This product is Sargassum pallidum (Sargassum pallidum (Turn.) C. Ag.) or Sargassum plant (S. fusiforme (Harv.) Setch.) of algae. The former is commonly called "big leaf seaweed" and the latter is commonly called "small leaf seaweed". Mainly produced in coastal areas such as Liaoning, Shandong, Fujian, Zhejiang, and Guangdong. Harvest in summer and autumn, remove impurities, wash, cut into sections and dry in the sun.

[Property]

salty, cold. act on liver and kidney channels.

[Efficacy]

dispersing phlegm and softening hardness, disinhibiting water and dispersing edema.

[Indications]

1. It is used for galls, scrofula, testicular swelling and pain, etc. It tastes salty and cold, and has the effect of softening and dispersing phlegm. To treat gall tumors, it is often used with kelp and Fritillaria Bulb, such as Sargassum Jade Flask Decoction; to treat scrofula, it is often used with Prunella, Scrophularia Root, Forsythia can be used equally, such as internal elimination scrofula pills; to treat testicular swelling and pain, use Tangerine Seed, kelp, Chinaberry Fruit, etc., such as Jisheng Fang Tangerine Seed Pill.
2. Used for athlete's foot, edema, etc. This product has the effect of disinhibiting water and dispersing edema, and can be used together with damp-excreting medicinal products such as Alisma.

[Documentation]

1. Benjing: "Maintains gall tumor gas, subcervical core, breaks and dissipates the knotted Qi, carbuncle abscess, abdominal mass and strong Qi, the lower and upper rumblings in the abdomen, and the lower twelve edema."
2. Bencao Gangmu: "Seaweed, salty can moisten purgation, cold can release heat and attract water, so it can eliminate the accumulation of galls, subcutaneous nodes, and vaginal ulcers, and eliminate edema, athlete's foot, and persistent fluid retention. , the dampness-heat of phlegm causes pathogenic qi to come out in urine."

[Usage and Dosage]

Decoct and take 10-15g.

Tradition considers anti-Liquorice Root. However, there are also combinations of medicinals used in clinical practice.

[Modern Pharmacology]

Both hijiki and seaweed contain alginic acid, mannitol, potassium, iodine, etc. Seaweed also contains sargassum polysaccharide, fucosterol, etc. Because seaweed contains iodide, it has a therapeutic effect on endemic goiter caused by iodine deficiency; it also has a temporary inhibitory effect on hyperthyroidism and the increase in basal metabolic rate. Alginic acid sulfate has anti-hyperlipidemia effect, and can reduce serum cholesterol and alleviate stirred pulse atherosclerosis in rabbits. Seaweed water immersion agent has antihypertensive effect on anesthetized dogs and rabbits. Seaweed contains anticoagulant substances and has anticoagulant effects. It has an antibacterial effect on human subcutaneous node bacilli, and also has an inhibitory effect on infectious viruses and skin fungi.