This product is the rhizome and root of the perennial herbaceous plant Willowleaf Rhizome (Cynanchum stauntonii (Decne.) Schltr. et Levl.) and Lilac Daphne leaf Willowleaf Rhizome (Cynanchum glaucescens (Decne.) Hand.-Mazz.) of the Asclepiadaceae family. It grows in damp and shady places by streams, rivers, and valleys. It is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangxi. It is harvested in autumn, washed, and dried.

Willowleaf Rhizome is similar in appearance to Blackend Swallowwort Root, so in some regions, the two are mistakenly used interchangeably. However, Willowleaf Rhizome is a cough-relieving and phlegm-dispelling medicine, while Blackend Swallowwort Root is used to clear and reduce deficiency heat. Their functions are quite different and must be distinguished. A simple identification method is: if the cross-section is hollow, it is Willowleaf Rhizome, commonly known as "Goose Pipe Willowleaf Rhizome" (referring to the hollow rhizome resembling a goose feather pipe); if the cross-section is solid, it is Blackend Swallowwort Root, commonly known as "Solid Blackend Swallowwort Root".

There are also several misused substitutes for Willowleaf Rhizome, such as:

1. the roots and rhizomes of the Lily Bulb family plant Asparagus schoberioides (Asparagus schoberioides Kunth) and spiny Asparagus (A. sp), which are mistakenly used as Willowleaf Rhizome in some areas of Henan and Shanxi. Their rhizomes are thicker (diameter 0.5～1cm), and the fibrous roots are also thicker and longer (diameter 0.2～0.5cm); they are gray-brown, flexible, not easy to break, with a small wooden core in the center of the cross-section, and radial gaps between the core and the outer skin; the taste is slightly bitter.
2. The roots and rhizomes of the Iris family plant Belamcanda Rhizome (Iris dichotoma Pall.) are mistakenly used as Willowleaf Rhizome in Jiangsu and other provinces. Its rhizome is horizontal, irregularly nodular, gray-brown, with circular stem scars or residual stem bases, and the stem base has leaf sheaths; the fibrous roots are slender, diameter 0.15～0.4cm, with longitudinal wrinkles and fine hairs; the texture is hollow, soft, or hard and brittle, with a small wooden core in the center of the cross-section, and the taste is slightly bitter.
3. The roots and rhizomes of the same genus plants C. inamoenum (C. inamoenum Loes) and C. paniculatum (C. paniculatum Kitag.) are mistakenly used as Willowleaf Rhizome in some areas of Shandong and Heilongjiang provinces, respectively. Their shape, properties, and functions are significantly different from Willowleaf Rhizome.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid and bitter, slightly warm. Act on lung meridian.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Relieving cough by descending qi and resolving phlegm.

bubble_chart Indications

It is used to treat lung qi stagnation, excessive phlegm with unproductive cough, qi counterflow panting, and can be used in combination with other medicinals according to the syndrome, whether it is biased towards cold or heat.

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

3～10g.

bubble_chart Processing and Storage

Remove impurities from the raw herbs, wash away mud and debris, soak briefly, then lift out, moisten until soft, and cut into 0.2～0.25cm medium slices, then dry in the sun.

For roasted Willowleaf Rhizome: Take 100 kilograms of Willowleaf Rhizome, mix with 25 kilograms of refined honey, dilute with a small amount of boiling water, stir until evenly coated, let it absorb completely, stir-fry until yellow and no longer sticky, then remove and spread out to cool.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Contains triterpenoid saponins, glaucogenin A and B, glaucoside A, and glaucogenin-C-mono-D-thevetoside, among others.