Ban Zhi Lian
Pinyin Name: Ban Zhi Lian
English Name: Herba Scutellriae Barbatae
Other Names: Skull Cap Herb, Scutellaria, Bing Tou Cao
Tastes: Slightly Bitter, Cold
Origin: Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Shanxi, Shaanxi and Yunnan provinces in China
Benefits of Ban Zhi Lian:
Ban Zhi Lian, also known as Skull Cap Herb, is one of perennials, about 15 to 50 cm high, sparsely pubescent on rachis to glabrous. Roots are rather slender. Stems are usually cespitose, thinner, square-column-shaped, and with dark purple or brownish green surface. Ban Zhi Lian covers meridians of lung, liver and kidney. Main functions are to clear heat-toxicity, eliminate blood stasis, promote diuresis. Common uses and indications are furunculosis, pyogenic infections, venomous snake bite, traumatic injury, edema, jaundice. Recommended dosage is from 15 to 30 grams.
In the past, Native American used it in herbal remedies for insect-bite and snakebites, painful menstruation, rabies and more. Now, it has been made into herbal supplements, tea and extract because of containing many flavonoids and active mineral elements, which help stimulate and strengthen the nervous system so that it is frequently used as central nervous system agent. As the supplement, it effectively eases abnormal emotions caused by busy life such as jitter, nervousness, hysteria, neurasthenia, depression and more.
Common herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine
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