Introduction of Lu Lu Tong:Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit or Fructus Liquidambaris.
✵The article gives records of the herb Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one plant species, ①.Liquidambar formosana Hance., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this plant species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant species, the features of the herb Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Fructus Liquidambaris(Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit).
Pin Yin Name: Lù Lù Tōnɡ.
English Name: Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit.
Latin Name: Fructus Liquidambaris.
Property and flavor: neutral in nature, bitter.
Brief introduction: The herb Fructus Liquidambaris is the dried strobile (cone) of Liquidambar formosana Hance., used (1).to induce diuresis for treating edema, (2).to dispel wind-damp in cases of arthralgia, and (3).to promote menstrual discharge in cases of amenorrhea. The herb is commonly known as Fructus Liquidambaris, Beartiful Sweetgum Fruit, Taiwan Sweetgum, Lù Lù Tōnɡ.
Botanical source: Herbal classic book defined the herb Fructus Liquidambaris (Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit) as the dried strobile (cone) of the species (1). Liquidambar formosana Hance. It is a plant of the Liquidambar L. genus, the Hamamelidaceae family (family Hamanelidaceae) of the Rosales order. This commonly used species is introduced:
(1).Liquidambar formosana Hance.
Botanical description: Liquidambar formosana Hance is commonly known as Liquidambar formosana, or Fēng Xiāng Shù. Deciduous trees, the tree grows up to 20~40 meters high, DBH (diameter at breast height) is up to 1 meter, bark is taupe (grayish-brown), square peel off; Small branches are gray, pilose, slightly lenticellate; Bud is ovoid, about 1 cm long, slightly piliferous, scaly bracts are coated with resin, turns brownish-black when it is dried, shiny. Leaves are alternate, thinly coriaceous, broadly ovate, palmately 3-lobed, young leaves and leaves on twigs are mostly palmately 5-lobed, 6~12 cm long, 8~15 cm wide, lobes are ovate-triangular or oval (egg-shaped), the apex is caudate acuminate, base is cordate, the margin is serrulate, tooth top has glandular protrusions.
Flowers are unisexual, monoecious, achlamydeous (having no perianth); male flowers are pale yellowish green, form catkin and arrange in a raceme, grow on the branch top; many stamens, filaments are not in equal length; female flowers arrange to spheric capitulum (flower head); 5 calyx teeth, subulate; ovary is semi-inferior, 2-loculed, 2 styles, stigma is curved.
Capitate infructescence is globular (spheric), 2.5~4.5 cm in diameter, the surface has spines, capsularfruit has persistent calyx and style, 2 valves cleft, and each valve is 2-lobed. Many seeds, fine and small, flat. Its flowering period is from March to April, and the fruiting period is from September to October.
Ecological environment: The plant grows in the evergreen broad-leaved forest of mountainous regions. The plant is distributed in the areas south of the Huaihe River and Qinling mountains, starting from the middle reaches of the Yellow River in the north to Taiwan in the east, southwest, and Guangdong in the south. It is also found in Laos.
Growth characteristics: The plant liquidambar formosana grows in moist places with fertile soil.
Characters of herbs: The herb is a polythalamic fruit (collective fruit), which is made up of many small capsularfruit. The infructescence is globular (spheric shape), 2~3 cm in diameter. The surface is taupe brown (grayish-brown) to tan (chocolate brown), has many spinous persistent calyx teeth and beaked (beak-shaped) style, 0.5~1 mm long, often broken or bent, and many honeycomb holes are found after it is removed. There is a cylindrical stalk at the base, 3~4.5 cm long, the stalk is often broken or only leaves a stalk mark. The top of the capsularfruit is cracked to form a hollow shape, many seeds are visible, underdeveloped seeds are fine and tiny, megagon, about 1 mm in diameter, yellowish-brown to tan (chocolate brown), a few seeds are developed, flat oblong, epipterous (has wings), brown, light, the texture of the herb is hard, uneasy to break. The herb has a slight fragrance and a mild taste. The herb of a better grade is big, yellow, has no mud, and is sessile (has no fruit stalk).
Pharmacological actions: ①.effect on the liver: significant anti-hepatocytotoxic activity, liver protectant; ②.anti-inflammatory effect.
Medicinal efficacy: Dispel wind activating collaterals, dispel wind and removing the obstruction in collaterals, dispel wind and eliminate dampness, alleviate water retention and eliminate dampness, alleviate water retention and restoring menstrual flow, soothing liver and activating collaterals. It is indicated for joint arthralgia, limb arthralgia, rheumatism arthralgia, numbness and muscular constricture, hand and foot muscular constricture, epigastric ache and pain, edema, distension and fullness, amenorrhea (menischesis), lack of lactation, stomachache, carbuncle-abscess, anal fistula, scabies, eczema, etc.
Administration of Fructus Liquidambaris (Lù Lù Tōnɡ):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Fructus Liquidambaris (Lù Lù Tōnɡ)
TCM Books:
①.Internally: 5~9 grams; ②.Internally:water decoction, 1~2 qian (about 3~6 grams), or charred the herb with its property retained, prepare to finely ground herb powder.Externally:charred the herb with its property retained, prepare to finely ground herb powder and apply stick, or burn with smoke and smell it; ③.Internally:water decoction, 3~10 grams,or charred the herb with its property retained, prepare to finely ground herb powder and take.Externally:proper amount,prepare to finely ground herb powder and apply stick, or burn with smoke and smell it.
Precautions and Adverse Reactions:should avoid using the herb Fructus Liquidambaris during pregnancy.
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1.Introduction of Lu Lu Tong:Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit or Fructus Liquidambaris.
✵The article gives records of the herb Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit, its English name, Latin name, property and flavor, its botanical source one plant species, ①.Liquidambar formosana Hance., with a detailed introduction to the botanical features of this plant species, the growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant species, the features of the herb Beautiful Sweetgum Fruit, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guide.
Pin Yin Name: Lù Lù Tōnɡ.
Botanical description: Liquidambar formosana Hance is commonly known as Liquidambar formosana, or Fēng Xiāng Shù. Deciduous trees, the tree grows up to 20~40 meters high, DBH (diameter at breast height) is up to 1 meter, bark is taupe (grayish-brown), square peel off; Small branches are gray, pilose, slightly lenticellate; Bud is ovoid, about 1 cm long, slightly piliferous, scaly bracts are coated with resin, turns brownish-black when it is dried, shiny. Leaves are alternate, thinly coriaceous, broadly ovate, palmately 3-lobed, young leaves and leaves on twigs are mostly palmately 5-lobed, 6~12 cm long, 8~15 cm wide, lobes are ovate-triangular or oval (egg-shaped), the apex is caudate acuminate, base is cordate, the margin is serrulate, tooth top has glandular protrusions.
Flowers are unisexual, monoecious, achlamydeous (having no perianth); male flowers are pale yellowish green, form catkin and arrange in a raceme, grow on the branch top; many stamens, filaments are not in equal length; female flowers arrange to spheric capitulum (flower head); 5 calyx teeth, subulate; ovary is semi-inferior, 2-loculed, 2 styles, stigma is curved.
Ecological environment: The plant grows in the evergreen broad-leaved forest of mountainous regions. The plant is distributed in the areas south of the Huaihe River and Qinling mountains, starting from the middle reaches of the Yellow River in the north to Taiwan in the east, southwest, and Guangdong in the south. It is also found in Laos.
Characters of herbs: The herb is a polythalamic fruit (collective fruit), which is made up of many small capsularfruit. The infructescence is globular (spheric shape), 2~3 cm in diameter. The surface is taupe brown (grayish-brown) to tan (chocolate brown), has many spinous persistent calyx teeth and beaked (beak-shaped) style, 0.5~1 mm long, often broken or bent, and many honeycomb holes are found after it is removed. There is a cylindrical stalk at the base, 3~4.5 cm long, the stalk is often broken or only leaves a stalk mark. The top of the capsularfruit is cracked to form a hollow shape, many seeds are visible, underdeveloped seeds are fine and tiny, megagon, about 1 mm in diameter, yellowish-brown to tan (chocolate brown), a few seeds are developed, flat oblong, epipterous (has wings), brown, light, the texture of the herb is hard, uneasy to break. The herb has a slight fragrance and a mild taste. The herb of a better grade is big, yellow, has no mud, and is sessile (has no fruit stalk).
Pharmacological actions: ①.effect on the liver: significant anti-hepatocytotoxic activity, liver protectant; ②.anti-inflammatory effect.
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