Ting Li Zi - Lepidium apetalum

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Ting Li Zi
 
 Latin
Semen Lepidii et Descurainiae
 Introduction Back to Top
Semen Lepidii et Descurainiae is the dried ripe seed of Lepidium apetalum Willd. or Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl. (Fam. Cruciferae). The former is commonly known as "Bei Tinglizi", and the latter is known as "Nan Tinglizi". The plant is collected in summer when the fruit is ripe, dried in the sun, and the seed is gathered, removed from foreign matter.
 Western medical Back to Top
This herb is indicated in the treatment of whooping cough, spontaneous pneumothorax, pulmonary heart disease, ascites due to hepatocirrhosis and congestive heart failure, etc..
 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Removes Heat from the Lung, relieves asthma, promotes Water circulation, reduces swelling.
  • Properties: Pungent, bitter, very cold.
  • Channels entered: Lung and Bladder.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
nan ting li zi contains five cardiac glycosides including strophanthidine, evomonoside, helveticoside, evobioside and erysimoside. Its volatile oil contains benzylisothiocyanate, allyl isothiocyanate, allyl disulfide. It also contains fatty oil including linolenic acid, oleic acid, erucic acid, etc..
bei ting li zi contains fatty oil, sinigrin and proteins, etc..
 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Cardiotonic effect

Alcohol extract of ting li zi could increase the cardiac contraction, decrease the heart rate, block the cardiac conduction, increase cardiac output in dysfunctional heart and lower vein pressure.

Anticancer effect

ting ling zi could exert its significant anticancer at a very low dosage. In vivo experiments showed that ting ling zi had inhibitory effect on ascites cancer.
 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Meniere's syndrome

ting li zi 20~60g; gou teng (decocted later) 30g; ze xie, fu ling, che qian zi (wrapped), 15g; bai zhu, chuan xiong, 12g; bai jiang can, ju hua, 10g each; suan zao ren 20g. 1 dose daily. 50 cases of Meniere's syndrome were treated, 34 cases were cured. Usually it took effect 2~3 hours after administration.

Heart failure

Fried ting li zi powder, 10g, being taken with rice or date soup, twice daily. The method was used to treat 20 cases of heart failure. And it would take the diuretic effect 2~3 hours after administration.

Infantile severe pneumonia

ting li zi 3~5g, lai fu zi 4~6g, su zi 4~6g, niu bang zi 5~8g, zhi ke 5~8g, xing ren 3~5g, chuan bei mu 4~6g. Modify the formula according to accompanied symptoms. Routine treatment of western medicine was accompanied. 38 cases of infantile severe pneumonia were treated, 36 were cured and 2 dead.

Pleural effusion

ting li zi 30g, zao jiao 3g, jiao shan zha 15g, da huang 9g, bai zhi 9g, bai jiang cao 30g; jin qian cao 30g, shi wei 15g. 1 dose daily.

 
 References Back to Top

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