Bamboo shavings (ZHU RU)
Pharmaceutical Name:
Caulis Bambusae In Taeniis
Botanical Name:
Bambusa tuldoides Munro, Sinocalamus beecheyanus (Munro) McClure var. pubescens P. F. Li, or Phyllostachys nigra (Lodd.) Munro var. henonis (Mitf.) Stapf ex Rendle (Fam. Poaceae)
Common Name:
Bamboo shavings
Part Used:
Dried middle shavings of stem
Caulis Bambusae In Taeniis is produced mainly in southern China. It is collected in all seasons, used fresh or after being dried in sunlight, or used stirbaked with ginger juice.
Properties Taste & Meridians:
Sweet in flavor, slightly cold in property, acts on the Lung, Stomach, and Gallbladder channels.
Functions:
Resolves Phlegm Heat, relieves restlessness, and stops vomiting.
Indications & Combinations:
1. For cough with thick, yellow sputum due to Lung Heat and for restlessness due to accumulation of Phlegm Heat in the Heart. For cough due to Lung Heat, it is used with Radix Scutellariae (Huang Qin) and Fructus Trichosanthis (Gua Lou). For stuffiness in the chest, copious sputum, and insomnia due to restlessness, it is used with Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (Chen Pi), Sclerotium Poriae Cocos (Fu Ling), Rhizoma Pinelliae (Ban Xia), and Fructus Aurantii Immaturus (Zhi Shi) in the “Warm the Gallbladder Decoction” (Wen Dan Tang).
2. For vomiting due to Stomach Heat, it is used with Rhizoma Coptidis (Huang Lian). For vomiting due to Stomach Heat accompanied with Stomach Deficiency, it can be used with Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (Chen Pi), Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens (Sheng Jiang), and Radix Ginseng (Ren Shen) in “The Pericarpium Citri Rericulatae and Caulis Bambusae in Taeniis Decoction” (Ju Pi Zhu Ru Tang).
Dosage and administration:
6–10 g, decocted in water for an oral dose.
Precautions:
