Present Day Applications:

現代應用﹕

being used in heart and brain diseases due to lack of blood circulation.

用于缺血性心腦血管疾病的治療 。

Pharmaceutical name:

英文藥 名﹕

Radix Puerariae

Flos Puerariae

Botanical name:

學名﹕

Pueraria lobata (Willd.) Ohwi；

Pueraria  thunbergiana (S. etZ.) Benth.；

Pueraria  hirsuta (Thunb.) Schneid.；

Pueraria  pseudohirsuta Tang et wang

Pueraria thomsonii Benth.

(Family: Fabaceae)

Pron. in Japanese:

日語 發音﹕

kakkon

Pron. in Korean:

韓語 發音﹕

kalgun

Pron. in Cantonese

粵音 ﹕

got3 gan1

Other Names:

別名﹕

Common Name:

英文 名﹕

kudzu root, pueraria

Distribution:

產地﹕

Hunan, Henan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Southeast Asia, North America.

湖南，河南，廣東，浙 江，東南亞，北美洲等地。

Properties

(characteristics)﹕

性味﹕

acrid, sweet, neutral

辛，甘，性平。

Channels (meridians) entered:

歸經 ﹕

spleen, stomach

脾﹐胃。

Medical functions:

藥理﹕

Medical Functions:

1. 1. effect on smooth muscle:  Ge gen root contains ingredients that can contract and relax smooth muscle. The ingredients that can cause contraction can be choline, acetylcholine, and kassein other substances. In ge gen ether extract, components of smooth muscle relaxation, daidzin and daidzein were separated, which could significantly inhibit mouse ileum contraction induced by acetylcholine. Its effectiveness is about 1/3 of that of papaverine. Since ge gen mainly containing flavonoids, particularly daidzein which possesses anti-acetylcholine effect, clinically it is mainly used in relieving spasm.

2. 2. anti-diarrhea

3. 3. effect on coronary blood vessels: the active ingredient puerarin relaxes the coronary and cerebal blood vessels

4. 4. anti-arrhythmia

5. 5. enhances the function of the heart

6. lowers blood pressure and lowers the resistance of peripheral  blood vessels

7. 6. beta energetic blocking effect (see 6.)

8. 7.inhibits platelet coagulation

9. 8. lower blood sugar

10. 9. inhibits growth of cancer cells and induces differentiation of cancer cells. (Normally cancer cells do not differentiate, so it never loses its potential for growth. )

11. 10. anti-oxidation

12. 11. improves memory: Effects on memory: According to Liu Ganzhong et el, using mice and rats jumping method and operant conditioning method to observe the ge gen alcohol extract and flavonoids in learning and memory function in animals. Memory results in mice, both of which can fight scopolamine (hydrobromide Scopolamine) and 40% ethanol that induced memory disorders. Alcohol extract of ge gen still capable of fighting scopolamine-induced rat operant conditioning reflex inhibition. The study found that scopolamine reduces mouse cortical and hippocampal acetylcholine content and decreased hippocampal acetylcholine transferase activity. This may be why ge gen can improve learning and memory mechanisms.[1]

13. 12. biphasic body temperature regulation[1]

14. 13. improves eyesight[1]

15. 14. lactagogue

16. 15. possesses 2 directional adjustment of nitric oxide. It can protect the heart during heart attack.

17. 16. it can be used for treatment of schizophrenia.

18. 17. preventative therapeutics for brain disorders due to their abilities to promote the neuronal cytoarchitecture and the synaptic functionality [4]

按此看中文

Actions & Indications:

主 治﹕

Actions & Indications:

Diaphoretic (producing or increasing perspiration), antispasmodic, muscle relaxant, antipyretic, help to ripen measles, stopping diarrhea.

Being used in fever and headache in cold or flu, spastic muscles, thirst, diabetes, diarrhea, acute ileus (intestine blockage), measles ripening difficulty, in alcohol hangover, alcohol withdrawal, angina, hypertension, smoking, alcohol, early stage of acute deafness, menopause syndrome, cerebral palsy [5].

Young shoots are used as a lactagogue.

Ge gen starch is being used in treating diarrhea. Do not add sugar to the starch. See the picture of a commercial package of starch here.

發汗，解肌退熱，生 津，透疹，升陽止 瀉。

用于外感發熱頭痛,肌 肉顽强，口渴，消渴，热痢，泄瀉﹐高血壓，頸项强痛。煩熱乾渴，高血壓 ，急性腸梗塞，心絞痛，斑疹不透，眼底病，早期突發性耳聾，酒醉不醒﹐ 戒煙，更年期症候群，腦性 麻痺症【。

嫩枝用於催乳。

Chemical ingredients:[3]

化 學成份﹕[3]

Dosage:

用 量﹕

3 to 12 g (dried herb). If using fresh herb the amount can be few times more.

3 ~ 12 克 (乾 藥)。新鮮葛根可用多幾倍。

Samples of formulae:

處方舉例﹕

For influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis, headache, chronic shoulder pain, skin inflammation, rheumatism, and smell disappears after flu or cold.

Name of Formula: ge gen tang

For: damp-heat with diarrhea:

Name of Formula: ge gen qin lian tang(5)。

Name of Formula: qi wei bai zhu san

Alcohol intoxincation:

Formula 1: smash fresh ge gen root to get juice to make drink (Qian Jin Fang)

Formula 2: use ge gen starch to make porridge

藥方名﹕葛 根湯 《傷寒論 》

濕 熱瀉痢:

Modern Research:

現 代研究﹕

Ge gen was first described in the Chinese materia

medica, Shen Nong Ben Cao  ( 200 B.C.) .  Both the

roots and flowers of ge gen have been used to treat

alcohol abuse, drunkenness, and hangover ( "jiu du" or alcohol poisoning) safely and effectively in China for more than a millennium. [1]

Now it has been tested in addiction to smoking and is considered to have the same effect, reducing the

addiction in a month time.

Puerarin promotes osteoblast to differentiate by

influencing the activity of ALP and promotes bone

formation by the meditation of estrogen receptor. [1]

哈 佛 醫 學 院 的 研 究 人 員 指 出 ， 葛 根 抽 取 物

可 讓 得酒 癮 的 老 鼠 減 少 酒 精 的 攝 取 量 。 他

們 將 老 鼠 在 注射大豆甙,大豆甙元 或 大豆甙; 之 後 ，可 自 由 選擇 白 開 水 或 是 加 了 酒 的 水 。 結 果 發 現 ， 這

些 原 本 有 酒 癮 的 老 鼠 減 少 了 百 分 之 50 的 酒 精 攝 取 量 。 美 國 目前 正 在 實 驗 以 它 來 治 療 酒 精 中 毒 。

葛根素對骨形成的作用 ：通過影響鹼磷酸酶 活性，而促進成骨細胞分化。通過雌激素受體介導促進成骨細胞的骨形成效應。 [1]

Toxicity & Cautions:

Allergy reaction of injectiones of puerarin: there are cases of hemolytic reaction and resulted in death.

Not to use in cases of instant sweating during summer.

Using too much can damage the digestive function.

多用反傷胃氣(升散太 過)。

用葛根素注射液有發 生過溶 血症以 致死亡。夏日虛 汗多者忌服。