Melicope, Thin Evodia, San Ya Ku 三丫苦

Thin Evodia, Corkwood
San Ya Ku, San Cha Ku, Bai Yun Xiang (TCM)
Photo by 阿橋 HQ (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:

Melicope pteleifolia (syn. Evodia lepta, Euodia lepta, Ilex lepta)

Parts used:

Root, Leaf

Temperature & Taste:

Cold, dry. Bitter

Classification:

Uses:

1. Clears Wind-Heat, Resists Toxin:
–Cold, Influenza
–Rhinitis
–Throat swelling and pain
–Chickenpox, Typhoid, Meningitis
–Infectious Hepatitis, Chronic Hepatitis
–Venomous Insect, Rat and Snake bite

2. Clears Wind-Damp:
–Arthritic and Joint pain
–Eczema, Dermatitis, Itching

3. Moves the Blood:
–Trauma, Bruising
–Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea

4. Externally:
–leaf infusion is used as a wash for wounds, ulcers, boils, dermatitis, scabies etc

Dose:

Decoction: 9–15 grams
Podwer: 2–4 grams

Main Combinations:

1. Cold and Flu, Melicope, Lonicera, Chrysanthemum Indicum, Ilex asprella, Strobilanthes Cusia, Vitex Negundo (this is available as a patent medicine called Gan Mao Ling)
2. Chronic Hepatitis, Melicope with Acanthopanax, Hypericum japonicum, Dicliptera chinensis, Ardisia mamillata, Aralia elata, Blumea megacephala, Selaginella uncinata, Sedum sarmentosum, Abrus cantoniensis (Medicine of the Yao minority of China)
3. Dermatitis, Melicope, Chenopodium Tu Qing Chieh, Santana Ma Ying Tan, Zanthoxylum nitidum Liang Mein Chen, Sulphur, mix with Tea oil and apply (Barefoot Doctors Manual)

Major Formulas:

Cautions:

None noted

Main Preparations used:

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Nothing at Present
1. Chemical constituents from Melicope pteleifolia leaves and their anti-influenza virus activities
2. Chemical composition and antibacterial activities of essential oils from fruits of Melicope pteleifolia (Champ. Ex Benth.) T.G. Hartley grown in Lam Dong Province, Vietnam