This article is a repost with corrections to some errors mentioned by everyone, adding aliases, original plant images, etc. You can reply in the lower left corner to read the original text! If you think it’s good, you can also share it with other classmates. For WeChat classmates who want to see previous content, there is a person icon in the upper right corner of the WeChat dialog box with the medicine circle, click it to view historical messages! The article is based on the practical pharmacist textbook, the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition), “Identification of Common Chinese Medicinal Herbs” and the image database of Chinese medicinal materials from the Hong Kong Baptist University Chinese Medicine Society and other online resources! Below is the content shared today: Huang Lian (COPTIDIS RHIZOMA)
Source
This product is the dried rhizome of the Ranunculaceae plant Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis Franch.), Sanjiao Ye Huang Lian (Coptis deltoidea C.Y.Cheng et Hsiao), or Yun Lian (Coptis teeta Wall.). The three types are commonly known as “Wei Lian”, “Ya Lian”, and “Yun Lian”.
Related Names
Yuan Lian, Wei Lian, Ya Lian, Yun Lian, Ji Zhua Lian, Chuan Lian, Wang Lian, Zhi Lian, Xuan Lian, Gu Lian, Chuan Huang Lian, Emei Lian, Gu Yong Lian
Images
Source: Textbook
Wei Lian
Ya Lian
Yun Lian
Production Areas
Wei Lian is mainly produced in Shizhu County, Chongqing, and Hongya, Emei in Sichuan. It is also produced in Hubei, Shaanxi, and Gansu, mainly cultivated. It is the main source of commercial Huang Lian. Ya Lian is mainly produced in Hongya and Emei, Sichuan, and is cultivated, with very few wild specimens. Yun Lian is mainly produced in Deqin, Yunnan, and southeastern Tibet, originally wild but now cultivated.
Harvesting and Processing
Harvest in autumn, remove the fibrous roots and soil, dry, and remove residual fibrous roots.
Identification of Properties
Herb: Wei Lian
Often clustered, usually curved, resembling chicken feet, single rhizome length 3-6 cm, diameter 0.3-0.8 cm. Surface grayish-yellow or yellow-brown, rough, with irregular nodular protrusions, fibrous roots, and remnants of fibrous roots. Some internodes have a smooth surface like stems, commonly referred to as “crossing the bridge”. The upper part often retains brown scale leaves, and the tip often has remnants of stems or petioles. Hard texture, uneven fracture surface, orange-red or dark brown cortex, fresh yellow or orange-yellow wood, arranged radially, with some hollow pith. Slight aroma, extremely bitter taste.
Ya Lian
Mostly single stems, slightly cylindrical, slightly curved, length 4-8 cm, diameter 0.5-1 cm. “Crossing the bridge” is longer. The tip has a small amount of residual stem.
Yun Lian: Curved and hook-shaped, mostly single stems, relatively small.
Processed slices: Huang Lian slices: Irregular thin slices, outer skin grayish-yellow or yellow-brown, rough, with small fibrous roots. The cut surface or broken surface is fresh yellow or red-yellow, with radial texture, slight aroma, extremely bitter taste.
Wine Huang Lian: Similar to Huang Lian slices, but with a deeper color. Slight wine aroma.
Ginger Huang Lian: Similar to Huang Lian slices, surface brownish-yellow. Has a spicy ginger flavor.
Yu Huang Lian: Similar to Huang Lian slices, surface brownish-yellow. Has a spicy aroma of Wu Zhu Yu.
Nature and Taste
Bitter, cold. Enters the Heart, Liver, Stomach, and Large Intestine meridians.
Characteristics
This product is extremely bitter and cold, clearing and draining while being drying, with strong medicinal properties, primarily entering the Heart and Stomach meridians, also entering the Liver and Large Intestine meridians. Its action is biased towards the Heart and Middle Jiao, effectively clearing Heart and Stomach fire, eliminating damp-heat from the Middle Jiao, making it a key herb for treating damp-heat and fire stagnation.
Functions
Clears heat, dries dampness, drains fire, and detoxifies.
Mnemonic
Huang Lian, stir-fried for clearing heat and drying dampness, raw for draining fire and detoxifying.
A mute person eating Huang Lian cannot express the bitterness; this herb has been known since childhood, so no tricks are needed. As for the three Huang herbs: Huang Qin, Huang Lian, and Huang Bai, it is better to compare them together for easy memorization!
Provided by Caiyun Chasing the Moon 39:
Huang Qin clears upper Jiao fire, Huang Lian clears middle Jiao fire, Huang Bai clears lower Jiao fire.
Provided by qzq200412:
Huang Lian—clears heat, dries dampness, drains fire, detoxifies.
Huang Bai–clears heat, dries dampness, drains fire, eliminates bone steaming.
Huang Qin—clears heat, dries dampness, drains fire, stops bleeding, calms the fetus.
Long Dan Cao–clears heat, dries dampness, drains Liver and Gallbladder fire.
Damp-heat fire toxicity uses Huang Lian, Huang Bai eliminates steaming, Huang Qin calms blood and stabilizes the fetus, Long Dan specializes in draining Liver and Gallbladder fire.
Indications
(1) Damp-heat causing fullness, vomiting, diarrhea, and jaundice.
(2) Febrile diseases with high fever, irritability, delirium, internal heat causing restlessness and insomnia, Stomach fire toothache, and sores on the mouth and tongue.
(3) Liver fire invading the Stomach causing vomiting and acid reflux.
(4) Blood heat causing bleeding, carbuncles, red and swollen eyes, ear canal abscesses, and febrile rashes.
Compatibility
Huang Lian with Mu Xiang
Huang Lian is bitter and cold, functions to clear heat, dry dampness, drain fire, and detoxify; Mu Xiang is acrid and bitter, warm in nature, functions to regulate Stomach Qi stagnation and relieve pain. The combination of these two herbs clears heat, dries dampness, detoxifies, regulates Qi, and relieves pain, treating damp-heat diarrhea, abdominal pain, and tenesmus.
Huang Lian with Wu Zhu Yu
Huang Lian is bitter and cold, functions to clear heat, dry dampness, and drain fire; Wu Zhu Yu is acrid and bitter, warm, functions to dry dampness, soothe the Liver, and descend Qi. The combination of these two herbs clears heat, drains fire, dries dampness, and soothes the Liver and harmonizes the Stomach to control acid, treating Liver fire invading the Stomach and damp-heat obstruction causing vomiting and acid reflux.
Huang Lian with Ban Xia and Gua Lou
Huang Lian is bitter and cold, functions to clear heat, dry dampness, and drain fire; Ban Xia is acrid and warm, functions to dry dampness, transform phlegm, and disperse clumps; Gua Lou is sweet and cold, functions to clear heat, transform phlegm, and relieve Qi stagnation. The combination of these three herbs drains fire, transforms phlegm, and disperses clumps, effectively treating the condition of phlegm-fire obstruction in the chest.
Dosage and Administration
Internal use: decoction, 2-10g; or in pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, ground into powder for application. Raw use is better for draining fire, detoxifying, and drying dampness, clearing the Heart and Large Intestine fire. Stir-fried with wine promotes upward movement of the herb and can moderate its bitter cold nature. Stir-fried with ginger juice or Wu Zhu Yu, it can relieve the bitter cold harm to the Stomach and enhance the effect of descending and stopping vomiting. Wu Zhu Yu processing also treats Liver Qi stagnation transforming into fire.
Precautions
This product is extremely bitter and cold; excessive or prolonged use can easily harm the Spleen and Stomach. Therefore, the internal dosage should not be too large, and long-term use is not advisable. It is contraindicated for those with Stomach cold vomiting or Spleen deficiency diarrhea.
Pharmacology
This product has antipyretic, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, immune-enhancing, anti-tumor, anti-arrhythmic, myocardial ischemia, blood pressure-lowering, gastrointestinal smooth muscle inhibition, anti-ulcer, choleretic, blood sugar-lowering, platelet aggregation inhibition, and central nervous system suppression effects.
The Story of Huang Lian
Once upon a time, on Huangshui Mountain, where the Tujia people lived, there was a doctor named Tao. He had a garden dedicated to growing medicinal herbs, which he used to treat people. Due to his excellent medical skills, people from far and wide came to ask him for treatment. Since Doctor Tao was often out, he hired a helper named Huang to manage the garden.
Doctor Tao’s daughter, Mei Wa, was beautiful, smart, and lively, and her parents cherished her like a precious gem. Mei Wa also loved to plant flowers and herbs, and every morning, her first task was to check on the flowers and herbs in the garden.
One morning in the first month, when the frost had not yet melted and the cold air was biting, Mei Wa went to the garden and saw that the flowers had not bloomed and the grass had not sprouted. She opened the back door and walked along the path up the mountain. Suddenly, she saw a small green flower blooming by the roadside. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, so she dug it up with her fingers, roots and all, and planted it in the garden. The helper saw this wild grass blooming in the cold January and also liked it, watering it every day and fertilizing it monthly. The grass grew more and more lush, and later it produced seeds. The helper scattered the seeds in the garden, and the next year, more green flowers bloomed in the garden.
Unexpectedly, Mei Wa fell ill with a strange disease, feeling hot all over, vomiting, and having diarrhea. In just three days, she became skin and bones. Doctor Tao was away treating patients, so Mei Wa’s mother had to invite another local doctor to treat her. This doctor was a friend of Doctor Tao and was very careful in his diagnosis. However, after taking three doses of medicine, there was no improvement; her stomach was getting worse, and she even started to bleed. Her mother stayed by her side all day, worried sick, unable to eat or sleep, and cried whenever she thought of her daughter’s illness.
The helper saw this and was very anxious. What to do? Suddenly, he remembered that green flower. Last month, he had a sore throat and accidentally chewed a leaf, which was extremely bitter, but after an hour, his throat pain had actually lessened. He thought, could this flower be used as medicine for Mei Wa’s illness? He decided to give it a try. He pulled up a whole plant with roots and leaves, boiled it into a bowl of water, and when Mei Wa’s mother went to cook, he gave it to Mei Wa to drink. To his surprise, after drinking it in the morning, she felt much better in the afternoon; after two more doses, she was completely healed. When Doctor Tao returned and learned what had happened, he was very moved and repeatedly thanked the helper, saying, “Mei Wa suffered from damp-heat in the intestines and stomach; only a medicine that clears heat and dries dampness can cure her. This little green flower seems to have the effect of clearing heat and drying dampness!”
Because this helper’s surname was Huang and his name was Lian, in gratitude, this medicinal material was named Huang Lian.
