In the Year of the Dragon, the dragon travels the world. Although the dragon is a fictional animal of the ancients, it has become a profound symbol of Chinese culture, reflecting the diversity and richness of culture. In the world of traditional Chinese medicine, of course, the representative medicinal materials of dragons are also indispensable. In addition to the keel, dragon teeth, longan and other medicinal materials introduced in the previous issue, today An An will bring you a few more flavors of traditional Chinese medicine named after the dragon.
Ambergris
Ambergris is a foreign medicine, legend has it that the dragon's saliva is condensed, and it is actually a morbid secretion of sperm whales, which is mostly found in coastal areas, mainly concentrated in the Arabian Sea and African coasts. The main effects of ambergris are phlegm and cough, qi and blood, dispersion and pain relief, and water dilution. Ambergris has a unique sweet and earthy fragrance, and has been a high-grade spice since ancient times, and agarwood, sandalwood, and musk are called the "four famous fragrances", which are precious and abnormal. The main feature is that it has the function of gathering incense, knotting but not dispersing, and can converge and gather qi, although after decades, the fragrance is still there. "If you float in the water, the fish gather, and the lavender will not be inexhaustible."
Nightshade
Nightshade, also known as nightshade, black sky, flying dragon, etc., is the above-ground dry part of the nightshade plant, and it is better to be dry, green in color, and fat and tender in medicine. It was first published in the "Treatise on Medicinal Properties" and "New Revision of Materia Medica": "The food relieves fatigue and sleeps less, and the deficiency heat and swelling are removed, and its son is used to treat boils." ”
Nightshade is cold, bitter in taste, has a small poison, returns to the bladder meridian, has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, invigorating blood, diuretic, reducing swelling, etc., and is often used in tumors, bruises, sprains, boils, etc., and is widely used in hospital preparations and folk traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, with high medicinal value and development prospects.
Modern studies have shown that it mainly contains chemical components such as alkaloids, steroidal saponins, lignans, flavonoids, etc., and has pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and regulation of the central nervous system. The alkaloids and polysaccharides of Solanum syllabus are the main active components of anti-tumor, which have a certain inhibitory effect on the proliferation of tumor cells.
Dragon's blood is exhausted
Dragon's blood is the resin extracted from the fat-bearing wood of the lily plant Dracaena sinensis, which is mainly produced in Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan and other places in China, and has the reputation of "holy medicine" for blood circulation and stasis. In foreign countries, blood exhaustion is distributed in Java, Borneo, Sumatra and other places in Indonesia, and is the resin extract exuded from the fruit of the palm plant unicorn exhaustion, also known as unicorn exhaustion. Clinically necessary blood exhaustion needs to be imported from abroad. In 1972, Chinese scientists found a rich alternative resource plant for blood exhaustion in Xishuangbanna area, the sword leaf dracaena, and made a domestic blood exhaustion, called dragon blood exhaustion, ending the history of China's blood exhaustion relying on imports.
Dragon's blood exhaustion can not only invigorate blood and disperse blood stasis and relieve pain, but also cure blood stasis; It can also dissolve stasis and converge to stop bleeding, and treat traumatic bleeding; It can also build muscle and reduce swelling and sores, treat sores and ulcers, and often enter pills. For example, the seven centimeters composed of blood exhaustion, frankincense, myrrh, etc., are composed of dragon blood exhaustion, three.
7. Compound dragon blood exhaustion capsule composed of borneol compatibility, etc. Modern studies have shown that the chemical composition and pharmacological effects of dragon blood exhaustion are close to those of imported blood exhaustion, and its main components are flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, saponins, sterols, lignans and stilbene substances, etc., which have pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, radiation-proof, anti-fibrotic, antibacterial, wound healing and central nervous system protection.
Sea Dragon
Sea dragon is a precious tonic Chinese medicinal material in China, named because of the shape of "dragon", mainly produced in Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Shandong and other coastal areas. The Chinese Pharmacopoeia lists the sea dragon as the dried body of the sea dragon family Diao Hailong, Pseudo sea dragon or sharp sea dragon. Folk medicines also include the Rough-snouted Sea Dragon, the Baojia Sea Dragon, and the Gong's Stem and Jaw Sea Dragon.
Hailong was first published in the "Compendium of Materia Medica", which is warm in nature, sweet in taste, has the effect of warming the kidneys and aphrodisiac, dispersing knots and reducing swelling, and is used for kidney yang deficiency, impotence and spermatozoa, accumulation of sputum nucleus, sputum nucleus, fall injury, and external treatment of carbuncle and boils. Hailong is rich in many bioactive components, including steroid compounds, proteins, essential amino acids, trace elements zinc, manganese, copper, etc., which have the effects of warming the kidneys and aphrodisiac, delaying aging, anti-tumor, enhancing immunity, strengthening myocardial contractility, alleviating osteoporosis, lowering cholesterol, and ** Alzheimer's disease (Alzheimer's disease).
Pangolin
Panshansaurus is the dried rhizome of the dioscaceae plant, also known as Panya, ground keel, piercing keel, etc., which is mainly distributed in Northeast China, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, Henan and other places. In modern times, it has been used as an important industrial raw material for steroid hormone drugs and anti-coronary heart disease saponins.
Panshanlong is sweet, bitter, warm, returns to the liver, kidney, lung meridians, has the effect of dispelling wind and dampness, relaxing tendons and channels, invigorating blood and relieving pain, relieving cough and asthma, and is used for rheumatism, joint swelling, pain and numbness, fall injury, cough and asthma. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that its total saponins have a variety of pharmacological effects such as regulating immunity, improving cardiovascular function, expectorant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Folk are mostly used for soaking wine or decoction, ** bifurcation and flashing waist, senile low back and leg pain, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases.
Conclusion
The dragon is not only the spiritual sustenance of people in ancient times, but also an indispensable element in the development of traditional Chinese medicine culture. Traditional Chinese medicine named after the dragon will absorb the essence of dragon culture and inherit the treasures of traditional Chinese medicine, which will surely benefit the health of the people.
References:
1.Liu Chenwang, Li Xin, Dan Lin Wei, et al. Research progress on chemical composition, pharmacological effects and clinical application of Solanum sylvanella[J].Modern Chinese Medicine,2023,43(4):105-117
2.Lin Yilong, Wen Yilei, Huang Hong, et al. Research progress on chemical composition and pharmacological effects of dragon's blood exhaustion[J].Chinese Ethnic Folk Medicine,2020,29(6):50-55
3.Liu Dong, Zhang Hongyin, Bao Yue, et al. Research progress on pharmacological effects of sea dragons[J].Jilin Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2015,35(10):1040-1042
4.Fang Fang, Gu Yuanyuan, Guo Yuyan, et al. Pharmacology and clinical research of Pangolon[J].Journal of Changchun University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,2018,34(3):450-452