Birthwort Fruit (Ma Dou Ling)

馬兜玲
Birthwort fruit (Madouling)

Pharmaceutical Name: Fructus Aristlochiae

Botanical Name: 1. Aristolochia contorta Bge.; 2. Aristolochia debilis Sieb. et Zucc.

Common Name: Aristolochia fruit, Birthwort fruit

Source of Earliest Record: Yaoxing Lun

Part Used: The ripe fruit is gathered in autumn and dried in the sun.

Natural Properties & Taste: Bitter, slightly pungent and cold

Meridians: Lung and large intestine

Therapeutic Effects:
1. To clear the lungs and resolve phlegm;
2. To stop cough and soothe asthma

Indications:
1. Heat in the lungs manifested as cough with profuse yellow sputum and asthma. Birthwort fruit (Madouling) is used with Loquat leaf (Pipaye), Peucedanum root (Qianhu), Mulberry bark (Sangbaipi) and Scutellaria root (Huangqin).

2. Deficiency of the lungs manifested as cough with scanty sputum or with bloody sputum and shortness of breath. Birthwort fruit (Madouling) is used with Glehnia root (Shashen), Ophiopogon root (Maidong), Aster root (Ziwan) and Donkey hide gelatin (Ejiao).

Dosage: 3-10 g

Cautions & Contraindications: Overdosage of the herb may cause nausea and vomiting.