[content]

Today ephedra is the dried herbaceous stem of ephedra Ephedra sinica Stapf, ephedra Ephedra Intermedia Schrenk et C. A. Mey. or Common Scouring Rush Herb ephedra Ephedra equisetina Bge. Grass ephedra is mainly produced in Datong, Hunyuan, Shanyang, Shanxi, Yuxian, Huai'an, Weichang, Hebei, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and is also distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Henan and other provinces; Chinese ephedra is mainly produced in Gansu, Qinghai, It is also distributed in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, Shanxi, Hebei, Liaoning, and Jilin; Common Scouring Rush Herb ephedra is mainly produced in Shaanxi, Hebei, Ningxia, Shanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and other places.

materia medica Research believes that the ancient ephedra has always been a plant of the genus Ephedra of the ephedra family, among which the grass ephedra Ephedra sinica should be the mainstream medicinal drug. Plants of the genus Ephedra are widely distributed, and the authentic regions emphasized in materia medica works in different periods are quite different. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty, those from Kaifeng and Zhengzhou in Henan were the best. From the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, Datong in Shanxi Province was gradually regarded as the authentic region. Recently, Inner Mongolia has produced more.

【Variety Review】

ephedra is recorded in Bencao Jing, and is also used in "Wuwei Medical Blips". Shanghan Zabing Lun is especially used. Bencao Jing says Its function is "to relieve sweating and relieve cough with dyspnea". In terms of use, Tao Hong-jing proposed to "boil it for one or two times to remove the foam, which is annoying." The above description is consistent with ephedra base's ability to induce sweating, relieve asthma, and The excitement of Zhongshu (GV7) is consistent with the activity of heart blood vessels, so it is known that the ancient ephedra is the Ephedra plant containing ephedra base.

Ephedra has many aliases. Bencao Jing is called Longsha, and Bielu is called Beixiang and Beiyan. "Guangya" says: "Longsha is also called ephedra." , and "ephedra stem, dog bone." Various scholars can't agree on the reason for its name. Li Shi-zhen said: "The names are incomprehensible, and it may be said that its taste is numb and its color is yellow. I have not yet examined it." Mr. Xia Weiying "Notes on the Interpretation of Plant Names" says: "Momo means small. The words "hemp" and "mo" should also have small meanings. The name "ephedra" means that the flowers are small and yellow." According to fischer euphorbia root A note from "Kai Bao" quoted from the separate edition says: "(fischer euphorbia root) and ephedra, tangerine peel, Medicinal Evodia Fruit, Pineilia Tuber, and Immature Orange Fruit are Liuchenye." Ephedra medicinal materials turn from green to yellow after being stored for a long time, and then Its stems feel rough to the touch, which may be where the name ephedra comes from.

Volume 9 of the sequel to "Youyang Zazu" first describes the plant form of ephedra: "ephedra blooms at the stem end, the flowers are small and yellow, clustered, and the seeds are like palmleaf raspberry fruit, which are edible. It dies like grass in winter and dies in spring. Green." Ephedra seeds are berry-shaped, and the perianth develops into a leathery aril that surrounds the seed. The outermost part is a red fleshy bract, which is juicy and edible. It is commonly known as "ephedra fruit". Among common Ephedra plants, it is the only The female cones of the grass ephedra Ephedra sinica are solitary on the top of the branches, which is most consistent with Duan Chengshi's "flowering at the stem end", and the other flowers are all borne on the nodes.

Bencao Tujing said: "Seedlings grow in spring, and in summer and May It has reached one foot in length. There are yellow flowers on the tips. They are as strong as lily bulbs and have small petals. They are also like Chinese honeylocust fruits. They taste sweet and have a slight ephedra smell. They have red skin on the outside, black kernels on the inside, and purple-red roots. As the saying goes: There are two species, male and female. The female blooms in March and April and sets seeds in June. The male has no flowers and no seeds. The stems are harvested after the Beginning of Autumn (13th solar term) and dried in the shade to make them green." From Su Judging from Song's description, whether it is dioecious or plant size, it is close to today's Ephedra sinica. However, according to the illustrations of ephedra in Tongzhou and Maozhou in "Zheng Lei" (Figure 1), there is no problem that it is a plant of the genus Ephedra, but the species is difficult to determine. Judging from the distribution of plants of this genus, only Common Scouring Rush Herb ephedra Ephedra equisetina is distributed in Tongzhou, Shaanxi (now Dali), while those distributed more in and around Maozhou, Sichuan (now Maowen County) are mainly divergent species. Dwarf ephedra Ephedra minuta Florin. var. dioeca C.Y. Cheng and single ephedra Ephedra monosperma Gmel. Ex Mey., whether these varieties are depicted in "Zheng Lei" cannot be confirmed.

Ephedra used in ancient and modern times are all plants of the genus Ephedra, but there are occasional errors in the records. For example, in Zhiwu Mingshi Tukao, Volume 11 of ephedra says: "It also exists in Nan'an, Jiangxi today. The natives all think that Common Scouring Rush Herb has the same shape and nature as ephedra, so it can also sweat and release flesh." According to the picture, it is actually a plant of the Common Scouring Rush Herb family, Equiseticum ramosissimum Desf., and the shape of this plant is very similar to ephedra. , "Erya" Guo Pu's annotation on "Shi Cao" quoted Mao Chuan as saying: "Water tea is like Himalayan Teasel Root, which has knots every inch and can be pulled out." What is described here is the knot grass. Zheng Qiao's note on the same article says: "It looks like ephedra. It is also called Himalayan Teasel Root, and its joints can be revived and regenerated." It is said that the teasel root is similar to ephedra, but the teasel root is not ephedra. Therefore, it is known that Zheng Qiao was not confused. This may be due to Wu Qijun's accidental mistake.

【Evolution of Authentic】

There are about 15 species of plants in the genus Ephedra in my country, which are widely distributed. Except for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the Pearl River Basin, they are distributed in other places. There are more species in the northwest provinces, Yunnan and Sichuan. Materia medica writings from different periods emphasized different real estate areas. Bencao Jing and Mingyi Bielu said: "ephedra was born in Jin and Hedong", "Fan Zijiran" " says: "Out of Hanzhong Sanfu." It is located in Shanxi, Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi. Tao Hong-jing said: "Today, those who go out of Qingzhou, Pengcheng, Xingyang, and Zhongmou are the winners. They are green and foamy. There are also some in Sichuan, which is not good." What echoes Tao Hong-jing's saying is "Shui Jing" Volume 22 of "Notes" mentioned: "The nursery in Zhongmu County is in the north, separated from Yangwu by water, and has many ephedra grasses." Zhongmu is now Zhongmu and Tangyin in Henan.

Tang DynastyXinxiu Bencao said: "There are too many sandbars on the rivers in Lutai and Guanzhong Shayuan in Zhengzhou, and the green and Xu ones are not reused. Tongzhou Shayuan has the most." In the early Tang Dynasty, the production areas of ephedra were concentrated in Henan and Shaanxi. Reexamination of Qianjin Yifang, "Yuanhe County Map", Tongdian, the records are slightly the same, such as Tongdian says "Xingyang County tribute ephedra 2" Ten pounds. Today is Zhengzhou."

In the Song Dynasty, ephedra from Kaifeng Prefecture in Henan Province was the best. Kaibao Bencao said: "Today, the one who uses Zhongmu will win, and Kaifeng Prefecture will pay tribute every year." Bencao Tujing said: "Nowadays, there are many of them near Beijing (referring to Kaifeng), and those from Xingyang and Zhongmou are the winners." Bencao Yanyi said: "The one with ephedra from Zhengzhou is better." Check "History of the Song Dynasty" Volume 85, Kaifeng Prefecture Suigong ephedra and Spine Date Seed, according to "Yuanfeng Jiuyu Zhi", their quantity is 15 kilograms in Kaifeng and 10 kilograms in Zhengzhou. As for the "Zhenglei" specifically depicts ephedra in Tongzhou, Shaanxi and Maozhou, Sichuan, the reason is unknown, or they are copied from old pictures from previous dynasties and were not obtained from interviews in the Song Dynasty.

Bencao Mengquan of the Ming Dynasty said: "ephedra was born in both Qingzhou and Pengcheng, and Xingyang and Zhongmou were the only ones." Volume 16 of "Shantangsi Kao" says: "Cibot Rhizome Mountain is in Zhongmou County, Kaifeng Prefecture Later, ephedra was produced in the upper reaches." "Ming Yitongzhi" states that ephedra is native to Kaifeng Prefecture, and the note "comes from Zhongmu County", both of which attach great importance to the products produced in Henan.

According to the local chronicles compiled in the Qing Dynasty, in addition to Henan, the provinces that produced ephedra include Shandong, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Beijing, and Inner Mongolia. What is strange is that the "Tongzhi of Shanxi" in Shanxi, where ephedra was produced in large quantities in later generations, But there is no mention of ephedra being produced. Weiyao Tiaobian of the Republic of China said: "ephedra, first came out of the Jin Dynasty, and is now found in Xingyang, Bianzhou, and Pengcheng." Cao Bingzhang added: "ephedra, came out in September and October. Datong Prefecture, Shanxi Those from Daizhou, Daizhou, and border towns are fat, green and yellow on the outside and red on the inside. The ones from Taiyuan Lingqiu County and Wutai Mountain are the second best. The ones from Shaanxi are thinner. The ones from Huazhou, Sichuan are yellow and tender. They are all slightly inferior. Shandong, The same goes for those from Henan. However, those from Guandong are mostly fine and hard reeds and cannot be used as medicine." According to the "Medicinal Materials Regulations" of the Shaanxi Xijing City (Xi'an City) Traditional Chinese Medicine Commercial Association in the 29th year of the Republic of China (1940), the origin of ephedra and ephedra root is in Xiangjie. He said: "In the northwest provinces, Datong has good production." At this point, Shanxi has completely replaced Henan's position and become an ephedra real estate area, which is basically consistent with the modern situation. As for the production of ephedra in Inner Mongolia today, the earliest record can be found in Volume 94 of "Qin Ding Rehe Zhi" quoted from "Yuan Yitong Zhi": "(Daning Road) Daning, Huihe, Wuping, Longshan counties, Gaozhou and Songzhou native ephedra .”