Herba spirodelae a.k.a Spirodela (Fuping) - TCM Materia Medica compiled by Raymond Cheng PhD DPA @ Traditional Chinese Medicine Basics (TCMBasics.com) - TCM theories, resources, herbs, materia medica

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Pharmaceutical Name

Herba spirodelae

Botanical Name

Spirodela polyrrhiza (L.) Schield.

Common Name

Spirodela, Duckweed

Source of Earliest Record

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations

The whole plant is gathered in summer, cleaned and dried in the sun.

Properties & Taste

Pungent and cold

Meridians

Lung and urinary bladder

Functions

1. To promote sweating and release the exterior: 2. To bring measles rash to the surface and relieve itching: 3. To remove water and reduce swelling

Indications & Combinations

1. Wind-heat type of exterior syndrome. Spirodela (Fuping) is used with Schizonepeta (Jingjie), Mentha (Bohe) and Forsythia fruit (Lianqiao). 2. Measles without full expression of rash. Spirodela (Fuping) is used with Mentha (Bohe), Arctium fruit (Niubangzi) and Cicada slough (Chantui). 3. Wind-heat type of incomplete rashes and itching of the skin. Spirodela (Fuping) is used with Mentha (Bohe) and Arctium fruit (Niubangzi). 4. Edema and difficult urination accompanied by exterior syndrome. Spirodela (Fuping) can be mashed and taken alone.

Dosage

3-10 g

Cautions & Contraindications

This herb is contraindicated in cases with weak constitution and spontaneous sweating.

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WHAT IS TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?
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With over 3000 years of experience, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has remain one of the many fascinating areas in ancient Chinese culture. First known to be documented in the Yellow Emperor's Canon of Medicine, TCM is believed to have been practised in as early as 475 to 221 B.C. The field of working knowledge of TCM stretches from anything related to general healthcare practice to the philosophy of the mind, the logic of life, religion, and even to as far as cosmology and astronumerology. This is why in order to thoroughly understand the concepts behind TCM, one must be comprehensive in learning and embracing the Chinese culture as a whole.

Just as Douglas Hoff put it when he explained about accupuncture, "The systems of TCM uses the concepts of elements and meridians and are completely immersed in the Asian cosmology which takes shape through the religions." The meridian-brain mechanism, the fundamental working concept of acupuncture, in which the pain block from the message that the needle or burning cone of herbs gives to the point of stimulus, was only found centuries later by the West through science and technology.

MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR – MARCH 2020

Raymond Cheng, PhD DPA Thank you for visiting this TCM and acupuncture information website. If you have previously been to this website, you might have noticed that some of the pages on ancient historical ideas and holistic thinkings related to Chinese metaphysics are temporarily taken offline. This is because I will be revamping the whole website and be moving those information into a new \"Ancient Chinese Culture\" section so as to reflect a more current perspective on the interpretation of some of the fundamental concepts as well as to include some of the latest information in the area. But if you have just found this website for the very first time, I welcome you again and wish you could find what you require and, hopefully, you could also be benefitted from reading the articles I published on this website.

Please be patient and do come and check out this website frequently as it's being revamped.

Raymond Cheng, PhD DPA FRSA FRSPH

March 28, 2020.

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