Plantain Seed
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Herbs for Inducing Diuresis and Excreting Dampness
Plantain Seed
Latin:
Semen Plantaginis
Origin:
The ripe seed of Plantago asiatica L. (Asiatic plantain) or Plantago depressa Willd. (depressed plantain), a perennial herb, of the family Plantaginaceae. Native to east Asia, the plant is grown in the woods and waste ground in lowland and mountains in China, Japan and Korea, and naturalized in Europe, North and South America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
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The plant grows to about 0.5 m by 0.3 m. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by wind. The plant can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.
In China, the former is distributed everywhere in the mainland, while the latter is distributed in all the provinces of the north. This herb is mainly produced in Heilongjiang, Liaoning, Hebei, etc.
Reaped in summer and autumn when the seed ripens, the herb is used when raw or after frying in brine.
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Properties:
Sweet in flavor, cold in nature, it is related to the liver, kidney and lung channels.
Functions:
Induces diuresis and cures strangury (slow and painful spasmodic discharge of urine), removes dampness and arrests diarrhea, clears heat from the liver and improves the vision as well as clears heat from the lungs and resolves phlegm.
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Applications:
1. To treat edema and strangury:
This herb is often used together with herbs that clear away heat and induce diuresis, such as fiveleaf akebia stem (Caulis Akebiae), talcum, armstrong (Herba Polygoni Avicularis), etc., e.g., Bazheng San.
2. To treat diarrhea due to Summer-heat and dampness:
This herb can be ground alone into powder and taken orally with rice water or used together with largehead atractylodes rhizome (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), tuckahoe (Poria Cocos), oriental water plantain rhizome (Rhizoma Alismatis), etc.
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3. To treat conjunctivitis, blurred vision, nebula, etc.:
a) Conjunctivitis:
This herb is mostly used together with chrysanthemum, wolfberry fruits, cassia seed, mulberry leaves, etc.
b) Blurred vision or internal oculopathy due to yin deficiency of the liver and kidneys:
This herb must be used in combination with herbs that nourish the liver and improve the vision, such as prepared rehmannia, Chinese dodder seed (Semen Cuscutae), etc., e.g., Zhujing Wan.
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4. To treat coughing due to phlegm-heat:
This herb is mostly used with herbs that clear heat from the lungs and resolve phlegm, such as Mongolian snakegourd (Fructus Trichosanthis), fritillary bulb (Bulbus Fritillariae Thunbergii), loquat leaves, etc.
5. To treat hypertension:
This herb is decocted for drinking instead of tea.
Dosage and Administration:
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5-10 g.
Decoct this herb for oral administration and it should be packed in cloth for decoction.
Cautions on Use:
Reference Materials:
'Shen Nong's Herbal Classic' :
"Removing retention of qi, killing pain, inducing diuresis and relieving damp arthralgia."
, 百拇医药 'Other Medical Records of Famous Physicians' :
"To treat impairment of man's spleen and stomach, woman's strangury with dribbling urine, poor appetite and conjunctivitis by nourishing the lungs, reinforcing yin, replenishing vital essence, promoting pregnancy and improving vision."
'The Compendium of Materia Medica' :
"Clearing heat from the small intestine and arresting diarrhea due to summer-heat and dampness."
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Toxic or Side Effects:
Modern Researches:
Plantain seed mostly contains phlegm, succinic acid, plantenol, adenine, choline, plantaginin, fatty oil, vitamins A and B, etc.
It contains up to 30% mucilage which swells up in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes. Sometimes the seedhusks are used without the seeds.
, 百拇医药
This herb has an obvious diuretic effect. It can also promote the secretion of mucus in the respiratory tract and dilute phlegm, so it has an expectorant effect.
This herb can inhibit various types of bacilli and staphylococci.
The leaves are also used for similar purposes as the seeds, though they are considered to be less powerful than the seeds. The leaves can be harvested at any time in the growing season, and are used fresh or dried., http://www.100md.com