Sarcandra, Zhong Jie Feng 肿节风

Glabrous Sarcandra
Zhong Jie Feng, Jiu Jie Cha (TCM)
 Picture
Picture Sarcandra glabra
Nakai, T., Trees and shrubs indigenous in Japan proper [Dai Nihon jumokushi] (1935-1951)

Picture Sarcandra glabra
(Photo by KENPEI) (Wikimedia)

Picture Specimen of Sarcandra glabra at the Guangzhou TCM Museum (Adam, 2024)

Botanical name:


Sarcandra glabra (syn. Chloranthus glaber, Ardisia japonica)

Parts used:


Herb

Temperature & Taste:


Warm, dry. Bitter, Pungent

Classification:




Uses:


1. Clears Heat from the Blood:
-Purpura from Blood heat
–Thrombocytopenic Purpura
-Eczema, Psoriasis
-Phlegmon

2. Clears Heat and Toxin:
-Red and Swollen Gums, Mouth or Throat, Tonsillitis, Gingivitis
-Sores, Boils, Carbuncles, Abscess
-Dysentery, Appendicitis
-Cholecystitis
-Cellulitis
-Pneumonia
-topically as a wash for Ulcerated Wounds

3. Move the Blood, Clear Stasis:
-Trauma and Bruising, Fracture
–Dysmenorrhea
-Postpartum blood stasis abdominal pain
-Tumors, Cancer (Gastric, Pancreatic, Liver, Esophagel), Leukemia

4. Clears Wind-Damp, Opens the Channels:
-Wind-Damp joint and muscle pain
-Numbness of the limbs


Dose:


Decoction: 9–15 grams (up to 30 grams for Cancer)
It can also be soaked in wine for Blood stasis, Bruises, Fractures or Wind-Damp Arthritic pain
Topically, it can be beaten and applied

Comment:


1. The medicinal use of this plant did not appear in China until 1711 (Sheng Cao Yao Xing Bei Yao)
2. In China, concentrated extracts made into tablets and injections of Sarcandra are used in Cancer therapy and for other uses.
3. Locals of Jiangxi province, China, combined Sarcandra with Houttuynia, Rice, Sesame and salt to make a drink.

Main Combinations:


1. Cough, Bronchitis, Sarcandra with Houttuynia Yu Xing Cao.
2. Psoriasis, Sarcandra with Turmeric, China root (Tu Fu Ling), Prunus Wu Mei, Paeonia Bai Shao (This is called PSORI-CM02 and has been studied and found effective)
3. Stomach Cancer: Sarcandra (15 grams), decoct and drink. (“Guizhou Herbal Medicine“)

Major Formulas:



Cautions:


1. Not used in Pregnancy
2. Not used in Yin-deficient Heat

Main Preparations used:



GENERAL / REVIEW
–The Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Sarcandra glabra (Thunb.) Nakai, a Chinese Herb With Potential for Development:
–ANTI-BACTERIAL
-ANTI-VIRAL
-ANTI-OXIDANT
-ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
-ANTI-TUMOR
_IMMUNO-REGULATOR
-ANTI-THROMBOCYTOPENIA
–HEPATO-PROTECTIVE
–HYPOGLYCEMIC

INFLUENZA
–Sarcandra glabra Extract Reduces the Susceptibility and Severity of Influenza in Restraint-Stressed Mice

CANCER
–Network Pharmacology‐Based Study on the Active Component and Mechanism of the Anti-Gastric-Cancer Effect of Herba Sarcandrae