This product is the mature fruit of the perennial vine plant Northern Dutohmanspipe Fruit (Aristolochia contorta Bge.) or Dutohmanspipe Fruit (A. debilis Sieb. et Zucc.) of the Dutohmanspipe Fruit family. The former is mainly produced in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Hebei, and other regions, while the latter is produced in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, and other areas. The fruit is harvested in autumn when it turns from green to yellow, then dried for raw use or processed with honey.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Bitter and slightly acrid, cold. Act on lung and large intestine meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Clearing the lung and resolving phlegm, relieving cough and calming asthma.

bubble_chart Indications

Primarily used for lung heat cough and wheezing. This product is cold in nature and light in quality, mainly entering the lung meridian. It has a bitter taste and descending properties, effectively clearing and descending lung qi to resolve phlegm and relieve cough, calming wheezing. It is most suitable for treating lung heat cough with phlegm and wheezing, often combined with White Mulberry Root-Bark, Skullcap Root, loquat leaf, etc.; if there is lung deficiency with excessive fire, wheezing, cough, dry throat, or blood in the phlegm, it is combined with Donkey-hide Gelatin to enrich yin and clear the lung, stopping cough and calming wheezing, such as in Lung-Nourishing Donkey-hide Gelatin Decoction. Additionally, this product can clear heat accumulation in the large intestine to treat hemorrhoid swelling and pain, and can clear heat, calm the liver, and lower blood pressure to treat hypertension due to ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang.

1. Yaoxing Lun: "Main lung qi rises urgently, unable to sit or rest, with continuous coughing and reverse flow."
2. Bencao Jingshu: "Dutohmanspipe Fruit, enters the lungs to remove heat and causes qi to descend. Cough is a disease of rising qi; when qi descends and heat is removed, the cough naturally subsides. Phlegm accumulation and panting are also lung heat diseases, and should be treated accordingly. Bloody hemorrhoids and fistulas are nothing but blood heat, especially since hemorrhoids belong to the large intestine, and the large intestine and lungs are exterior-interior related. Clearing heat from the viscera also clears heat from the bowels, hence it is also treated."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-10g; for external use, decoct an appropriate amount and use as a fumigation or wash. Generally used raw, but roasted for lung deficiency and chronic cough conditions.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

The dosage should not be excessive to avoid causing vomiting.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains Dutohmanspipe Fruit alkaloids, magnoflorine, Dutohmanspipe Fruit acid, and sub-Dutohmanspipe Fruit acid, among others.

• The decoction has a mild phlegm-dispelling effect on anesthetized rabbits; for isolated guinea pig bronchial perfusion, a 1% infusion can dilate the bronchi and counteract bronchospasms caused by pilocarpine, acetylcholine, and histamine.
• Subcutaneous injection of Dutohmanspipe Fruit alkaloids can cause severe nephritis, and in large doses, it can lead to hematuria, anuria, dyspnea, irregular pulse, and even respiratory arrest leading to death.