Present Day Usage:

现代應用：

1. for epilepsy,

2. for external injury of the brain,

3. as a painkiller, for neurasthenia,

4. for depression,

5. for the blood-vessel type of migraine.

一般没不良副作用。不會産生药物抗拒性。

Pharmaceutical name:

英文药名：

Rhizoma Gastrodiae Elatae

Biological name:

拉丁學名：

Gastrodia elata Bl.,  

Pron. in Japanese:

日語發音：

tenma

Pron. in Korean:

韓語發音：

ch'onma

Pron. in Cantonese:

粵語發音﹕

tin1 maa4

   Other Names:

   別名﹕

Common Name:

英文名﹕

Gastrodia Tuber

Distribution:

分佈﹕

It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.  Other producing regions include Northeast China and North China.

Properties (characteristics)﹕性味﹕

Sweet in taste and neutral in nature.

Channels (meridians) entered:

Liver.

Actions & Indications:

主治：

1. Calming the internal wind and relieving convulsion and spasm. For suppressing symptoms of liver-wind, no matter if cold type or heat type.

2. Calming the liver and suppressing liver yang ascending 肝陽上亢. For such symptoms as vertigo and headache.

3. Removing obstruction in the channels to relieve pain. For arthralgia due to the wind, cold and dampness, or for numbness and paralysis caused by liver and shenxu (kidney deficient) 腎虛

4. For neurasthenia and insomnia

Medical Function:

药 理：

1. Effect on the CNS: sedation, anti-seizure, painkilling effect.

2. Effect on heart and blood vessels: protects the heart muscle from lacking circulation, improves blood flow in the coronary artery,

3. Improves blood flow to the brain,

4. mitigate the effect of adrenalin on blood vessel constriction, lower blood pressure.

5. Effect on tolerance of lack of oxygen.

6. Improve the immune system.

7. Other effects: increase the skin temperature; increase the expansion and contraction ability of the smooth muscle of the intestine; improve the secretion of the bile in the gall bladder (vanillyl alcohol); slow down breathing; inhibits 5-HT, PGE_2;

8. Vanilline can be absorbed in the small intestine rapidly and shows up in the liver and the brain, especially the cerebrum, and the medication quickly permeates the blood-brain barrier. Vanilline is excreted through the urine within 10-12 hours.

9. Toxicity: Relatively safe.

Chemical ingredients:

化學成份：

Dosage:

用量﹕

• As a decoction, 3 -10 g daily.

• As powder, 1 - 1.5 g each time.

Samples of formulae:

處方舉例﹕

Use for paralysis after stroke; also for spastic muscles:

Prescription:  tian ma, 3 portions; niu xi , 3 portions; du zhong, 3 portions; dang gui, 2 portions; qiang huo, 2 portions. Grind into fine powder. Mix with refined honey to make into cubes. Take 5g each time 3x day with warm boiled water.   (Source of formula: Long Xiang Fei)

tian ma gou teng yin

tian ma wan

Traditionally, tian ma is being used with the combination of gou teng, ban xia, chuan xiong, fang feng etc.

處方﹕天麻 3份﹐牛膝 3份﹐杜仲 3份﹐當歸 2份﹐羌活 2份。磨成細末。煉蜜為丸。每次服 5克。每日3次﹐開水送服。處方來源﹕龍翔飛。

肢體拘攣，手足麻木，腰腿酸痛﹐偏頭痛:

天麻丸

天麻鉤藤飲

Differentiation:

Tian ma is long and elliptical, shrunk, crooked and slightly flat, 3-15 cm long, 1.5-6 cm wide, and 0.5-2cm thick. At one end of the tuber, there is a reddish-brown withered bud or a remaining stem. At the other end, there is an umbilicate scar. Tian ma ( Gastrodia) tuber is usually peeled. Its surface is yellowish white or yellowish brown with longitudinal wrinkles and some spotted segmental rings. It is hard and semi-transparent. It does not break easily.  Its cross-section is smooth and lustrous. It has a peculiar odor and a sweet, slightly pungent taste.   Fakes are the roots of Mirabilis jalapa L. and Dahlia pinnata Cav., or the tuber of potato, Solanum tuberosum L. They do not have the spotted segmental rings and longitudinal wrinkles on the surface, and the cross-section has no resin-like luster.

天麻偽 品常见者有 大麗 菊Dahlia pinnata cav．(菊科)  ,  紫茉莉 Mirabilis jalapa L.(紫茉莉科)  ,  馬 鈴 薯 Solanum tuberosumL(茄科)  ,  羽裂蟹甲草 Cacalia tangutica Hand．(菊科)  ,  芭蕉芋Canna edulis Ker．(美人蕉科)  ,  芋頭 Colocasia esculenta Sch．(天南星科)  ,  大九股牛Dobinea delavayi Engl. (槭 樹 科)等十餘種 植物的根或塊 茎的仿製 品。

Cautions:

禁忌﹕

Should not be used in case of yinxu (yin deficient)

陰虛者忌 用。