This product is the hooked stems and branches of the evergreen woody vine Uncaria (Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Jacks.), large-leaved Uncaria (U. macrophylla Wall.), hairy Uncaria (U. hirsuta Havil.), Chinese Uncaria (U. sinensis (Oliv.) Havil.), or sessile-fruited Uncaria (U. sessilifructus Roxb.) from the Rubiaceae family. It is produced in provinces south of the Yangtze River, including Fujian, Guangdong, and Guangxi. The young branches with hooks are harvested in spring and autumn, and the non-hooked vine stems are removed and dried in the sun. Alternatively, they may be briefly steamed in a pot or scalded in boiling water before being dried in the sun. The stems are then cut into segments for medicinal use.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet, slightly cold. Act on liver and heart meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Calm wind to stop convulsions, clear heat and pacify the liver.

bubble_chart Indications

1. is used for internal stirring of liver wind, fright epilepsy convulsion. Uncaria is sweet and slightly cold, enters the liver, and has a mild effect of calming wind and stopping convulsions. It is commonly used to treat internal stirring of liver wind, fright epilepsy convulsion, and is also frequently used for children. For example, to treat infantile convulsion with high fever and unconsciousness, locked jaw, and convulsions of hands and feet, it is often used with Gastrodia Tuber, scorpion, etc., such as Uncaria Decoction; to treat warm febrile disease with extreme heat producing wind, spasmodic convulsions, it is often combined with antelope horn, Peony Root, Chrysanthemum Flower, etc., such as Antelope Horn and Uncaria Decoction; to treat various types of epilepsy with crying and convulsions, it can be used with Tabasheer, Cicada Slough, Coptis Rhizome, etc., such as Uncaria Decoction.
2. It is used for headache and vertigo. This product clears liver heat and calms liver yang, so it can be used to treat headache and vertigo caused by liver fire attacking upwards or ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang. For cases of liver fire, it is often combined with Prunella, Gardenia, Skullcap Root, etc.; for cases of liver yang, it is often combined with Gastrodia Tuber, Abalone Shell, Chrysanthemum Flower, etc.
3. In recent years, a 20% Uncaria decoction has been used to treat hypertension, showing a mild antihypertensive effect. Except for late-stage [third stage] hypertensive patients, most patients experience varying degrees of blood pressure reduction. As blood pressure decreases, patients' symptoms such as headache, dizziness, insomnia, flusteredness, and shortness of breath also correspondingly alleviate or disappear.
4. Additionally, this product, when used with Cicada Slough and Mentha, can treat children's night crying, with the effect of cooling the liver and stopping fright.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bielu: "Treats children's cold and fever, twelve fright epilepsy."
2. Yaoxing Lun: "Treats children's fright crying, convulsion or heat congestion."
3. Bencao Gangmu: "Adults' dizziness and blurred vision, calms liver wind, removes heart heat, children's convulsions with visceral colic abdominal pain, induces macula and papule."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 10-15g. The active ingredient, Uncaria alkaloids, is easily destroyed by heat, so it should not be decocted for too long, generally no more than 20 minutes.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains Uncaria alkaloids, iso-Uncaria alkaloids, etc.

• Uncaria decoction 0.1g/kg, when injected intraperitoneally in mice, can produce a significant sedative effect but no hypnotic effect.
• Using Uncaria decoction 1g/kg, when injected intraperitoneally in rats, can reduce the excitability of the cerebral cortex, causing some positive conditioned reflexes in rats to disappear and the duration to extend.
• Uncaria ethanol extract can prevent the onset of epileptic reactions in guinea pigs and has a certain inhibitory effect on the increased excitability of the central motor analyzer.
• Uncaria decoction has a hypotensive effect on anesthetized dogs, rabbits, and experimental rats.
• Uncaria alkaloids can inhibit isolated intestinal tracts and excite isolated rat uterus.