Phyllostachys nigra. Bambusa tuldoides, Bambusa brevifolia, Bambusa opuberula 黑竹Hēi zhúBlack bamboo Family:
Graminaeae
竹茹Zhú
rú Internal
layer of dry stalk- Bamboo shavings- harvested year round (Winter
is best) FLAVOR: Sweet CHANNELS: Lung, Stomach,
Gall bladder
FUNCTIONS GROUP: Antitussive and Expectorant-
Clearing Hot Phlegm
1. Clears and transforms Phlegm Heat-[2,3]
yellow mucous.
2. Clear Heat and relieves vomiting.[2,3]
Relieve mental depression.[2]
3. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding.[3] INDICATIONS
1. Heat in the Lungs with thick sputum, congested , or coughing
up blood.[2,3]
2. Vomiting due to Hot Stomach,[2]
vomiting of bitter or sour material, bad breath, aversion to heat, and a yellow,
greasy tongue. Also vomiting due to morning sickness with other herbs.[3]
3. Bleeding due to Blood Heat; nosebleed and hematemesis.[3] CONTRAINDICATIONS: Nausea and vomiting due to Stomach Cold or
Cold food stagnation.[3] PATENT COMBINATIONS
- Phlegm and Heat or disharmony between Gall Bladder and Stomach: Dries
Dampness and transforms Phlegm, regulates the Qi and harmonizes the Stomach, clears
Heat from the Gallbladder and eliminates irritabilityBamboo
& Hoelen- Wen dan tang.
PREPARATIONS: Internal
layer and dry stalk 4-9 g.[2,3]
Often fried in ginger juice to mitigate its cold properties. Good quality is thin,
soft, and yellowish green. Zhú
ru Whip
like roots FLAVOR: Bland FUNCTIONS
1. Detoxifies and promotes diuresis, clears fevers and allays apprehension and
restlessness.[1] INDICATIONS
1. High fevers.[1]
2. Nocturnal fretfulness in infants.[1]
3. Rabies.[1]
4. Phlegm stagnation diseases (also leaves).[4] PREPARATIONS:Decoction.
Whip like roots 10-30 g.[1] 竹沥 Zhú lì
Dried bamboo sap- harvested year
round. FLAVOR: Sweet CHANNELS: Heart, Lungs, Stomach,
Liver FUNCTIONS
1. Clears Heat, transforms phlegm, and penetrates to the channels.[3]
2. Transforms phlegm- Heat and stops coughing.[3] INDICATIONS
1. Phlegm obstruction the Heart (sensory) orifices. Fainting, paralysis of the
hands or feet, or hemiplegia.[3]
2. Used in small doses as a powerful adjunctive herb in treating cough due to
Phlegm Heat.[3]
3. Rheumatism.[4] CONTRAINDICATIONS: Cough due to Cold, and loose stools due to
Spleen deficiency.[3] COMBINATIONS
- Coma and other symptoms associated with
turbid phlegm obstructing the orifices and Wind stroke, taken in large doses,
with Zingiber officinale- Sheng jiang
juice.[3]
- Phlegm Heat clogging the Lungs, with Trichosanthes
kirilowii- Gua lou.[3] PREPARATIONS
30-60 g, or 9-15 g for cough. Take directly may be mixed with Ginger juice to
mitigate its Cold properties.[3] The
sap is collected by cutting both sides of a bamboo stalk and heating it. Good
quality is clear and pale yellow. It has recently been shown that this substance
can be stored in tightly sealed containers long term.[3]
Habitat:
Found growing in fertile and moist places in remote hill areas and alongside streams,
also cultivated. Description
Evergreen bush. Height reaching to 8 m. New stalks green, gradually changing
to black, light black or black spotted, cylindrical. Leaves: grow terminally from
small branches, 2-3, lanceolate, apexes acute, bases obtuse, with short peitoles,
parallel ribs, white on dorsal surface, showing small tongue. Ochrea: nonpubescent.
[1] Barefoot Doctor's Manual- 1977 Prepared by the Revolutionary Health Committee
of Hunan Province. Original Chinese manual- Victor W. Sidel. Originally published
by Dr Joseph Quin and the Fogarty International centre, Bethdesda (1974). Madrona
Publishers Seattle Washington ISBN 0-914842-52-8
[2] A Complete English Dictionary of Medicinal Terms in Chinese Acupuncture
and Herbalism 1981- Henry Lu Chinese Foundations of Natural Health- The Academy
of Oriental Heritage, Vancouver, Canada.
[3] Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica- Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble- Eastland
Press 1986 Seattle Washington ISBN 0-939616-15-7
[4] Chinese Medicinal Herbs- Beatrice Bliss (1973) Compiled by Li Shi- Chen.
Translated and Researched by F. Porter Smith and G. A. Stuart. Geogetown Press,
San FranciscoISBN 0 914558005 Images
1. katewheeler.com
2. stellarphysicalmed.com
3. [1]
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. Research
Evaluation of antioxidant and prooxidant activities of bamboo Phyllostachys
nigra var. Henonis leaf extract in vitro.
Hu C, Zhang Y, Kitts DD. Abstract
Solvent-extracted bamboo leaf extract (BLE) containing chlorogenic acid, caffeic
acid, and luteolin 7-glucoside was evaluated in vitro for free radical scavenging
and antioxidant activities using a battery of test methods. BLE exhibited a concentration-dependent
scavenging activity of DPPH radical. BLE prolonged the lag phase and suppressed
the rate of propagation of liposome peroxidation initiated by peroxyl radical
induced by 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane dihydrochloride (AAPH) at 37 degrees C.
BLE also prevented human low-density lipoprotein oxidation, mediated by Cu(2+),
which was monitored by the lower formation of conjugated diene and fluorescence
and a reduced negative charge of apo-B protein. Finally, BLE protected supercoiled
DNA strand against scission induced by AAPH-mediated peroxyl radical. Prooxidant
activity of BLE was seen in a Cu(2+)-induced peroxidation of structured phosphatidylcholine
liposome, indicating catalytic peroxidation due to a relatively high reducing
power of BLE. It was concluded that the BLE has both antioxidant activity and
prooxidant activity; the antioxidant activity was attributed to free radical scavenging
activity, and the prooxidant activity, albeit minor, resulted from the reducing
power of plant phenolics in the presence of transitional metal ions. PMID: 10956087
J Agric Food Chem. 2000 Aug;48(8):3170-6. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Aldose reductase and advanced glycation endproducts inhibitory effect
of Phyllostachys nigra.
Jung SH, Lee JM, Lee HJ, Kim CY, Lee EH, Um BH. Abstract
To evaluate active principles for diabetic complications from the black bamboo
leaves, Phyllostachys nigra, eight compounds were isolated and tested for their
effects on rat lens aldose reductase and advanced glycation endproducts. As a
result, luteolin 6-C-(6''-O-trans-caffeoylglucoside) was found to show a strong
aldose reductase and advanced glycation endproducts inhibition. This compound
showed antioxidative activity measured in Photochem apparatus. It is concluded,
therefore, that luteolin 6-C-(6''-O-trans-caffeoylglucoside) (6), a flavone of
this plant, have antioxidative as well as aldose reductase and advanced glycation
endproducts inhibitory effects. As a result, this compound could be offered as
a leading compound for further study as a new natural products drug for diabetic
complications.
PMID: 17666823 Biol Pharm Bull. 2007 Aug;30(8):1569-72. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Bamboo Commonly Used in Chinese Medicine
Chinese and English Names Material Collected Properties
Zhuru; bamboo shavings; bamboo The outer surface of bamboo rod is shaved off;
the middle layer of the rod is then shaved into long, thin slices that are used.
It has a white-greenish appearance. sweet, slightly cold, clears heat and resolves
phlegm; used in acute fevers, convulsions, bleeding due to heat, vomiting
Tianzhuhuang; tabasheer (or tabashir); bamboo sap This is the secreted, dried
sap from the joints and from surface injuries (caused by parasitic wasps). It
has a yellowish appearance. Pieces of this material are found in the hollow
area, resting at the joints; shaking the plant reveals their presence as they
knock against the side. sweet, cold, clears heat, resolves phlegm, anti-convulsive;
used in convulsion, fever, or loss of consciousness associated with phlegm-heat;
especially used in remedies for children's feverish disorders and epilepsy
Zhuli; bamboo sap (liquid) Fresh cut bamboo with outer surface removed (as for
making zhuru) is cut (but not shaved) and heated to release the sap from the
ends of the pieces. The sap has a light yellow color. sweet, cold, clears heat,
resolves phlegm; used in acute feverish disease, cough due to lung heat with
profuse expectoration, loss of consciousness
Danzhuye; bamboo leaves, lophatherum The leaves and stem of a small bamboo-like
plant, Lophatherum gracile, are collected and dried. In Japan, the leaves of
the black bamboo are used similarly. sweet, cold, clears heat; used in treating
fever, fidgeting, urinary retention with blood in the urine
Kuzhuye; bitter bamboo leaves The leaves of Pleioblastus amarus, a tall bamboo
growing in Southern China, are collected and dried. slightly bitter, pungent,
sweet, cold, clears heat; used in treating fever, fidgeting, and lung inflammation
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/bamboo.htm BAMBOO AS MEDICINE
by Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine,
Portland, Oregon
FLAVOR: Sweet CHANNELS: Lung, Stomach,
Gall bladder 
FLAVOR: Bland 
Research