✵The article records the herb Chinese Thorowax Root—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, and botanical sources: two plant species, (1) Bupleurum chinense DC. and (2) Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two plants; the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the herb Chinese Thorowax Root; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Radix Bupleuri (Chinese Thorowax Root)
Pinyin Name: Chái Hú
English Name: Chinese Thorowax Root
Latin Name:Radix Bupleuri Properties and Flavors: slightly cold, bitter, pungent
Brief Introduction:Radix Bupleuri is the dried root of Bupleurum chinense DC. or Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd., used (1) to reduce fever and relieve alternating chills and fever, (2) to soothe liver Qi stagnation and alleviate hypochondriac and thoracic pain, and (3) to lift spleen Qi and correct visceral prolapse.
Botanical Source:Radix Bupleuri (Chinese Thorowax Root) is the dried root of (1) Bupleurum chinense DC. or (2) Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd., both belonging to the genus Bupleurum, family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae, parsley family), order Apiales. These two commonly used species are described below:
(1) Bupleurum chinense DC.
Botanical Description:Bupleurum chinense DC. is commonly known as North Bupleurum or Mountain Bupleurum. It is a perennial herb growing up to 40–85 cm tall. The taproot is thick, large, hard, and firm. The stem grows singly or in clusters; the upper part is highly branched and slightly zigzag. Leaves are alternate: basal leaves are oblanceolate or narrowly elliptical, 4–7 cm long and 6–8 mm wide, with an acuminate apex and a petiole-forming base; cauline leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 4–12 cm long and 6–18 mm wide (occasionally up to 3 cm wide), with an acuminate or sharply pointed apex ending in a short awn, and a sheath-forming, amplexicaul (stem-clasping) base bearing 7–9 veins; the upper surface is emerald green (bright green), and the lower surface is light green, often glaucous.
Compound umbels are ramose (many-branched), terminal or lateral, with thin pedicels usually protruding horizontally to form a loose conical shape; involucral bracts number 2–3 or are absent, narrowly lanceolate, 1–5 mm long and 0.5–1.2 mm wide, rarely with 1–5 veins; umbel rays number 3–8, slender and unequal in length (1–3 cm); bracteoles (bractlets) number 5–7, lanceolate, 3–3.5 mm long and 0.6–1 mm wide, with a sharp apex and 3 veins, bulging toward the abaxial surface of the leaf blade; each umbellule comprises 5–10 flowers; pedicels (flower stalks) are ~1.2 mm long and 1.2–1.8 mm in diameter; petals are bright yellow, with the upper part inflexed, the midrib elevated, the ligule semicircular, and the apex bilobed; the stylopodium is deep yellow and wider than the ovary.
Cremocarps are broad-ovoid, brown, slightly flattened on both sides, 2.5–3 mm long, with narrow aliform (wing-like) margins, light brown in color; each marginal groove contains 3 vittae (oil ducts), rarely 4; the commissure bears 4 vittae. Flowering occurs from July to September; fruiting from September to November.
Growth Characteristics: This plant grows in sunny, dry, barren hillsides, along roadsides, in shrubs at forest edges, or in grassy fields. It prefers a warm, moist climate but is tolerant of cold and drought; it does not tolerate waterlogging. For cultivation, well-drained, sunny, sloping mountain sites with deep, loose, fertile, humus-rich sandy loam soil are optimal. Heavy clay soils or low-lying, poorly drained land should be avoided.
Characteristics of the Herb: The root is conical or cylindrical, sometimes slightly curved, 6–15 cm long and 0.3–1.2 cm in diameter, usually branched. The root head is enlarged, with several residual stem bases or short fibrous leaf bases at the apex. The surface is taupe (grayish brown) or tan (chocolate brown), bearing longitudinal wrinkles, rootlet scars, and lenticels. It is hard and tough, difficult to break; the fracture surface is fibrous, with a light brown cortex and a yellow-white xylem. The herb has a faintly fragrant odor and a slightly bitter and pungent taste. High-grade herb material is thick, long, free of stem remnants, and has few fibrous roots.
The roots are harvested in spring or autumn, shaken to remove soil and mud, and sun-dried.
Medicinal Efficacy: Dispelling wind and clearing heat, regulating stagnant liver Qi to relieve Qi stagnation, uplifting Yang Qi, clearing the gallbladder and preventing malaria; it is mainly indicated for cold and fever, alternating chills and fever, malaria, distension and pain in the chest and hypochondrium, irregular menstruation, uterine prolapse, and rectocele.
Administration of Radix Bupleuri (Chái Hú):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Radix Bupleuri (Chái Hú)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–9 grams; (2) water decoction, 0.8–1.5 qián (approximately 2.4–4.5 grams), or prepared as pills or powder; (3) water decoction, 3–10 grams, ground into fine herbal powder and formulated into pills or powder. External use: appropriate amount, applied as a wash with decoction or as finely ground herb powder.
Precautions: The dried rhizome of Bupleurum longiradiatum Turcz. is toxic; knotty growths are densely present on it and it must not be mistakenly used as Radix Bupleuri.
(2) Bupeurum scorzonerifolium Willd.
Botanical Description:Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd. is commonly known as Soft-Seedling Bupleurum, Narrow-Leaf Bupleurum, Red Bupleurum, Small Bupleurum, or Southern Bupleurum; its root is commonly known as Red Thorowax Root. The plant is a perennial herb, growing up to 30–65 cm tall. The taproot is well-developed and conical; the outer root bark is reddish-brown, loose, and slightly brittle. Stems are solitary or sparsely branched and bear numerous brownish-red or blackish-brown petiole remnants. Leaves are thin and filiform (linear), 6–16 cm long and 2–7 mm wide; the apex is long-acuminate, the base tapers slightly and is amplexicaul (stem-clasping), thick, slightly rigid and stiff, usually folded or involute (rolled inward); there are 3–7 veins, and the leaf margin is white and cartilaginous. Upper leaves are smaller but of the same shape. Involucral bracts: 1–4, aciculiform (needle-like), extremely slender and minute, with 1–3 veins, often early deciduous; involucel bracts: 5, linear-lanceolate, thin and acute.
The umbellule consists of 9–11 flowers, rarely as few as 6 or as many as 15; pedicel (flower stalk) length is 1–1.5 mm.
The cremocarp is dark brown; the ribs are light brown, thick and obtuse, and slightly convex; each marginal groove contains 5–6 vittae (oil ducts), and the commissure bears 4–6 vittae. Flowering occurs from July to September; fruiting occurs from September to November.
Growth Characteristics: The plant grows in dry grasslands, shrublands, sunny mountain slopes, and forest margins.
Characteristics of the Herb: Roots are conical-acuminate, sparingly branched, 5–14 cm long and 0.3–0.8 cm in diameter; the surface is reddish-brown or dark brown, marked with longitudinal lines and numerous transverse, small, verrucose protrusions near the root head—some nearly forming annular lines; the apex is densely covered with fibrous leaf bases. The herb is hard and brittle, breaking easily; the fracture surface is slightly flat and light brown; the cambial ring is somewhat darker in color. It has a mild fragrance and an odor reminiscent of rancid oil. Higher-grade material is thick, long, free of stem fragments, and has fewer fibrous roots.
✵The article records the herb Chinese Thorowax Root—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavors, and botanical sources: two plant species, (1) Bupleurum chinense DC. and (2) Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd.—with a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environments of these two plants; the macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of the herb Chinese Thorowax Root; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Chái Hú
Botanical Description: Bupleurum chinense DC. is commonly known as North Bupleurum or Mountain Bupleurum. It is a perennial herb growing up to 40–85 cm tall. The taproot is thick, large, hard, and firm. The stem grows singly or in clusters; the upper part is highly branched and slightly zigzag. Leaves are alternate: basal leaves are oblanceolate or narrowly elliptical, 4–7 cm long and 6–8 mm wide, with an acuminate apex and a petiole-forming base; cauline leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 4–12 cm long and 6–18 mm wide (occasionally up to 3 cm wide), with an acuminate or sharply pointed apex ending in a short awn, and a sheath-forming, amplexicaul (stem-clasping) base bearing 7–9 veins; the upper surface is emerald green (bright green), and the lower surface is light green, often glaucous.
Growth Characteristics: This plant grows in sunny, dry, barren hillsides, along roadsides, in shrubs at forest edges, or in grassy fields. It prefers a warm, moist climate but is tolerant of cold and drought; it does not tolerate waterlogging. For cultivation, well-drained, sunny, sloping mountain sites with deep, loose, fertile, humus-rich sandy loam soil are optimal. Heavy clay soils or low-lying, poorly drained land should be avoided.
Botanical Description: Bupleurum scorzonerifolium Willd. is commonly known as Soft-Seedling Bupleurum, Narrow-Leaf Bupleurum, Red Bupleurum, Small Bupleurum, or Southern Bupleurum; its root is commonly known as Red Thorowax Root. The plant is a perennial herb, growing up to 30–65 cm tall. The taproot is well-developed and conical; the outer root bark is reddish-brown, loose, and slightly brittle. Stems are solitary or sparsely branched and bear numerous brownish-red or blackish-brown petiole remnants. Leaves are thin and filiform (linear), 6–16 cm long and 2–7 mm wide; the apex is long-acuminate, the base tapers slightly and is amplexicaul (stem-clasping), thick, slightly rigid and stiff, usually folded or involute (rolled inward); there are 3–7 veins, and the leaf margin is white and cartilaginous. Upper leaves are smaller but of the same shape. Involucral bracts: 1–4, aciculiform (needle-like), extremely slender and minute, with 1–3 veins, often early deciduous; involucel bracts: 5, linear-lanceolate, thin and acute.
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