Introduction of Hai Feng Teng: Kadsura Pepper Stem
✵This article records the herb Kadsura Pepper Stem, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and its botanical source—namely one plant species: (1) Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi.—with a detailed description of the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this species; the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the herb; its pharmacological actions; medicinal efficacy; and administration guidelines.
Caulis Piperis Kadsurae (Kadsura Pepper Stem)
Pinyin Name: Hǎi Fēnɡ Ténɡ
English Name: Kadsura Pepper Stem
Latin Name:Caulis Piperis Kadsurae Property and Flavor: slightly warm, pungent, bitter
Brief Introduction:Caulis Piperis Kadsurae is the dried stem of Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi., used to dispel wind-dampness, unblock the meridians, disperse cold, and alleviate pain—indicated for wind-damp arthralgia with muscular contracture and traumatic pain. It is commonly known as Caulis Piperis Kadsurae, Kadsura Pepper Stem, or Hǎi Fēnɡ Ténɡ.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Caulis Piperis Kadsurae (Kadsura Pepper Stem) as the dried stem of (1) Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi.—a plant of the genus Piper L., family Piperaceae (pepper family), order Piperales. This commonly used species is described below:
(1) Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi.
Botanical Description:Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi. is also known as Piper futokadsura Sieb. et Zucc.; it is commonly called Fēng Téng or Xì Yè Qīnɡ Lóu Téng. It is a woody vine; young stems bear longitudinal ridges and sparse hairs, and adventitious roots arise at the nodes. Leaves are subcoriaceous to coriaceous, bearing conspicuous white glandular dots; they are ovate to ovate-oblong, 6–12 cm long and 3.5–7 cm wide; the apex is mucronate or obtuse; the base is cordate, rarely rounded; the upper surface is glabrous; the lower surface is pubescent; there are five primary veins, arising from the base or just above it; petioles are 1–1.5 cm long and sometimes pilose; the leaf sheath is confined to the base.
Flowers are unisexual and dioecious, arranged in axillary spikes opposite the leaves. Male inflorescences are 3–5.5 cm long; peduncles are slightly shorter than the petioles; rachises are slightly strigillose; bracts are rounded, subsessile, peltate, ca. 1 mm in diameter, with white coarse hairs on the upper surface; each flower has 2–3 stamens with short filaments. Female inflorescences are shorter than the leaf blade; peduncles and petioles are subequal in length; floral bracts and rachises resemble those of the male inflorescence; the ovary is spherical and free; there are 3–4 linear, pubescent stigmas.
Fruits are globose, brownish-yellow, and 3–4 mm in diameter. Flowering occurs from May to August.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in lowland forests, climbing on trees or rocks.
Growth Characteristics: The plant prefers a warm, moist, and sheltered (low-wind) environment. For cultivation, well-drained fields with deep, fertile, slightly acidic to neutral sandy loam soil are recommended.
Characteristics of the Herb: The stems are flattened cylindrical, slightly flexuous, and of variable length (15–60 cm long, 0.3–2 cm in diameter). The surface is grayish-brown (taupe) or brown, coarse and rough, with longitudinal prismatic ridges and prominent nodes; internodes measure 3–12 cm and are enlarged, bearing adventitious roots. The herb is light in weight; its texture is brittle and easily fractured; the fracture surface is irregular, with a narrow cortex and a broad xylem; grayish-yellow and grayish-white radial striations are visible, along with numerous small lenticels; cracks often occur at the junction of cortex and xylem; the pith is grayish-brown and centrally located. The herb has an aromatic odor and tastes slightly bitter and pungent.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) increases nutritive blood flow in mice and reduces vascular resistance in the ischemic collateral circulation of dogs; (2) exhibits beneficial effects in coronary heart disease and cerebral thrombosis; (3) antagonizes arterial hypotension.
Medicinal efficacy: Dispels wind-dampness, unblocks meridians and collaterals, regulates Qi, alleviates pain, and relieves numbness. It is indicated for wind-cold-damp arthralgia with fixed pain, limb and joint pain, muscle spasm and tension, muscular contracture, impaired flexion and extension, abdominal pain, flatulence, and edema.
Administration of Caulis Piperis Kadsurae (Hǎi Fēnɡ Ténɡ):
Reference:
Administration Guide of Caulis Piperis Kadsurae (Hǎi Fēnɡ Ténɡ)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 6–12 grams; (2) Internally: decoction in water, 2–5 qián (≈6–15 grams), or prepared as a wine infusion; (3) Internally: decoction in water, 6–15 grams, or prepared as a wine infusion.
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1.Introduction of Hai Feng Teng: Kadsura Pepper Stem
✵This article records the herb Kadsura Pepper Stem, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and its botanical source—namely one plant species: (1) Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi.—with a detailed description of the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this species; the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the herb; its pharmacological actions; medicinal efficacy; and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Hǎi Fēnɡ Ténɡ
Botanical Description: Piper kadsura (Choisy) Ohwi. is also known as Piper futokadsura Sieb. et Zucc.; it is commonly called Fēng Téng or Xì Yè Qīnɡ Lóu Téng. It is a woody vine; young stems bear longitudinal ridges and sparse hairs, and adventitious roots arise at the nodes. Leaves are subcoriaceous to coriaceous, bearing conspicuous white glandular dots; they are ovate to ovate-oblong, 6–12 cm long and 3.5–7 cm wide; the apex is mucronate or obtuse; the base is cordate, rarely rounded; the upper surface is glabrous; the lower surface is pubescent; there are five primary veins, arising from the base or just above it; petioles are 1–1.5 cm long and sometimes pilose; the leaf sheath is confined to the base.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in lowland forests, climbing on trees or rocks.
Characteristics of the Herb: The stems are flattened cylindrical, slightly flexuous, and of variable length (15–60 cm long, 0.3–2 cm in diameter). The surface is grayish-brown (taupe) or brown, coarse and rough, with longitudinal prismatic ridges and prominent nodes; internodes measure 3–12 cm and are enlarged, bearing adventitious roots. The herb is light in weight; its texture is brittle and easily fractured; the fracture surface is irregular, with a narrow cortex and a broad xylem; grayish-yellow and grayish-white radial striations are visible, along with numerous small lenticels; cracks often occur at the junction of cortex and xylem; the pith is grayish-brown and centrally located. The herb has an aromatic odor and tastes slightly bitter and pungent.
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