates Qi, resolves phlegm, disperses food stagnation, and kills parasites.
Indications
Indicated for dysentery, stomach pain, common cold with cough, wheezing with profuse phlegm, indigestion, ascariasis (roundworm infestation), and tonsillitis. For external use, it can stop bleeding.
Modern Pharmacology
Currently, specific modern pharmacological research on Bái Dì Zǐ Wǎn (Hookhair Gerbera root) is relatively limited. Animal studies on a similar species in the same genus (Dà Huǒ Cǎo, Gerbera sp.) have shown good efficacy in eliminating prostatic inflammatory edema and improving the permeability of the prostatic membrane, as well as promoting urinary flow. The genus Gerbera (related to Aster) contains triterpenoid saponins and other components with antitumor, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory activities.
Ingredients
Research on the chemical constituents of Bái Dì Zǐ Wǎn is limited. Plants of the genus Aster (to which it belongs) mainly contain triterpenoid saponins, as well as other terpenoids, peptides, coumarins, sterols, and other components. A related species, Gerbera jamesonii (African daisy), contains flavonoids such as apigenin, kaempferol, and quercetin.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: decoct in water, 15–30 g (0.5–1 liang). For external use: apply an appropriate amount, grind into powder and sprinkle over the affected area.
Contraindications
Contraindicated during pregnancy.
Medicinal Parts
Dried root.
Selection & Storage
Store in a ventilated, dry place, protected from moisture.
