Lancea, Spa yag rtsa ba སྤ་ཡག་རྩ་བ

Chinese Milkwort
Spa yag rtsa ba (Tibetan)
Lancea tibetica
Hooker’s journal of botany and Kew Garden miscellany, vol. 9 (1857)

Lancea tibetica
(Photo by Jan Reurink) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:

Lancea tibetica

Parts used:

Whole plant including the root; Seed

Temperature & Taste:

Cool, dry. Sweet, slightly Bitter

Constituents:

-Phenolpropanoid glycosides (34)
–Lignanes
-Flavones (9)
-Triterpenoids (6); inc. ursolic acid and oleanolic acid
-Amino acids (11)
-Enzyme (NADH dehydrogenase)

Uses:

1. Clears Heat, Stops Cough:
-Lung disorders with Cough, shivering with coldness
-Bronchitis, Influenza, Asthma and Pneumonia
-Lung abscess; clears Pus from the Lungs; pus and foul matter in the sputum (root)

2. Clears Heart Fire:
-Heart disease (with Heat)
-Heat affecting the Heart; upper back pain, heat sensation in the chest, delirium (Seed)

3. Clears Liver Heat:
-various skin diseases
-Liver diseases (flower)

4. Moves the Blood, Clears Stasis:
-Wounds, internal and external
-Blood stasis, Blood clots, Hematoma, Vascular disorders
-Amenorrhea and Gynecological diseases
-Tumors of the Womb
-reportedly used for Leukemia

Dose:

Powder: 1–3 grams

Comment:

The root is reportedly smoked as a stimulant by Tibetans.

Substitutes:

1. This is a member of the Scrophulariae family. Figwort (Scrophularia spp., Xuan Shen) is probably a good substitute for most of the indications.
2. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Dan Shen) has been listed as a source of Spa Yag Rtsa Ba by some authorities on Tibetan Medicine. This may likewise be a suitable substitute in some instances.

Main Combinations:

1. Lung heat Cough, Chronic Bronchitis etc.:
i. Lancea with Sandalwood, Tabasheer, Swertia, Inula, Raisins (as in Principle 25)
ii. Lancea with Tabasheer, Safflower, Clove, Licorice, Triphala, Costus, Raisins (as in Tabasheer 25)

Major Formulas:

Death Healing Nectar (Tibetan Medicine)
Principle 25 (Gtso bo nyer lnga) (Tibetan Medicine)
Tabasheer 25 (Cu Gang 25) (Tibetan Medicine)

Cautions:

None noted

Main Preparations used:

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1. Lancea tibetica as the Tibetan herb: A review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology