Notes from Medicinal Plants class at Virginia Tech. This lecture was developed in collaboration with Dr. Chunlin Long of the Kunming Botanical Institute China and is part of a collaborative project funded by the office of International Agricultural Development at Virginia Tech.

1. Traditional Chinese Medicinal
Plants: An Introduction
Chunlin Long
Kunming Institute of Botany,
Chinese Academy of Sciences
And
Central University for Nationalities
Virginia Tech, October 2008

2. Three Talks
I-Introduction. Monday, 13 Oct.
II-Chinese Medicinal Plant Resources for
Mouth Disorders. Wednesday, 15 Oct.
III-Herbs for Medicinal Baths among the
Yao Communities in China. Friday, 17 Oct.

4. Tropical rainforest in
southern and SW China

5. Subtropical forests

6. Desert and arid or semi-arid region in NW China

7. Nitraria sibirica,
Zygophyllaceae,
occurring in the
desert

8. Alpine vegetation

9. Rich flora and fauna in China
Rank 3rd

10. Rich cultural diversity in China
Top 5

11. Rich traditional knowledge in China

12. What’s Traditional Chinese
Medicinal Plant (TCMP)?
TCMP: refers to medicinal plants under
guidance of Chinese medicinal theory
TCMP: Plant species (taxa), 11146 spp.
And 1581 animals and 80 minerals are
also used as medicine. In total: 12807 spp.
Mono-prescription, eg. Ginseng slice
Multi-prescription, eg. Compound salvia
tablet (including Salvia miltiorrhiza, Panax
notoginseng, and crystal sugar)

13. Panax ginseng root

14. Panax ginseng plantation
in Northeast China

15. Salvia miltiorrhiza

16. Salvia miltiorrhiza, its special flower structure for pollination

17. Panax nodoginseng
plantation in
southwest China

18. Fruits of Panax
notoginseng

19. TCMP: Why Important?
Trade quantum: USD $40 billions/year
Population involved: over 1 billion
Countries/regions benefited: Japan, Korea,
SE Asia, Europe, and China
Demands in China: 600 million tons/year
Species number: 12807 spp.
Development history: over 4000 years
Management: an authority from central to
county level in China, Administrative of
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine

20. Development Dynamics
Healthy
Historical
Social
Economic
Cultural
Political

21. Philosophy of TCMP:
harmony, balance
TCM: 阴Yin, 阳Yang, 气Qi (shady, sunny,
and affected through network)
TCM: 五行Five Elements, namely 金Jin, 木
Mu, 水Shui, 火Huo, 土Tu (metal, wood,
water, fire, and soil)
TCMP: To use herbs to restore
harmony and balance disorders

22. Nature of TCMP
Four drug “QIs”:
四气：是指寒、热、温、凉四种不同的
药性
Cold-Qi
Hot-Qi
Warm-Qi
Cool-Qi
Neutral

23. Nature of TCMP
Five taste “QIs”
五味：指辛、甘、酸、苦、咸五种不同
的药味。
Acrid-Qi
Sweet-Qi
Sour-Qi
Bitter-Qi
Salty-Qi

24. Nature of TCMP
Other “QIs”
升降浮沉：药物在治疗作用中的趋向
Upward-Qi
Downward-Qi
Outward-Qi
Inward-Qi
归经Gui-jing：药物归向以五脏为核心的
经络联通的身体各组织部分
Em-stem of neurovaso-Qiduot

25. TCMP: Some Examples
Camellia reticulata
Lamiophlmis rotata

26. Verbena officinalis, Verbenaceae
The whole plant
Mild Cold-Qi; Bitter taste-Qi; Organs
emphasized: Liver and spleen
Chemicals: Verbenalin, C17H24O10;
Berbenalol, C11H14O5; Adenosine,
C10H13O4N5; etc.
Dosage: 15-31 grams, decoction
Ailments: Schistosomiasis; Malaria;
Tumefaction of liver or spleen; etc.

27. Verbena officinalis

28. Verbena officinalis

29. Paeonia spp., Paeoniaceae
The root bark
Mild Cold-Qi; Bitter taste-Qi; Organ
emphasized: Liver
Chemicals: paeoniflorin; albiflorin;
lactiflorin; daucosterol; etc.
Dosage: 15-31 grams, decoction
Ailments: Schistosomiasis; Malaria;
Tumefaction of liver or spleen; etc.
Combined medicine: Angelica sinensis;
Bupleurum chinense; Ligusticum
chuanxiong; etc.

32. Lonicera japonica, Caprifoliaceae
Flowers (and vine stem)
Cold-Qi; Sweet taste-Qi; Organs
emphasized: Lung, stomach and heart
Chemicals: Luteolin, C15H10O6; Lonicein,
C27H30O15·2H2O; Loniceraflavone, C15H10O5;
Loanin, C17H26O16; etc.
Dosage: flower 9-15 g, stem 9-31 g,
decoction
Ailments: rheum; parotitis; enteritis; etc.
Combined medicine: Isatis tinctoria;
Forsythia suspensa; Mentha spp.; etc.

33. Lonicera japonica

34. Lonicera sp., taken from Christiansburg, Virginia

35. Lonicera sp., taken from Christiansburg, Virginia

36. Lycoris radiata, Amaryllidaceae
Bulb
Warm-Qi; Acrid taste-Qi and sweet-Qi;
Poisonous
Chemicals: Lycorine, C16H17O4N;
Galanthamine, C17H21O3N; Lycoramine,
C17H23O3N; Tazettine, C18H21O5N; etc.
Dosage: 1.5-3 g, surface sprending; or
decoction
Ailments: furuncle; food poisoning; icterus;
etc.

37. Lycoris radiata

38. Lycoris radiata

39. Belamcanda chinensis, Iridaceae
Rhizome
Cold-Qi; Bitter taste-Qi; Organs
emphasized: Lung and liver
Chemicals: Shekanin, C22H22O11;
Belamcandin, C24H24O12; Iridin,
C24H26O13·H2O; etc.
Dosage: 3-6 g, decoction
Ailments: tracheitis; faucitis; parotitis; etc.
Combined medicine: Platycodon
grandiflorus; Scutellaria baicalensis;
Glycyrrhiza uralensis; etc.

40. Belamcanda chinensis

41. Belamcanda chinensis

42. Arisaema spp. Araceae
Tuber/corm/rhizome of Arisaema or Pinellia
Warm-Qi; Acrid taste-Qi, Bitter taste-Qi;
Poisonous; Organs emphasized: Lung, liver and
spleen
Chemicals: sapons; etc.
Dosage: 3-9 g, decoction after processed; or
surface sprending
Ailments: apoplexy; falling sickness; rheumatism;
etc.
Combined medicine: Saposhnikovia divaricata;
Angelica dahurica; dry ginger; etc.

46. Arisaema
erubescence

47. Arisaema
erubescence

48. Arisaema
franchetianum

49. Arisaema
yunnanense

50. Arisaema
heterophyllum

52. Pinellia ternata,
its tubers are
also used as
Arisaema

53. Conclusions
TCMP, an important medicinal resource
TCMP/TCM, with its own nature/
philosophy (harmony and balance),
simple but systematic
TCMP, mostly in the forms of multi-
prescription/combination
Many TCMPs are also edible
TCMP, modernization by revealing its
chemicals and mechanisms
TCMP, for human health and welfare

54. Acknowledgements
Prof. Gregory Welbaum
My staff and students
Natural Science Foundation of China
(30170102)
Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan
Province (2001C0058M & 2005C0053M)
Ministry of Science & Technology of
China (2004DKA30430, 2005DKA21006)
Ministry of Education of China (CUN-
985-3-3, B08044)

55. Research Group for Biodiversity and Plant Resources
Please visit our web: www.softyoung.com/biodiversity

56. chunlinlong@hotmail.com
Or: long@mail.kib.ac.cn