Aristolochia fangchi. 广 防 己  Guǎng fáng jǐ     Family: Aristolochiaceae  
Guang fang ji is no longer used in pharmaceutical production due to the presence of Aristolochic acid- which trials have been shown to be a carcinogen. Recommended substitute Stephania tetrandra or Inula helenium.[3] Cocculus trilobus- Mù fáng jǐ- is also used as a substitute.[4]
PART USED: Root- harvested in Autumn
Nature: Cold   FLAVOR: Bitter, pungent  CHANNELS: Bladder, Spleen, Kidney
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Diuretic
1. Expels Wind Damp.[4] Expel Wind, relieve pain, clear heat.[1]
2. Promotes urination and reduces edema.[1,4]
INDICATIONS
1. Wind Damp Heat painful obstruction;[4] Diffuse aches and pains, thirst and a yellow greasy tongue coating.[4]
2. Edema in lower limbs, diminished urination;[4] Edema, either facial or systemic with wheezing or leg qi.[4]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Use with caution in cases of Yin deficiency.[4]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Dried root 4-9 g.[1] 3-15 g. [4] Good quality is large, has a balanced texture, and is powdery.
TGA(Australia) regulated due to presence of aristolochic acid.
Because of containing aristolochic acid, Aristolochia fangchi herb- Guang fang ji was no longer used in pharmaceutical production. Stephania tetranda- Han fang ji becomes its main substitute.

References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
References

Differentiation between two "fang ji" herbal medicines, Stephania tetrandra and the nephrotoxic Aristolochia fangchi, using hyperspectral imaging.
Tankeu S, Vermaak I, Chen W, Sandasi M, Viljoen A.
Abstract
Stephania tetrandra ("hang fang ji") and Aristolochia fangchi ("guang fang ji") are two different plant species used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Both are commonly referred to as "fang ji" and S. tetrandra is mistakenly substituted and adulterated with the nephrotoxic A. fangchi as they have several morphological similarities. A. fangchi contains aristolochic acid, a carcinogen that causes urothelial carcinoma as well as aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). In Belgium, 128 cases of AAN was reported while in China, a further 116 cases with end-stage renal disease were noted. Toxicity issues associated with species substitution and adulteration necessitate the development of reliable methods for the quality assessment of herbal medicines. Hyperspectral imaging in combination with partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) is suggested as an effective method to distinguish between S. tetrandra and A. fangchi root powder. Hyperspectral images were obtained in the wavelength region of 920-2514nm. Reduction of the dimensionality of the data was done by selecting the discrimination information range (964-1774nm). A discrimination model with a coefficient of determination (R(2)) of 0.9 and a root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.23 was created. The constructed model successfully identified A. fangchi and S. tetrandra samples inserted into the model as an external validation set. In addition, adulteration detection was investigated by preparing incremental adulteration mixtures of S. tetrandra with A. fangchi (10-90%). Hyperspectral imaging showed the ability to accurately predict adulteration as low as 10%. It is evident that hyperspectral imaging has tremendous potential in the development of visual quality control methods which may prevent cases of aristolochic acid nephropathy in the future.
PMID: 26632529 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2015.11.008 Phytochemistry. 2016 Feb;122:213-222. doi: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2015.11.008. Epub 2015 Nov 26. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Progression rate of Chinese herb nephropathy: impact of Aristolochia fangchi ingested dose.
Martinez MC, Nortier J, Vereerstraeten P, Vanherweghem JL.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Renal failure after ingestion of Chinese herbs between 1990 and 1992 was related to the replacement of Stephania tetrandra by Aristolochia fangchi (ST-AF), containing nephrotoxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acids. However, the relationship between ST-AF and renal failure is still a matter of debate. We therefore tested the impact of the ST-AF ingested dose on the progression of renal function deterioration.
METHODS:
Analysis of medical charts and prescriptions between 1990 and 1992 was carried out to determine the presence of risk factors for kidney failure and the cumulative dose of pill components. Individual progression rate of renal impairment was studied by the time-course of the inverse of blood creatinine level (1/P(creat)).
RESULTS:
Patients were divided into an end-stage renal disease (ESRD) group (n=44) and a chronic renal failure (CRF) group (n=27) according to their P(creat) at the time of this study. The mean number of risk factors (+/-SD) was equally distributed within both groups (1.50+/-0.18 vs 1.59+/-0.17, P=0.74). Patients from the ESRD group ingested significantly higher cumulative doses of ST--AF (192+/-13.1 g vs 138+/- 16.3 g), Magnolia officinalis, (80.1+/-6.3 g vs 59.8+/-11.7 g), diethylpropion (14.7+/-1.4 g vs 10.0+/-1.4 g) and fenfluramine (14.1+/-1.6 g vs 8.7+/-1.3 g). In the ESRD group, some patients who had received steroids had a slower progression to ESRD than the others. In multiple regression analysis, ST-AF emerged as the only significant drug predicting the slope of the progression of renal failure. Moreover, hypothesizing a linear dose-response relationship, the risk of developing ESRD linearly increased with ST-AF doses.
CONCLUSIONS:
The relationship between the cumulative ST-AF dose and the renal failure progression rate confirms that regular ingestion of Aristolochia sp. extracts is causally involved in the onset of chronic interstitial nephropathy leading to ESRD.
Comment in
Progression rate of Chinese herb nephropathy: impact of Aristolochia fangchi ingested dose. [Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2002]
PMID: 11865085 Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2002 Mar;17(3):408-12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov