dandelion

　　Dandelion is the dried whole grass of Taraxacum mongolicum Hand.-Mazz., T. sinicum Kitag., or several species of the same genus. Distributed throughout the country. Excavate the flowers when they first bloom in summer to autumn, remove impurities, wash, cut into sections and dry in the sun. Use fresh or raw.

　　[Medical properties] Bitter, sweet, cold. Returns to the liver and stomach meridians.

　　[Efficacy] Clear away heat and detoxify, reduce swelling and dissipate stagnation, relieve dampness and relieve stranguria.

　　【application】

　　1. Carbuncle is swollen and poisonous, and carbuncle is inside the breast. This product is bitter and cold. It can clear away fire-heat poisonous evils and release stagnant qi. Therefore, it is a good product for clearing away heat and detoxifying, eliminating carbuncle and dissipating stagnation. It is mainly used to treat various syndromes of internal and external heat, poison, sores and carbuncle. It can also relieve stagnation and release milk, so it is an important medicine for the treatment of mastitis. For the treatment of swelling and pain of breast abscess, this product can be taken orally alone with a thick decoction; or the fresh product can be pounded into juice and taken orally, and the residue can be applied to the affected area; it can also be used together with Trichosanthes trichosanthes, honeysuckle, burdock fruit and other medicines; for treating swelling and pain due to boils, it is often combined with wild chrysanthemum, purple ground bark, Honeysuckle and other medicines are used together, such as Wuwei disinfectant drink ("Yi Zong Jin Jian"); for treating intestinal carbuncle and abdominal pain, it is often used with rhubarb, peony bark, and peach kernels; for treating lung abscess and pus, it is often used with Houttuynia cordata, wax gourd kernel, and reed root. This product detoxifies, reduces swelling and resolves knots. When combined with Radix isatis, Scrophulariaceae, etc., it can also be used to treat swelling and pain in the throat; external application of fresh product can also be used to treat poisonous snake bites.

　　2. Hot stranguria, astringent pain, damp-heat jaundice. This product is bitter, sweet and cold. It can clear away dampness and heat, diuretic and relieve stranguria. It has good curative effect on stranguria syndrome and jaundice caused by dampness and heat. For the treatment of hot stranguria and astringent pain, it is often used with Imperata root, Desmodium chinensis, and Plantago seeds to enhance the diuretic and stranguria effect; for the treatment of damp-heat jaundice, it is often used with Artemisia chinensis, Gardenia, and Rhubarb.

　　In addition, this product also has the effect of clearing the liver and improving eyesight, and can treat red and swollen eyes caused by liver-fire inflammation. It can be used alone to take juice and apply it on the eyes, or to decoct it and take it orally; it can also be used in combination with chrysanthemum, prunella vulgaris, skullcap, etc.

　　[Usage and Dosage] Decoction and take, 9~15g. For external use, pound an appropriate amount of fresh product for application or decoction to fumigate and wash the affected area.

　　【Usage Note】Excessive dosage may cause diarrhea.

　　[Abstract from ancient books]

　　1. "New Materia Medica": "Housewife's breast cancer. ”

　　2. "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Specially used to treat carbuncles and boils, and is also a wonderful product for treating stranguria. ”

　　【Modern Research】

　　1. Chemical composition: This product contains dandelion, dandelionin, dandelion picrin, inositol and lettuce alcohol, dandelion alcohol, caffeic acid and resin.

　　2. Pharmacological effects: The decoction or infusion of this product has a strong inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus, hemolytic Streptococcus and catarrhalis. It also has a certain inhibitory effect on Neisseria pneumonia, Neisseria meningitidis, Diphtheriae, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Leptospira, etc. It has a synergistic effect with TMP (sulfonamide synergist). It also has choleretic, hepatoprotective, anti-endotoxin and diuretic effects, and its choleretic effect is more significant than Yinchen decoction. The aqueous extract of the aerial part of dandelion can activate macrophages and has anti-tumor effects. In vitro tests indicate that this product can stimulate the body's immune function.

　　3. Clinical research: It is reported that dandelion can be used for other diseases. For example, dandelion can be used with hawthorn, locust, astragalus, and schisandra to treat 37 cases of hyperlipidemia, of which 35 cases have achieved good results (New Chinese Medicine 1988, 2:28); in addition, dandelion can be combined with ebony, rhubarb, schisandra and other medicines to decoction. 44 cases of hepatitis B were treated, and 36 cases of HbsAg turned negative, with good results (Journal of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine 1995, 5:43); 42 cases of superficial gastritis were treated by decoction of dandelion with rhubarb, poria, and amomum villosum, 36 cases were markedly effective, and 5 cases were effective (Journal of Shandong Traditional Chinese Medicine 1996, 2:64). In addition, dandelion can also be used for acute jaundice hepatitis, cholecystitis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, pelvic inflammatory disease, urinary tract stones, febrile constipation in children and various infectious inflammations.

　　4. Adverse reactions: Side effects of dandelion are rare. Gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort and mild diarrhea may occasionally occur when taking oral decoction. General itching and urticaria may also occur. Taking wine infusion can cause dizziness, nausea, sweating and other reactions. A few patients have urticaria complicated by conjunctivitis, which disappears after stopping the drug. Some patients experience a feeling of heat in their stomach after taking tablets. In individual cases, chills, pale and bruising complexion and mental symptoms occurred after intravenous infusion of Dandelion injection; intramuscular injection may cause local pain.