|
| |
| Latin: |
Rhizoma Gastrodiabe |
| |
| Origin: |
Gastrodia tuber is the tuber of the perennial parasitic plant Gastrodia elata Blume, of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). Native to east Asia, the plant is grown in woods in the mountains of China and Japan.
Gastrodia grows to about 1 m by 0.3 m. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). The plant can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.
This plant has an unusual requirement for survival: it must have the Armillaria mellea mushroom mycelia incorporated into the tuber in order to maintain its maturation and growth, and it requires another fungus, Mycena osmundicola, to sprout the seeds. When supplies of the crude gastrodia became rare in the 1970's, attempts at cultivating the plant repeatedly failed until this complex synergistic plant/mushroom relationship was determined. Then, cultivation became easy, though it was not until the late 1980's that an adequate cultivated supply of gastrodia was developed.
Interestingly, the medicinal benefits of gastrodia were found to be mainly the metabolites of the Armillaria mushroom. In other words, if one could grow the mushroom, the gastrodia tuber could be dispensed with and one could use just the mushroom material in place of gastrodia.
This mushroom cultivation (by batch fermentation) was accomplished and the material was tested in the 1970's. Today, gastrodia mushroom (Armillaria) is frequently used instead of cultivated gastrodia. In the meantime, wild gastrodia, along with all other wild orchids, has been put on the endangered species list.
Gastrodia tuber has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for over 1,900 years. Gastrodia was listed in the 'Shen Nong's Herbal Classic' (ca. 100 A.D.) and was later classified by Tao Hong as a superior herb, meaning that it could be taken for a long time to protect the health and prolong life (as well as treating illnesses).
It was originally called "chiqian," meaning red arrow, because of its red stem shaped like an arrow. Later it was named 'tianma," or heavenly hemp (ma, usually translated as hemp, refers to many plants that have fibrous stems, such as the well-known mahuang).
In China, the plant is distributed everywhere but mainly in the provinces Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, etc. Picked and collected in winter and spring, gastrodia tuber is picked and dug when the stem has withered in winter; this is called the ˇ§winter gastrodia tuber", which is of good quality. The tuber picked and dug when the herb sprouts in spring is called the ˇ§spring gastrodia tuber", which is of poorer quality.
After the tuber is dug, remove its stems above the ground and fibrous roots, wash it clean, steam thoroughly and dry it in the sun, in the air or bake until dry. Moisten the tuber thoroughly and slice for use.
Also called Elevated Gastrodia Tuber. |
| |
| Properties: |
| Sweet in flavor, mild in nature, it is related to the liver channel. |
| |
| Functions: |
| Relieves convulsions and spasms, calms and suppresses liver-yang, dispels pathogenic wind and removes obstructions in the channels. |
| |
| Applications: |
1. Treats epilepsy due to fright and clonic convulsions (violent contractions and relaxations of muscles) as a result of internal movement of liver-wind:
Entering the liver, gastrodia tuber can relieve spasms and convulsions. Sweet and moist but not violent, this herb has a mild action. Therefore it can be used in combination with other herbs for the treatment of epilepsy due to fright and clonic convulsions, either of the heat type or the cold type and either of the excess type or the deficiency type, that result from internal movement of liver-wind arising from various causes.
a) Acute infantile convulsions:
It can be used in combination with such herbs as antelope horn, gambirplant (Ramulus Uncariae cum Uncis), scorpion, etc., i.e., Gouteng Yinzi.
b) Chronic infantile convulsions due to deficiency of the spleen:
Gastrodia tuber is used in combination with ginseng, largehead atractylodes rhizome (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), silkworm larva, etc., e.g., Xing Pi Wan.
c) Spasms and clonic convulsions and opisthotonos (a form of spasm in which the head and the heels are bent backward and the body bowed forward) in case of tetanus (a state of sustained muscular contraction without periods of relaxation):
Gastrodia tuber is also used in combination with such herbs as jack-in-the-pulpit (Rhizoma Arisaematis), baifuzi (Rhizoma Typhonii), fangfeng (Radix Ledebouriellae), etc., e.g., Yu Zhen San.
d) Epilepsy:
In recent years, the active ingredient has been extracted from gastrodia tuber to make vanillin tablets, which is effective in the treatment of grand mal seizure (a type of seizure that results in loss of consciousness) or petit mal (a type of seizure that results in briefly lost of awareness) attacks of epilepsy.
2. Treats dizziness and headache:
Gastrodia tuber can not only calm liver-wind, but also suppress hyperactivity of liver-yang, so it is a good herb for arresting dizziness.
a) Dizziness and headache due to hyperactivity of liver-yang:
Gastrodia tuber is often used together with gambirplant (Ramulus Uncariae cum Uncis), abalone shell, ox-knee root (Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae), etc., e.g., Tianma Gouteng Tang.
b) Dizziness and headache due to up-stirring of wind-phlegm:
Gastrodia tuber is often used together with pinellia tuber, largehead atractylodes rhizome (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), tuckahoe (Poria Cocos), etc., e.g., Banxia Baishu Tianma Tang.
c) Hyperlipaemia (increased fats in the bloodstream):
In recent years, halimasch (a side product of gastrodia tuber) tablets have been used to treat hyperlipaemia. The tablets can obviously reduce serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride, etc., and at the same time reduce systolic pressure (arterial pressure during contraction of the left ventricle of the heart) or diastolic pressure to different extents so that such symptoms as dizziness, headache, tightness in the chest, etc., take a turn for the better.
3. Treats numbness of the limbs, spasms and clonic convulsions, rheumatism and arthralgia:
Gastrodia tuber can also dispel exopathogenic wind and remove obstruction in the channels.
a) Motor impairment of the hands and feet, numbness of the limbs, spasms and clonic convulsions, etc., due to the effects of apoplexy (haemorrhage into the brain, a stroke):
Gastrodia tuber is often used together with chuanxiong (Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong), e.g., Tianma Wan.
b) Rheumatism and arthralgia and sluggishness of joint movements:
Gastrodia tuber is mostly used together with such antirheumatics as largeleaf gentian root (Radix Gentianae Macrophyllae), notopterygium root or rhizome, white mulberry branch, etc., e.g., Qinjiu Tianma Tang.
c) Sciatica (pain radiating from the back into the buttock), prosopalgia (facial spasms), etc.:
A 20% gastrodia tuber injection is now clinically used for intramuscular injection in the treatment of such syndromes as sciatica, prosopalgia, etc., and is rather effective in killing pain. |
| |
| Dosage and Administration: |
3-10 g., decoct for oral administration.
1-1.5 g., when grinded into powder for taking with boiled water. |
| |
| Cautions on Use: |
|
| |
| Reference Materials: |
Shen Nong's Herbal Classic : "If taken for a long time, this herb can enhance body strength, replenish yin, fatten and strengthen the body and promote longevity."
Kai Bao Materia Medica : "Various types of rheumatism and arthralgia, spasms of the limbs, infantile epilepsy due to pathogenic wind and convulsions."
"Normalizing the functions of the waist and knees and enhancing the body strength."
Corpus of Discussions on Herbals : "Wind syndrome of the head, headache, dizziness, epilepsy, serious convulsions, spasms of the limbs, retarded speech, various types of apoplexy and wind-phlegm syndrome." |
| |
| Toxic or Side Effects: |
|
| |
| Modern Researches: |
The main active ingredients contained in gastrodia tuber include gastrodin, vanillyl alcohol, vanillin, vitamin A, crystalline neutral substances, trace amounts of alkaloids and phlegm.
Gastrodin is a complex glycoside.
Vanillyl alcohol and vanillin, which, as their names suggest, are related to the flavor vanilla (vanilla comes from the fruit of another orchid, Vanilla planifolia, and the primary flavor is vanillin, which is synthetically produced as the standard flavor substitute). Vanillin has been shown to have anticonvulsive effects.
There have been numerous other compounds identified in both Armillaria and the gastrodia tuber, with roles that are not yet established.
Gastrodia tuber can reduce the resistance of the peripheral and coronary blood vessels, reduce blood pressure, slow down heart rates and kill pain. Gastrodia polysaccharides have immunologic activity.
Tianma (gastrodia tuber) is known as "chiqian" in Shen Nong's Herbal Classic. It must grow together with halimasch, with which it forms very close nutritive relationships during its growth and propagation. Recent studies have proven that solid cultures of halimasch have similar pharmacological actions and clinical curative effects to those of elevated gastrodia tuber. Therefore halimasch can replace gastrodia tuber for medical purposes and halimasch tablets have been put to extensive clinical use. |
| |
| |
|
