Geranium, Li ga dur ལི་ག་དུར

Cranesbill, Common Heron’s Bill,
Lao Guan Cao  老鹳草 (TCM)
Li Ga Dur  (Tibetan)
Bhanda (Ayurveda, G. nepalense)
Picture Geranium carolinianum
A.J. Cavanilles, Monadelphiae classis dissertationes decem, (1787)

Picture Geranium wilfordii
(Photo by Alpsdake) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:


Geranium spp.
A number of species are used:
  1. G. wilfordii
  2. G. carolinianum 
  3. G. sibiricum
  4. G. nepalense (syn. G. affine) (TCM, Tibetan)
  5. G. dahuricum
  6. G. pylzoianum (Tibetan)
  7. G. donianum
  8. G. wallichianum (Tibetan)
  9. G. pratense (Meadow Cranesbill, Tibetan)
  10. G. nakaoanum
In Tibetan Medicine, the sources of Li Ga Dur are many and varied. The two main genus are Bergenia (‘Superior’ type, see below under substitutes) and Geranium species, of which a number have been used. This includes G. pratense, Meadow Cranesbill, which we have listed as a separate medicine. This is also similar to the use of Lao Guan Cao in TCM where a number of different species are used in different parts. In addition, both TCM and Tibetan Medicine recognise Erodium stephanianum as an equivalent medicine.

Parts used:


Whole Herb

Temperature & Taste:


Neutral. Pungent, Bitter

Classification:


D. Clear Wind and Damp

Uses:


1. Clears Wind-Damp, Unblocks the Channels: (TCM)
-muscle and joint pain from Wind-Damp obstruction
-spasms and numbness of the limbs
-heat affecting the nerves and arteries (Tibetan)
-also for Trauma

2. Clears Heat and Toxin: (TCM, Ayurveda, Tibetan)
-Colds and Influenza; Fever, Epidemic diseases (Tibetan)
-Eczema and skin diseases with itching
-Sores, Abscess, Swellings
-Gastroenteritis, infectious Diarrhea, Dysentery (TCM, Ayurveda)

3. Clears Lung Heat: (Tibetan)
–Lung heat Cough

4. Externally:
-applied to Ulcers, Hemorrhoids
-applied to Sores, Abscesses


Dose:


Decoction: 9–15 grams
30 grams decocted alone and taken daily for 4–5 days has proven effective for gastroenteritis and dysentery (Bensky)

Substitute:


1. Bergenia crassifolia, B. purpurascens (Tibetan Medicine)
2. Erodium stephanianum (Tibetan & TCM)
3. The Western Geranium may be a suitable substitute.

Main Combinations:


1. Wind-Damp painful obstruction:
i. Geranium Lao Guan Cao with Clematis Wei Ling Xian and Dipsacus Xu Duan
ii. painful, swollen joints, Geranium Lao Guan Cao with Lycopodium Shen Jin Cao, Stephania Han Fang Ji, Earthworm (Di Long)
2. Eczema, Pruritus, Geranium Lao Guan Cao with Sophora Ku Shen
3. Dysentery, Geranium Lao Guan Cao with Coptis Huang Lian, Purslane (Ma Chi Xian)
4. All types of Fever, with Camphor, Nutmeg, Clove, Tabasheer, Safflower, Sandalwood, Swertia (as in Camphor 14 of Tibetan Medicine)
5. Lungs Heat:
i. Lung Heat Cough, Hemoptysis, Chest Pain, Pneumonia, with Rhodiola, Lacca and Licorice (Rhodiola 4 Decoction, Tibetan Medicine)
ii. Lung Heat Cough, Bronchitis, Pneumonia, with Tabasheer, Safflower, Clove, Sandalwood, Chebula, Costus, Licorice (as in Eliminator of Inflamed Lungs, Tibetan Medicine)

Major Formulas:


Camphor 14 (Tibetan)
Copper 25 (Zangs thal nyer lnga) (Tibetan)
Bi Ma La (Tibetan)
Eliminator of All Lung Imbalances (Khrugs glo bcu gsum) (Tibetan)
Life Holding Jewel (Srog ‘dzin nor bu) (Tibetan)
Rhodiola 4 Decoction (Tibetan)

Cautions:


None noted

Main Preparations used: