Pharmaceutical name: 英文藥名﹕	Radix Stemmacanthae
Botanical name: 學名﹕	Stemmacantha uniflora（L.）Dittrich  (祁州漏蘆) Echinops latifolius Tausch  (藍刺頭，禹州漏蘆)
Pron. in Japanese: 日語發音﹕
Pron. in Korean: 韓語發音﹕
Pron. in Cantonese: 粵音﹕	lau6 lou4
Other Names: 別名﹕	du hua shan niu bang (literally means lone flower mountain burdock) 獨花山牛蒡, he shang tou hua  ( literally means monk's head flower) 和尚頭花。 獨花山牛蒡，和尚頭花。
Common Name: 英文名﹕	uniflower Swiss centaury
Distribution: 產地﹕	Stemmacantha uniflora（L.）Dittrich is produced in northern part, northeastern part and northwestern part of China. Echinops latifolius Tausch is produced in Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei provences. 祁州漏蘆主產東北，華北，西北；藍刺頭主產於河南，安徽，江蘇，湖北等地。
Properties (characteristics)﹕ 性味﹕	bitter, cold.  苦，寒。
Channels (meridians) entered:   歸經﹕	stomach. 胃經。
Medical functions: 藥理﹕
Actions & Indications: 主治﹕	for boils, carbuncles, acute mastitis, unable to discharge milk. 癰腫瘡毒，乳癰腫痛； 乳房脹痛，乳汁不下。
Chemical ingredients: 化學成份﹕
Dosage: 用量﹕	3 to 12 g. 3-12 克。
Samples of formulae :處方舉例﹕	for treatment of carbuncles use: lou lu,  da huang,  lian qiao, zi hua di ding for treatment of acute mastitis use: lou lu, guo lou, bei mu, pu gong ying 用治癰腫瘡毒，常與 大黃  ，連翹，紫花地丁等藥同用； 用治乳癰腫痛，常與 瓜 蔞，貝母，蒲公英等藥同用。
Modern Research: 現代研究﹕
Toxicity & Cautions: 毒素與禁忌﹕	not to use in cases of qixu (qi deficient), boils being flat or collapsed and in pregnancy. 氣虛，瘡瘍平塌及孕婦忌服。