Herbal Textual Research on Equiseti Hiemalis Herba in Famous Classical Formulas / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

In this paper， the name， origin， medicinal parts， producing area， harvesting， processing methods and efficacy of Equiseti Hiemalis Herba（EHH） in famous classical formulas were examined by reviewing related ancient and modern literature. Through textual research， Muzei was first appeared in Zhenyuan Guanglifang（《贞元广利方》）， and used as a mainstream name by later generations. It is also known by other names， such as Cuocao and Bigancao. The main origin of ancient EHH was Equisetum hyemale， which was mixed with E. ramosissimum during the Qing dynasty. The medicinal part was the above-ground part of EHH. In ancient times， the genuine producing area was considered to be Qinzhou， which is now Tianshui city， Gansu. In modern times， EHH produced in Liaoning province is believed to be of higher quality. Currently， the main producing area of EHH circulating in the market is the northeast region in China. EHH with stems that are thick and long， a green color， a thick texture， and clearly visible edges and roughness， but without any easily separating joints being considered the best. The processing methods of the past dynasties mainly included filing， removing knots， stir-baked the crude drugs into black on outside and brown in inside， urine soaking， sun drying and shade drying. In modern times， the main processing method is to first moisturize the plant material， and then cut it into sections before drying. In terms of medicinal properties， EHH is considered by both ancient and modern medicine to have a neutral nature， a slightly sweet and bitter taste， and is non-toxic. Its primary therapeutic effects are related to treating eye diseases， intestinal wind bleeding and uterine bleeding. Based on the research， it is suggested that the dried above-ground part of E. hiemale be used in the development and utilization of famous classical formulas. For the processing requirements are not indicated， it is suggested using raw decoction pieces as medicine， and the processing method refers to the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia. If it is clearly stated that fried charcoal is required， it is recommended to refer to general requirements 0213 of the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， if it is clearly stated that removing knots is required， it is recommended to follow the ancient method.