Galla Chinensis

Detailed Product Description

Properties: Sour and astringent in flavour, cold in nature, it is tropistic to the lung, large intestine and kidney channels. Being sour and astringent, it has effects of astringing the lung and bowels, arresting spermatorrhea. and perspiration. Its effects are similar to those of Fructus Schisandrae. It is used for chronic cough and diarrhea, spontaneous emission and perspiration as well as night sweat. However, owing to its cold nature, it also functions in clearing heat and when it astring, it purges as well. It is used preferentially to treat patients with inability to preserve body essence due to deficiency and with concomitant heat in the interior.

Effects: Astringing the lung and reducing pathogenic fire, arresting spermatorrhea, astringing bowels, stopping bleeding and sweating.

Indications:

1. For chronic cough due to deficiency of the lung, it is used with herbs for replenishing the lung to relieve cough and asthma, such as Radix Codonopsis Pilosulae, Rhizoma Discoreae, Radix Ophiopogonis, Fructus Schisandrae, Semen Armeniacae Amartum, etc. For cough due to lung-heat, it is used with herbs for clearing away lung-heat and phlegm, such as Fructus Trichosanthis, Bulbus Fritillariae, Rhizoma Phragmitis, egc.

2. For night sweating due to Yin-deficiency, and spontaneous perspiration because of Qi-deficiency, it is often used with drugs for consolidating the superficial resistance to stop sweating, such as Concha Ostreae, Fructus Corni, Fructus Schisandrae, Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae, etc.

3. For spermatorrhea and frequent urination due to kidney-deficiency, it is used with herbs for invigorating the kidney to preserve essence, such as Rhizoma Dioscoreae, Fructus Psoraleae, Concha Ostreae, Fructus Alpiniae Oxyphyllae, etc.

4. For chronic diarrhea and dysentery, it is used with herbs for astringing intestines and to arrest diarrhea, such as Fructus Chebulae, Halloysitum Rubrum, Fructus Schisandrae, etc. For protracted diarrhea and proclapse of rectum, it is decocted alone in water and used as an external lotion.