Tai Zi Shen - Pseudostellaria heterophylla

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Tai Zi Shen
 
 Latin
Radix Pseudostellariae
 Introduction Back to Top
Radix Pseudostellariae is the dried root tuber of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax ex Pax et Hoffm. (Fam. Caryophyllaceae). The drug is collected in autumn when stem and leaves mostly withered, washed chean, removed from rootlet, either treated with boiling water for a moment and dried in the sun, or dried in the sun directly.
 Western medical Back to Top
This medicine is often indicated in the treatment of congestive heart failure, primary thrombocytopenic purpura and diabetes, etc..
 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Invigorates qi, benefits the Lung and the Spleen.
  • Properties: Sweet, slightly bitter, neutral.
  • Channels entered: Spleen and Lung.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
The main chemical constituents contained in this herb are fructose, starch and saponin.

 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Influence over immune function

Water decoction of tai zi shen could obviously stimulate the proliferation of lymphocytes.
 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Congestive heart failure

tai zi shen, dan shen, ting li zi, che qian zi, 30g each were used to treat 240 cases of congestive heart failure, 1~2 doses every day at first, then 1 dose every 2 or 3 days after remission. Each decoction was taken in four times. 48 cases were treated with TCM only, others were treated with western medicine too. Results: 77 cases were markedly effective, 140 effective, 6 ineffective and 17 dead; the total effective rate was 94.2%.

Intractable primary thrombocytopenic purpura

tai zi shen, bai zhu, huang jing, chi shao, dang gui, yi mu cao as the basic formula, modify it according to accompanying symptoms. 43 cases of intractable primary thrombocytopenic purpura were treated, 1 dose every day, water decoction, 30 days as a course of treatment, 2~3 courses in succession. 8 cases were markedly effective, 19 effective, 13 improved, 3 ineffective; the total effective rate was 92.8%.

Diabetes

tai zi shen, huang qi, huang jing, sheng di, tian hua fen made up to Jiang Tang Yi Hao, which was used to treat 152 cases of adult diabetes. Among the cases, 98 were treated western medicine but the curative effect was not satisfactory, after combination with this drug, the total effective rate was 75.7%; the other 54 cases were treated with this TCM only, and the effective rate was 74.1%.
 
 References Back to Top

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