✵The article gives records of the herb Thunder Ball, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one fungus species, ①.Omphalia lapidescens Schroet., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this fungus species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this fungus species, the features of the herb Thunder Ball, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Omphalia(Thunder Ball).
Pin Yin Name: Léi Wán.
English Name: Thunder Ball.
Latin Name: Omphalia.
Property and flavor: cold nature, slightly bitter.
Brief introduction: The herb Omphalia is the dried sclerotium of Omphalia lapidescens Schroet., used as an anthelmintic for the treatment of taeniasis, ancylostomiasis, and ascariasis. The herb is commonly known as Omphalia, Thunder Ball, Léi Wán.
Botanical source: Herbal classic book defined the herb Omphalia (Thunder Ball) as the dried sclerotium of the fungus Omphalia lapidescens Schroet.. It is a species of the Omphalotus genus, the Tricholomataceae family (Polyporaceae family, shelf fungus, bracket fungus) of the Agaricales order. This commonly used species is introduced:
Omphalia lapidescens Schroet.
Botanical description: The fungus, Omphalia lapidescens Schroet is commonly known as Polyporus mylittae Cooke et Mass., Mylitta lapidescens Hor., also known as Omphalia, Léi Wán (means thunder ball or thunder pill). A saprophyte, sclerotium is usually irregular spherical shape, oval (egg-shaped) or lumpy, diameter is 0.8 ~ 3.5 cm, rarely reaching 4 cm, the surface is brown, dark brown, and black, with fine wrinkles; the inner surface is closely interwoven mycelium, white to waxy white, translucent and slightly viscous, with the same color texture. After winter, new encarpiums (fruiting bodies) are generated from sclerotia, which are not easily seen.
Ecological environment: The fungus, Omphalia lapidescens Schroet., is parasitic on the root of sick bamboo. The fungus is distributed in the Yangtze river basin south provinces and northwest, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and the middle reaches of the Yellow River.
Growth characteristics: The fungus, Omphalia lapidescens Schroet is a saprophytic and weak parasitic fungus, that often grows in a mixed bamboo forest, tung, sweetgum, Elaeagnus pungens, and other plants, and grows near the rotting roots, it prefers to grow in good air permeability, gravel soil with pH (pH scale:acidity-basicity) value 5.8. The optimal temperature for the growth of hyphae is 25-30 °C (Celsius, or 77–86 degrees Fahrenheit). It easily grows in a bran coat (substrate) with a humidity content of over 60%.
Characters of herbs: The dried sclerotia are near-spherical or irregular blocks and lumps in different sizes and 1~3 cm in diameter. The surface is dark brown, purple-brown, or taupe brown (grayish-brown), and has slightly raised reticular fine wrinkles. The texture of the herb is firm and farctate, heavy, and not easy to break; after opening, the fracture surface is uneven, white or light sallow (light grayish-yellow.), pulverulent (mealiness) or granular (graininess), often has yellowish-brown marble texture. The compact herbs are translucent, and it can be seen that translucent and opaque parts are interlaced into stripes. The herb has no odor, and it tastes slightly bitter, granular feeling at the beginning of chewing, is slightly sticky and melts without residue after long chewing. The herb of a better grade is big, full, firm, and hard, purple-brown outside, and white inside, the fracture surface is white and pulverulent, and free of sediment sands.
Pharmacological actions: ①.dispelling tapeworm effect, it contains a kind of protease that may lead to body necrosis of tapeworm, it is effective for the Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm), Taenia pellucida (Taenia armata), Taenia elliptica (dog tapeworm), Trichomonacidal action, significantly inhibit Ascaris suis in vitro, taken orally has an obvious curative effect to ancylostomiasis (hookworm disease); ②.anti-inflammatory effects; ③.anti-cancer effect.
Medicinal efficacy: Dispel and kill parasites, removing food retention or Qi stagnation. It is indicated for cestodiasis (taeniasis), ancylostomiasis (hookworm disease), ascariasis, enterozoic abdominalgia (abdominal pain due to parasitic infestation), infantile malnutritional stagnation, manutrition, wind type epilepsy, etc.
Administration of Omphalia (Léi Wán):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Omphalia (Léi Wán)
TCM Books:
①.Internally: 15~21 grams, better not add to decoction, normally prepare to finely ground herb powder and take, 5~7 grams each time, mixing with warm water and take after meal, three times daily, continue for 3 days; ②.Internally:water decoction, 2~3 qian (about 6~9 grams);or prepare to pill, powder. Externally:prepare to finely ground herb powder, apply as powder puff, or wash with water decoction; ③.Internally:prepare to finely ground herb powder, 15~21 grams;or prepare to pill.
Contraindications,Precautions and Adverse Reactions: The herb should not be combined with Radix Puerariae, Herba Polygoni Avicularis.
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References:
1.Introduction of Lei Wan:Thunder Ball or Omphalia.
✵The article gives records of the herb Thunder Ball, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one fungus species, ①.Omphalia lapidescens Schroet., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this fungus species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this fungus species, the features of the herb Thunder Ball, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Pin Yin Name: Léi Wán.
Botanical description: The fungus, Omphalia lapidescens Schroet is commonly known as Polyporus mylittae Cooke et Mass., Mylitta lapidescens Hor., also known as Omphalia, Léi Wán (means thunder ball or thunder pill). A saprophyte, sclerotium is usually irregular spherical shape, oval (egg-shaped) or lumpy, diameter is 0.8 ~ 3.5 cm, rarely reaching 4 cm, the surface is brown, dark brown, and black, with fine wrinkles; the inner surface is closely interwoven mycelium, white to waxy white, translucent and slightly viscous, with the same color texture. After winter, new encarpiums (fruiting bodies) are generated from sclerotia, which are not easily seen.
Growth characteristics: The fungus, Omphalia lapidescens Schroet is a saprophytic and weak parasitic fungus, that often grows in a mixed bamboo forest, tung, sweetgum, Elaeagnus pungens, and other plants, and grows near the rotting roots, it prefers to grow in good air permeability, gravel soil with pH (pH scale:acidity-basicity) value 5.8. The optimal temperature for the growth of hyphae is 25-30 °C (Celsius, or 77–86 degrees Fahrenheit). It easily grows in a bran coat (substrate) with a humidity content of over 60%.
Characters of herbs: The dried sclerotia are near-spherical or irregular blocks and lumps in different sizes and 1~3 cm in diameter. The surface is dark brown, purple-brown, or taupe brown (grayish-brown), and has slightly raised reticular fine wrinkles. The texture of the herb is firm and farctate, heavy, and not easy to break; after opening, the fracture surface is uneven, white or light sallow (light grayish-yellow.), pulverulent (mealiness) or granular (graininess), often has yellowish-brown marble texture. The compact herbs are translucent, and it can be seen that translucent and opaque parts are interlaced into stripes. The herb has no odor, and it tastes slightly bitter, granular feeling at the beginning of chewing, is slightly sticky and melts without residue after long chewing. The herb of a better grade is big, full, firm, and hard, purple-brown outside, and white inside, the fracture surface is white and pulverulent, and free of sediment sands.
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