Pedicularis, Lug ru, ལུག་རུ

Lug ru dkar po  ལུག་རུ་དཀར་པོ  
Lug ru dmar po  ལུག་རུ་དམར་པོ  
Lug ru smug po  ལུག་རུ་སྨུག་པོ
Lug ru ser po  ལུག་རུསེར་པོ 
Picture Pedicularis siphonantha
K.R. Kirtikar, B.D. Basu, Indian medicinal plants (1918)

 Picture Pedicularis megalantha
Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (1890)
Picture Picture
Pedicularis longiflora
(Photo by Krokus) (Wikimedia)

 Pedicularis punctata
(Photo by Vinayaraj) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:


Pedicularis spp.
  1. White: Lug ru dkar po: P. hoffmeisteris
  2. Red: Lug ru dmar po: P. przewalskii, P. megalantha, P. pectinata
  3. Brown: Lug ru smug po: P. muscicola (Xian Sheng Ma Xian Hao), P. rhinanthoides, P. decorissima, P. oliveriana, P. siphonantha
  4. Yellow: Lug ru ser po: P. longiflora, P. tenuirostris, P. bicornuta
Other species reportedly used include P. punctata.

Parts used:


Whole plant, aerial parts
Root of M. muscicola is used in TCM, but rarely.

Temperature & Taste:


Cool, dry. Bitter

Uses:


Lug ru dkar po:
1. Clears Wind-Damp, Eases Pain:
-joint pain

2. Clears Damp, Promotes Urine:
–Dysuria


Lug ru dmar po:
1. Clears Heat and Toxin:
-general antidote to poisons
-acute Cough and Cold
-Diarrhea, Dysentery

2. Clears Wind-Damp, Eases Pain:
-Joint pain, body aches


Lug ru smug po:
1. Clears Stomach Heat:
-Food Poisoning, Enteritis, Gastroenteritis
-Diarrhea, Dysentery
–Bad Kan Smug Po

2. Clears Wind-Heat, Resists Poison:
-general Antidote to Poison
-Fever, ‘Channel Fever’
-gathers diffused toxins in the body

3. Nourishes Blood and Essence:
-benefits hairs, turns grey hair black (Tibetan)
-in TCM it is said to strongly supplement original Qi and Blood (Root)
-deficiency with sweating (Root, TCM)

4. Strengthens Heart, Calms the Spirit: (TCM, Root)
-Hypertension
-anxiety, stress


Lug ru ser po:
1. Clears Liver Heat:
-Liver heat disorders
-Headache, Hypertension
-Hangover
-Toxicity, Wounds

2. Stops Leakage, Restrains the Essence:
-increases Sperm
-Seminal discharge
-excessive Menstruation
-Dehydration

3. Clears Damp, Promotes Urine:
-Edema, Fluid retention


Dose:


Powder: 1–3 grams

Main Combinations:



Major Formulas:



Cautions:


None noted

Main Preparations used: