
Ban Lan Gen
Name: Isatis Root (板藍根)
Pinyin: Ban Lan Gen
Pharm. Name: Radix Isatidis
Properties:
Taste |
Characteristics |
Organs |
Dosage |
Bitter |
Clear heat and remove toxicity, cool blood, alleviate sore throat. |
Heart, Lung, Liver, Stomach |
9-30g |
Description:
The root of biennial herbaceous plant from the Shaanxi province, and other areas of China. Ban Lan Gen and Da Qing Ye are both from the same plant, “Isatin”, but the medicinal parts are different. They are similar in aspects of properties and effects: clearing heat and purging fire when entering qi system, and clearing heat and cooling blood when entering blood system as well. Both of them are widely indicated for each stage of warm diseases, and the exterior syndrome of external contraction of wind-heat. They are also commonly combined together in treating mumps, erysipelas and fever with swollen head due to warm-toxicity for mutual reinforcement. It is also good at clearing heart and removing toxicity, clearing heat from the lung and stomach to alleviate sore throat and dissipate nodulation, and it is commonly used in treating red swollen and sore throat, red swelling and pain of both cheeks, which are all caused by interior excessive heat-toxicity, attack by epidemic toxicity or wind-heat.