Rhizoma Panacis Japonici
Aliases：Zhú Jié Sān Qī (literally "Bamboo‑joint Sanqi"), Zhú Jié Rén Shēn (literally "Bamboo‑joint Ginseng"), Bái Sān Qī (literally "White Sanqi"), Míng Qī (literally "Bright Seven"), Qī Yè Zi (literally "Seven Leaves"), Wú Gōng Qī (literally "Centipede Seven"), Luó Bo Qī (literally "Radish Seven"), Tǔ Shēn (literally "Earth Ginseng"), Zhú Gēn Qī (literally "Bamboo Root Seven"), Yě Sān Qī (literally "Wild Sanqi"), Xuè Shēn (literally "Blood Ginseng"), Zhú Jié Qī (literally "Bamboo‑joint Seven"), Dà Zhú Gēn Qī (literally "Large Bamboo Root Seven"), Luó Hàn Sān Qī (literally "Arhat Sanqi"), Shuǐ Sān Qī (literally "Water Sanqi"), Tián Qī (literally "Sweet Seven"), etc. (These are all alternative names for Zhú Jié Shēn, i.e., Japanese Ginseng / Panax japonicus.)
Zhú Jié Shēn (Zhujieshen) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the dried rhizome of Panax japonicus C. A. Mey., a plant belonging to the family Araliaceae. As it possesses both the tonic effects of Ginseng and the blood‑activating effects of Sanqi (Notoginseng), it is commonly used as an ethnic medicine for traumatic injuries, arthritis, and consumptive diseases with qi deficiency and blood stasis syndrome. It grows in damp places in alpine thickets or beside rocky ravines.
Efficacy & Actions
Disperses stasis and stops bleeding, reduces swelling and relieves pain, eliminates phlegm and relieves cough, tonifies deficiency and strengthens the body.
Indications
Consumptive cough with hemoptysis, traumatic injuries, cough with excessive phlegm, and weakness after illness. It is also used for hematemesis, epistaxis, hematochezia, hematuria, retrograde menstruation, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, irregular menstruation, rheumatic arthralgia, and other conditions.
Modern Pharmacology
Antioxidant effect, antitumor effect, hepatoprotective effect, cardioprotective effect, lipid‑lowering effect, anti‑fatigue effect, immunoenhancing effect, anti‑inflammatory effect, immunomodulatory effect, anti‑aging effect, and anti‑myocardial ischemia effect.
Ingredients
The chemical constituents of Zhú Jié Shēn are mainly triterpenoid saponins, among which oleanolic acid‑type saponins are the most abundant.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: Decoction: 6–9 g; or 3–10 g. Made into pills or powders. Steeped in wine for oral use. For topical application: appropriate amount, ground into powder and sprinkled on, or mixed with a suitable base for application.
Contraindications
Contraindicated during pregnancy. Not suitable for those without deficiency or stasis. Contraindicated in patients with excess or heat syndromes. Dosage should not be excessive.
Selected Formulas
For post-illness debility (empirical formula) Take 15g of Zhujie Renshen (Panax japonicus), stew with meat and eat, or decoct in water and drink. For consumptive cough (empirical formula) Take 15g of Zhujie Renshen, decoct in water and drink as tea. For hematemesis (empirical formula) Take 9g of Zhujie Renshen, 6g of Maidong (Ophiopogon japonicus), and 9g of Simaogen (a local herb). Decoct in water and drink. For traumatic pain (empirical formula) Take 15g of Zhujie Renshen, crush it, and take with warm wine. It may also be ground with wine and applied externally. For vicarious menstruation and functional uterine bleeding (empirical formula) Take Zhujie Renshen, grind into powder. Take 1.5-3g each time, decoct in water and drink. For generalized sinew and bone pain (empirical formula) Take 30g of Zhujie Renshen and 3g of Xixin (Asarum sieboldii). Decoct in water, add a little wine, and take.
Medicinal Parts
It is the dried rhizome of Panax japonicus C. A. Mey., a plant belonging to the family Araliaceae.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well‑ventilated, dry place, protected from insects.
