Niu Bang Zi - Arctium lappa

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Niu Bang Zi
 
 Latin
Fructus Arctii lappae
 Introduction Back to Top
Fructus Arctii lappae is the dried ripe fruit of Arctiu lappa L. (Fam. Compositae). The infructescence is collected in autumn when ripe, and dried in the sun, the fruit is tapped out, removed from foreign matter, and dried again in the sun.
 Western medical Back to Top
The herb is indicated in the treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage, mumps and the prevention of scarlet fever.

 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Disperses Wind Heat, benefits the Throat, subsides swelling, eliminates Phlegm, stops cough, promotes eruption of measles, clears Heat, removes Toxin.
  • Properties: Acrid, bitter, cold.
  • Channels entered: Lung and Stomach.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
The herb contains arctiin, fatty oil, alkaloid, Vitamine A and B1 etc..
 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Anti-bacterial effect

Water infusion of niu bang zi had inhibitory effect on various pathogenic bacteria in vitro to different degrees.

Blood sugar lowering effect

niu bang zi extract could lower blood sugar significantly and persistently in rats.

Effects of arctiin

Arctiin could lead to tetanic convulsion and weak respiration in frogs, mice and rabbits, then the voluntary movement disappeared, and at last turned into anesthetized state. It could dilate the blood vessles in the lower limbs of frogs and rabbit ears. It could temporarily lower blood pressure in rabbit, had inhibitory and anesthetic effects on isolated rabbit uterus and intestinal canal. It had also very mild diuretic and laxative effects.
 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Subarachnoid hemorrhage

niu bang zi 30g, chen pi, fu ling, pei lan, shi chang pu, 15g each; ban xia, zhu ru, 10g each; tian zhu huang, gan cao, 5g each. Heteropathy of western medicine was also applied. 30 days as a course of treatment. After 3 weeks, compared with western medicine treated group, the remission rate, disappearance rate of meningeal irritation were both higher, and the death rate was significantly lower.

Mumps

chao niu bang zi, bei mu, zhi jiang can, fa ban xia, lian qiao, huang qin, 10g each; jin yin hua, 15g; chai hu, 5g, water decoction. Xiao Tan San was applied externally. 100 cases were treated, after 3~6 doses, all were cured.

Prevention of scarlet fever

Powder of niu bang zi, 1~2g for infants, 3g for adults, tid. 344 cases were observed and the effective rate was 98%.
 
 References Back to Top

Except those noted, all references come from Weng Weiliang, et al., Clinical Chinese materia medica, Henan Science & Technology Press, 1998