tong cao

Name: tong cao
Creator: Bencao Index

通草·Medulla Tetrapanacis

Rice Paper Plant Pith

About tong cao

Tong Cao (通草) is the pith of the rice paper plant, recorded as Medulla Tetrapanacis. It is sweet and bland in flavour, slightly cold, and enters the Lung and Stomach channels. The catalogue files it among the herbs that drain Dampness.

Names

Pinyin	tong cao
Chinese	通草
Latin Name	Medulla Tetrapanacis
English Name	Rice Paper Plant Pith·rice paper plant pith; tetrapanax·tetrapanax
Japanese	tsuso·tuuso
Korean	tongcho

Classification

Category: Drain Dampness
Channels: Lung, Stomach
Flavour: Sweet, Bland
Temperature: Slightly Cold
Part used: Pith
Family: Araliaceae
Species: Tetrapanax papyferus
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Promotes urination, drains Damp and clears Heat

Damp-Warm febrile disease
Painful urinary dysfunction from Damp-Heat
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with edema and scanty, dark or painful urination
Mild Lin patterns
Mostly given in a supporting role

Clears Heat through the Lungs and opens the water passages

Fluids failing to descend along the upper water pathway

Promotes lactation

Scanty or absent breast milk, classically combined with herbs that support Qi and Blood

Combinations

hua shi + yi yi ren
Summerheat and turbid Damp with headache, a heavy body, stuffiness in the chest and painful urinary dysfunction
da fu pi
Edema and a distended abdomen from Damp-Heat blocking the Middle Jiao
qu mai + shi wei
Blood Lin; dysuria; Bladder Damp-Heat with pain
wang bu liu xing + chuan shan jia
Insufficient lactation.
wang bu liu xing + chuan shan jia + dang gui + huang qi + chuan xiong
Insufficient lactation. (stronger effect)
bai dou kou + hua shi + yi yi ren
Damp-Heat with a heavy body and cloudy, painful urination
fu ling + zhu ling + da fu pi
Edema with dysuria.
hua shi + yi yi ren + zhi ban xia + hou po + bai dou kou
Damp febrile disease with a heavy body, no thirst, a feeling of oppression in the chest, fever in the afternoon and dysuria

Dosage

Age	Raw	Granule	Tincture	Concentrate	Frequency
Any 2-10g; To promote lactation: 15-18g; Tincture: 1-3ml	2-10 g	—	1-3 ml	—	—

Cautions

contraindication Middle Jiao Cold
pregnancy Avoid in pregnancy, or use only with great care
caution Qi or Yin deficiency
caution Heavy or prolonged use is unsuitable when Fluids or Yin are already depleted
caution Confirm the species when buying: Tong Cao contains no aristolochic acid, but Aristolochia material such as Guan Mu Tong does, and that compound causes kidney damage and is a known human carcinogen

Interactions

Drug interactions

Diuretics (chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, bumetanide, torsemide): more water and electrolytes may be lost

Photographs of tong cao

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