Introduction of Pei Lan:Fortune Eupatorium Herb or Herba Eupatorii.
✵The article records the herb Fortune Eupatorium Herb—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—a single plant species, Eupatorium fortunei Turcz., and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant species, as well as the characteristics of the herb, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Herba Eupatorii (Fortune Eupatorium Herb)
Pinyin Name: Pèi Lán
English Name: Fortune Eupatorium Herb
Latin Name:Herba Eupatorii Properties and Flavor: Neutral; pungent.
Brief Introduction:Herba Eupatorii consists of the aerial parts of Eupatorium fortunei Turcz. It is used to resolve dampness, relieve nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distension—especially in summer-heat disorders. Common names include Fortune Eupatorium Herb, Herba Eupatorii, and Pèi Lán.
Botanical Source: Classical herbal works define Herba Eupatorii (Fortune Eupatorium Herb) as the dried aerial parts of Eupatorium fortunei Turcz., a perennial herb of the genus Eupatorium, family Asteraceae (Compositae), order Asterales (formerly in order Campanulales). This widely used species is described below:
(1) Eupatorium fortunei Turcz.
Botanical Description: Also known as Eupatorium chinense L. var. tripartitum Miq. or Pèi Lán, this perennial herb grows 40–100 cm tall. The rhizome is decumbent and reddish-brown. The stem is erect, green or reddish-violet, smooth and glabrous in the lower portion. Leaves are opposite: basal and lower cauline leaves are often withered; middle cauline leaves have short petioles and larger blades, typically trisected or deeply 3-parted, with the middle lobe largest—oblong-ovate or lanceolate-elliptic, 5–10 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide; upper cauline leaves are smaller, often undivided—or all cauline leaves may be undivided—with an acuminate apex and coarsely serrate or irregularly serrulate margins. Both leaf surfaces are smooth or sparsely pubescent along the veins; glandular dots are absent.
Capitula (flower heads) are predominantly terminal, grow at branch tips in compound corymbs 3–6 cm in diameter. The general involucre is campanulate, 6–7 mm long. Involucral bracts are arranged in 2–3 imbricate layers: outer bracts are short and ovate-lanceolate; middle and inner bracts gradually lengthen. All bracts are purplish-red, glabrous externally, lacking glandular points, with obtuse apices. Each capitulum bears 4–6 flowers—white or slightly reddish, tubular (tubiform), hermaphroditic. The corolla is externally glabrous and lacks glandular points, with a 5-dentate apex. There are 5 stamens fused into a synandrium, 1 pistil, an inferior ovary, and a bifurcated stigma that extends beyond the corolla.
Achenes are cylindrical, dark brown to blackish-brown at maturity, 3–4 mm long, with 5 longitudinal ridges, glabrous, and lacking glandular points. Pappi are white, ~5 mm long. Flowering and fruiting occur from July to November.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in shrubby habitats along roadsides and stream banks. It is rare in open wild fields and is commonly cultivated. Wild populations occur in bushes along roadsides and gullies.
Growth Characteristics: Eupatorium fortunei prefers warm, moist climates; it is cold-tolerant but drought-sensitive and intolerant of waterlogging. Growth slows below 19 °C (66.2 °F) and accelerates under high temperature and humidity. Soil requirements are not stringent; loose, fertile, well-drained sandy loam is optimal for cultivation.
Characteristics of the Herb: The stem is cylindrical, 30–100 cm long and 2–5 mm in diameter. The surface is yellowish-brown or yellow-green—sometimes purple—with prominent nodes and longitudinal ridges; internode length is 3–7 cm. The texture is brittle; the fracture surface reveals a white or hollow pith. Leaves are opposite and petiolate, mostly withered and fragmented. When flattened, intact leaves are usually trisected, with oblong or oblong-lanceolate lobes, serrate margins, and greenish-brown or dark green (sap-green) surfaces. Undivided leaves are ovoid, ovate-lanceolate, or oval after flattening. The herb has a distinctive aromatic fragrance and a slightly bitter taste.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Inhibitory effect against influenza virus; (2) transient suppression of the estrous cycle and inhibition of ovulation in mice; (3) antibacterial activity.
Medicinal Efficacy: Aromatically resolves dampness, clears summer-heat, dispels turbidity, awakens the Spleen and stimulates appetite, releases exterior pathogens in summer-heat disorders, relieves summer-heat and exterior syndrome, harmonizes the Middle Energizer, and regulates menstruation. It is indicated for turbid-damp obstruction of the Middle Energizer; summer-heat and dampness invasion; internal accumulation of damp pathogen; headache with alternating chills and fever; epigastric distension and fullness; nausea and vomiting; sweet and greasy sensation in the mouth; halitosis; excessive salivation; summer-damp exterior syndrome; headache with distension and chest tightness; and irregular menstruation.
Administration of Herba Eupatorii (Pèi Lán):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Herba Eupatorii (Pèi Lán)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–9 grams dried herb, decocted in water; (2) Internally: water decoction, 1.5–3 qián (≈4.5–9 grams) of dried herb, or 3–5 qián (≈9–15 grams) of fresh herb, prepared as a decoction, pill, or powder; (3) Internally: water decoction, 6–10 grams dried herb in decoction; fresh herb may be used at 15–20 grams.
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1.Introduction of Pei Lan: Fortune Eupatorium Herb
✵The article records the herb Fortune Eupatorium Herb—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—a single plant species, Eupatorium fortunei Turcz., and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this plant species, as well as the characteristics of the herb, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Pèi Lán
Botanical Description: Also known as Eupatorium chinense L. var. tripartitum Miq. or Pèi Lán, this perennial herb grows 40–100 cm tall. The rhizome is decumbent and reddish-brown. The stem is erect, green or reddish-violet, smooth and glabrous in the lower portion. Leaves are opposite: basal and lower cauline leaves are often withered; middle cauline leaves have short petioles and larger blades, typically trisected or deeply 3-parted, with the middle lobe largest—oblong-ovate or lanceolate-elliptic, 5–10 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide; upper cauline leaves are smaller, often undivided—or all cauline leaves may be undivided—with an acuminate apex and coarsely serrate or irregularly serrulate margins. Both leaf surfaces are smooth or sparsely pubescent along the veins; glandular dots are absent.
Capitula (flower heads) are predominantly terminal, grow at branch tips in compound corymbs 3–6 cm in diameter. The general involucre is campanulate, 6–7 mm long. Involucral bracts are arranged in 2–3 imbricate layers: outer bracts are short and ovate-lanceolate; middle and inner bracts gradually lengthen. All bracts are purplish-red, glabrous externally, lacking glandular points, with obtuse apices. Each capitulum bears 4–6 flowers—white or slightly reddish, tubular (tubiform), hermaphroditic. The corolla is externally glabrous and lacks glandular points, with a 5-dentate apex. There are 5 stamens fused into a synandrium, 1 pistil, an inferior ovary, and a bifurcated stigma that extends beyond the corolla.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in shrubby habitats along roadsides and stream banks. It is rare in open wild fields and is commonly cultivated. Wild populations occur in bushes along roadsides and gullies.
Characteristics of the Herb: The stem is cylindrical, 30–100 cm long and 2–5 mm in diameter. The surface is yellowish-brown or yellow-green—sometimes purple—with prominent nodes and longitudinal ridges; internode length is 3–7 cm. The texture is brittle; the fracture surface reveals a white or hollow pith. Leaves are opposite and petiolate, mostly withered and fragmented. When flattened, intact leaves are usually trisected, with oblong or oblong-lanceolate lobes, serrate margins, and greenish-brown or dark green (sap-green) surfaces. Undivided leaves are ovoid, ovate-lanceolate, or oval after flattening. The herb has a distinctive aromatic fragrance and a slightly bitter taste.
Medicinal Efficacy: Aromatically resolves dampness, clears summer-heat, dispels turbidity, awakens the Spleen and stimulates appetite, releases exterior pathogens in summer-heat disorders, relieves summer-heat and exterior syndrome, harmonizes the Middle Energizer, and regulates menstruation. It is indicated for turbid-damp obstruction of the Middle Energizer; summer-heat and dampness invasion; internal accumulation of damp pathogen; headache with alternating chills and fever; epigastric distension and fullness; nausea and vomiting; sweet and greasy sensation in the mouth; halitosis; excessive salivation; summer-damp exterior syndrome; headache with distension and chest tightness; and irregular menstruation.
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