Fang Ji

This product is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, and "Shennong's Materia Medica" is listed as a Medium quality product. There are two categories of goods: Fen Fang Ji (“Fen” meaning “powder”) and Guang Fang Ji (“Guang” represents coming from “Guangdong”).

1. Fen Fang Ji (Radix Stephaniae Tetrandrae)

Alias: Han Fang Ji.

Source: Dried roots of Stephania tetrandra S. Moore for the perennial winding vine of the family Stephania tetrandra S. Moore.

Place of origin: Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and other places. All wild.

Trait identification: the root is cylindrical or semi-cylindrical, the two ends of the potato shape are tapered, it is bent and not straight, and the shape is similar to the large intestine of pigs. It is about 5~15cm long, 1.5~5cm in diameter, and brown or tan if it is not peeled. The skin is fine, and some have thin root marks and transversely protruding skin holes. Strip the outer skin white or off-whitish, semi-cylindrical longitudinal section white or off-whitish. The quality is solid, the section is powdery, there are light yellow-green vascular bundles, and it is intermittent radial. Bitter taste. It is better to have solid quality and enough powder.

Main ingredients: Contains a variety of biological alkalis, mainly Tetrandrine, Demethyl tetrandrine.

Pharmacological effect: dilution of water and dampness and pain relief, the principle of which is,

(1)Analgesic: its decoction and flow extract have a certain analgesic effect, but the analgesic effect is weakened after the dose is increased.

(2)Antipyretic: the effect is mild and weak.

(3)Anti-inflammatory: It has a certain degree of anti-inflammatory effect on experimental arthritis in rats.

(4)Muscle relaxation: Animal experiments have confirmed that there is a certain muscle relaxation effect. It can be used as a muscle relaxant to assist anesthesia.

(5)Diuretic: The effect is obvious, which can increase urine output by 47%.

  In addition, animal experiments have also observed anti-anaphylactic shock and blood pressure-lowering effects. In vitro test has antibacterial effect on dysentery bacillus.

Clinical application

It is basically the same as Guang Fang Ji, but it is customary to believe that the function of Guang Fang Ji is mainly to dispel wind and dampness, and Han Fang Ji is mainly to promote removal of water infiltration and dampness. Han Fang Ji can be paired with Fu Ling, Gui Zhi, etc., can treat general frailty edema, athlete's foot edema, such as used in formula “Fangji Fu Ling Tang”. It can be used to treat rheumatism, Guangfangji and Hanfangji.

  In recent years, the total bioalkali has also been used as a muscle relaxant during surgical anesthesia.

  In addition, Han Fang Hexamine (also known as Han Fang Hexamine) has been purified and produced, and is available in tablets and injections for use as analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs. It is used to treat joint rheumatic pain, neuralgia, etc., and is used to treat hypertension, and it also has a certain curative effect.

[Attached] Regarding medicinal materials of the Fang Ji type, the most commonly used in China is Guang Fang Ji and Han Fang Ji. However, it should be noted that Japan has Sinomenium acutum (Thunb.) Rehd. et Wils. It is also called Han Fangji, but it is actually slightly different from what we call Han Fangji (i.e., those mentioned in this article) in China, and should be distinguished.

Dosage: 6g-15g.

Prescription example

• Fang Ji Fu Ling Tang ( from "Jin Kui Yao lue"): Han Fang Ji 15g, Fu Ling 15g, Huang Qi 15g, Gui Zhi 6g, Zhi Fan Cao 3g, decoction in water.

2. Guang Fang Ji (Radix Aristolochiae Fangji)

Alias: Mu Fang Ji, Shui Fang Ji.

Source: Dried roots of Aristolochia fangchi Wu, a perennial vine of the Aristolochiaceae family. Wild.

Place of Origin: Guangdong, Guangxi.

Trait identification: the root is cylindrical or split into two and four petals, slightly curved. It is mostly 5~15cm segment. The diameter is about 3~5cm. Those who have not removed the epidermis are of Brown or tan color. The skin is coarse. The cork skin is slightly thicker with irregular longitudinal ridges, longitudinal grooves or transverse fractures. The epidermis is grayish-brown or white with grayish-brown spots. The longitudinal section of the semicylindrical shape is white or yellowish-white, and longitudinal flaky hazel vascular bundles are visible. Hard. The section is white-like, with most light brown vascular bundles arranged radially, such as wheels. Bitter taste. It is considered better quality to have a large strip, split it in half, and show powdery innards.

Main ingredients: aristolochic acid, magnolline and allantoin, etc.

Pharmacological effects: dispelling wind, dampness and clearing heat, and its effects have been confirmed to be analgesic and diuretic.

Preparation: Sliced raw use.

Taste: bitter, pungent, cold.

Returning to the meridian: into the bladder meridian.

Function: diluting water and clearing heat (Han Fang Ji is considered better for this role), dispelling wind and relieving pain (Fuang Fang Ji is considered better for this role).

Indications: edema, athlete's foot, rheumatism, paralysis, dampness, heat, sores.

Clinical application

(1)It is used to treat edema, swollen pulses, weight, shortness of breath, or wheezing (e.g., due to heart failure). It can also treat pleural effusion, often with Dang Shen, Gui Zhi, etc., such as Mu Fang Ji Tang.

(2)It is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, and it has analgesic effect. It is especially suitable for those who show dampness and warm-up pain (thirst, upset, yellow and greasy tongue, and slippery pulse), and it is commonly used with Can Sha, Wei Ling Xian, Qin Jiao, Yi Yi Ren, etc., to strengthen the effect of dispelling wind, clearing heat and dampness.

  If it is an acute attack of rheumatoid arthritis, there is both surface deficiency (sweating, bad wind, pulse floating) and internal deficiency (loss of appetite, palpitations, dizziness, tiredness, pale moss), it is necessary to take tonic herbs such as Huang Qi and Bai Zhi such as in Fang Ji Huang Qi Tang formula. If it is heat paralysis (joint redness, swelling, pain and heat are more obvious, fever and thirst are also worse), it can be matched with Zhi Mu, Huang Bai, and Niu Xi.

Precautions for use: If you have yin deficiency and self-sweating, bitter mouth and dry throat and night sweats, you should use it with caution to prevent yourself, because taking too much may hurt yin.

Dosage: 4.5~15g.

Prescription examples

(1)Mu Fangji Tang (from "Qianjin Fang"): Mu Fang Ji 12g, Dang Shen 12g, Gui Zhi 6g, Sheng Shi Gao 18g (cooked first), decoction in water.

(2)Fang Ji Huang Qi Tang (from "Jin Kui Yao Lue"): Fang Ji 12g, Huang Qi 12g, Bai Zhu 6g, Sheng Jiang 3 slices, Da Zao 4 pieces, decoction in water.

Annotations:

1. In addition to the above two kinds of Fang Ji use, there is also Hanzhong Fang Ji, which is used in Liaoning, Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Guizhou and other places.

   Source: The dried roots of the climbing semi-shrub plant of the Aristolochiaceae family. Wild.

   Origin: Shaanxi, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou.

   Trait identification: the root is cylindrical and curved. Cut more segments about 8~15cm long and 2~3cm in diameter. It is usually shaved off and has a light brownish-yellow color, which is relatively flat. The quality is solid and not easy to break. The section is yellowish-white, starchy, the skin is thick, and a radial duct group can be seen in the wood, and the duct group is mostly united into a bundle in the central direction, and bifid or trifid bifidus is bifid or trifid outward. The smell is slightly fragrant, and the taste is bitter and astringent.

2. The varieties are complex and come from a variety of plants. Among them, the three traits are Fen Fang Ji from Tianjin; Han Fang Ji from Beijing; Aristolochiaceae Fang Ji called Guang Fang Ji, Hanzhong Fang Ji and Tian Jin Fang Ji are similar, and are collectively known as Guang Fang Ji or Mu Fang Ji. Though all of the above are considered under Fang Ji.

3. In addition, there are individual areas: such as Xuchang, Lushan, Henan, and Sichuan, which use the stems and roots of the green vine of the family Fangji, called Mu Fang Ji. For example, in Gansu and Sichuan, the root of the bat kudzu of the family is used, and it is called Tu Fang Ji or Han Fang Ji. Yunnan uses the root of Aristolochia Kemuping Aristolochia called Li Fang Ji. Hunan uses the canes of Kehua and call it Hunan Fang Ji. ...... Beijing and Tianjin produced Fang Ji are not used in those areas.

4. According to the "Famous Doctors' Catalogue" 《名医别录》, the Hanzhong River Valley Fang Ji should be the Aristolochia Kehanzhong.

5. Under the microscope of powder, no calcium oxalate clusters were checked, and the color of concentrated sulfuric acid remained unchanged. Guang Fang Ji powder was examined under the microscope to have stone cells, calcium oxalate cluster crystals, and when added concentrated sulfuric acid it turns yellow. Hanzhong Fangji powder examines show no stone cells under a microscope.

Disclaimer: All above articles are for reference only. If patients are interested, please consult a professional practitioner Traditional Chinese Medicine for a consultation.