✵The article records the herb Big Thistle Herb—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source (one plant species: (1) Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.), and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this species; the morphological features of the herb itself; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici
Pinyin Name: Dà Jì
English Name: Big Thistle Herb
Latin Name:Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici Properties and Flavor: Cool, sweet, and bitter
Brief Introduction:Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici is the dried aerial part or root of Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC., used as a hemostatic agent for treating hematemesis and hematuria due to blood-heat syndrome; it is also used in the treatment of hepatitis and hypertension. The herb is commonly referred to as Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici or Dà Jì.
Botanical source: Classical herbal works define Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici as the dried aerial part or root of (1) Cirsium japonicum DC. (syn. Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.). It is a perennial herb belonging to the genus Cirsium Mill. emend. Scop., family Asteraceae (Compositae; aster or daisy family), order Asterales. This commonly used species is described below:
(1) Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.
Botanical Description:Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC. is commonly known as Cirsium japonicum DC., Dà Jì (meaning “Big Thistle”), or Shān Luó Bo (meaning “Mountain Radish”). It is a perennial herb with a fusiform (spindle-shaped) or radish-shaped tuberous root, 7 mm in diameter. Stems are erect, 30–80 cm tall, branched or unbranched, ribbed, and bear dense or sparse multicellular long hairs; the subterminal portion is whitish and densely tomentose. Basal leaves are petiolate; leaf blades are oblanceolate or obovate-elliptic, 8–20 cm long and 2.5–8 cm wide, pinnately parted or nearly deeply divided; the base tapers gradually into a short or elongated pterygoid petiole, with spines along the petiole margin. Lateral lobes occur in 6–12 pairs; middle lateral lobes are larger, while those above and below are progressively smaller; margins are dentate, with spines at the tips of the teeth. Leaves ascending from the base become gradually smaller, retain the same shape and degree of division as basal leaves, but are sessile, with an enlarged, semi-amplexicaul base. All cauline leaves are uniformly green on both surfaces, with sparse hairs along the veins.
Capitula (flower heads) are erect, solitary or several clustered at the stem apex, forming a conical inflorescence; the general involucre is campanulate (bell-shaped), ~3 cm in diameter; phyllaries are arranged in 6 imbricate layers, increasing in length toward the inner layers. Outer and middle-layer phyllaries are ovate-triangular to lanceolate-triangular, with short apical spines; inner-layer phyllaries are lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acuminate, with soft, needle-like tips. Flowers are hermaphroditic and all tubular (tubiform florets); corollas are purple or prunus-colored (violet-red), 1.5–2 cm long, 5-lobed; lobes are shorter than those grow on the lower, swollen portion of the corolla tube. There are 5 stamens; the anther apex bears a connective appendage (a membranous tag), and the base is tailed.
Achenes are oblong-ovoid, slightly oblate, ~4 mm long; pappus is pinnate, dark gray, and slightly shorter than the corolla. Flowering occurs from May to August; fruiting occurs from June to August.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in forests, forest margins, thickets, grasslands, wastelands, fields, roadsides, and along streams on hillsides, at altitudes of 400–2,100 m above sea level.
Growth Characteristics:Cirsium japonicum prefers a warm, moist climate and exhibits tolerance to cold and drought. It has strong adaptability and is not highly demanding regarding soil type. For cultivation, fields with deep, loose, fertile sandy loam or loam soils are recommended.
Characteristics of the Herb: Big Thistle Herb: The stem is cylindrical, 0.5–1.5 cm in diameter, with a basal diameter of 1.2 cm. The surface is olive-brown (greenish brown) or tan (chocolate brown), bearing longitudinal ridges and covered with ash-gray (grayish-white) tomentum. The herb is loose and crisp in texture; the fracture surface is yellowish white, with a white, often hollow pith. Leaves are shriveled and mostly fragmented. When flattened, intact leaves are oblanceolate or obovate-elliptic, pinnately parted, with unequal-length spines along the margins. The upper surface is celadon (sage green) or yellowish brown; the lower surface is paler and bears white hairs on both surfaces. The capitula (flower heads) are terminal, spheric (globular) or elliptic; the involucres are withered-yellow; the bracts are lanceolate and arranged in 4–6 imbricate layers; the pappus is pinnate (feather-like), yellowish white or grayish white. The herb has a faint odor and a mild taste.
The roots are long fusiform (spindle-shaped), often fasciculate and twisted, 5–15 cm in length and approximately 1 cm in diameter. The surface is dark brown, with longitudinal wrinkles. The texture is hard and crisp, brittle upon fracture; the fracture surface is coarse and uneven, with a thin cortex that is tan (chocolate brown) and marked by fine fissures (rimulae); the xylem is off-white (whitish). The herb has a distinctive odor and a slightly bitter, astringent taste.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Antihypertensive effect; (2) Antimicrobial effect: In vitro tests show that decoctions of Big Thistle root or distilled liquid from the whole herb inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium hominis. Ethanol extracts also exhibit inhibitory activity against M. hominis; (3) Cytotoxic effect on ascites tumor cells.
Medicinal Efficacy: Cools the blood, stops bleeding, disperses blood stasis, detoxifies, and reduces swelling. It is indicated for hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistaxis (nasal bleeding or bleeding from the orifices or subcutaneous tissues), hematuria, hematochezia, bloody strangury (strangury accompanied by hematuria), menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, abnormal leukorrhea, hepatitis, nephritis, hemorrhoidal bleeding, acute appendicitis, large carbuncles and toxic swellings, traumatic injuries, furuncles and malignant boils, scrofula (lymph node tuberculosis), and eczema.
Administration of Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici (Dà Jì):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici (Dà Jì)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 9–15 grams of dried herb; (2) Internally: water decoction, 1.5–3 qian (≈4.5–9 grams); fresh herb, 1–2 liang (≈30–60 grams); juice extraction or powdered herb preparation. External use: crush and apply topically, or extract juice and smear onto affected areas; (3) Internally:water decoction, 5–10 grams; fresh herb, 30–60 grams. External use: apply an appropriate amount—crushed herb as a poultice. For enhanced hemostatic effect, carbonize by stir-frying until charred.
Contraindications, Precautions, and Adverse Reactions: Herba seu Radix Cirsii Japonici should not be processed or decocted in iron utensils.
✵The article records the herb Big Thistle Herb—its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source (one plant species: (1) Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC.), and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical features, growth characteristics, and ecological environment of this species; the morphological features of the herb itself; its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Dà Jì
Botanical Description: Cirsium japonicum Fisch. ex DC. is commonly known as Cirsium japonicum DC., Dà Jì (meaning “Big Thistle”), or Shān Luó Bo (meaning “Mountain Radish”). It is a perennial herb with a fusiform (spindle-shaped) or radish-shaped tuberous root, 7 mm in diameter. Stems are erect, 30–80 cm tall, branched or unbranched, ribbed, and bear dense or sparse multicellular long hairs; the subterminal portion is whitish and densely tomentose. Basal leaves are petiolate; leaf blades are oblanceolate or obovate-elliptic, 8–20 cm long and 2.5–8 cm wide, pinnately parted or nearly deeply divided; the base tapers gradually into a short or elongated pterygoid petiole, with spines along the petiole margin. Lateral lobes occur in 6–12 pairs; middle lateral lobes are larger, while those above and below are progressively smaller; margins are dentate, with spines at the tips of the teeth. Leaves ascending from the base become gradually smaller, retain the same shape and degree of division as basal leaves, but are sessile, with an enlarged, semi-amplexicaul base. All cauline leaves are uniformly green on both surfaces, with sparse hairs along the veins.
Capitula (flower heads) are erect, solitary or several clustered at the stem apex, forming a conical inflorescence; the general involucre is campanulate (bell-shaped), ~3 cm in diameter; phyllaries are arranged in 6 imbricate layers, increasing in length toward the inner layers. Outer and middle-layer phyllaries are ovate-triangular to lanceolate-triangular, with short apical spines; inner-layer phyllaries are lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, acuminate, with soft, needle-like tips. Flowers are hermaphroditic and all tubular (tubiform florets); corollas are purple or prunus-colored (violet-red), 1.5–2 cm long, 5-lobed; lobes are shorter than those grow on the lower, swollen portion of the corolla tube. There are 5 stamens; the anther apex bears a connective appendage (a membranous tag), and the base is tailed.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in forests, forest margins, thickets, grasslands, wastelands, fields, roadsides, and along streams on hillsides, at altitudes of 400–2,100 m above sea level.
The roots are long fusiform (spindle-shaped), often fasciculate and twisted, 5–15 cm in length and approximately 1 cm in diameter. The surface is dark brown, with longitudinal wrinkles. The texture is hard and crisp, brittle upon fracture; the fracture surface is coarse and uneven, with a thin cortex that is tan (chocolate brown) and marked by fine fissures (rimulae); the xylem is off-white (whitish). The herb has a distinctive odor and a slightly bitter, astringent taste.
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