- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- South and Southeast Asia and southern China
- Traditions
- Chinese medical traditions
Asia · Herb · № 786
Aristolochia fangchi
Herb · Asia
Aristolochia root (guang fang ji)
Aristolochia fangchi
Traditionally attributed effects: was used for hot, painful joints and oedema; banned because of kidney damage.
Safety notes
Toxic or risky: only under expert supervision. Deliberately no dosage is given here. Contains aristolochic acid, which even in small amounts irreversibly damages the kidneys and causes cancer of the urinary tract. In the Netherlands and the EU products with aristolochia are banned. Do not use. In Belgium in the 1990s over a hundred women developed kidney failure and later cancer from a slimming product in which han fang ji had accidentally been replaced by this plant. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Chinese materia medica: Banned: do not use.
Preparation
Root. Deliberately no dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Described in the classical Chinese materia medica, in the group 'herbs that drain dampness'. Guang fang ji was used as a diuretic. Confusion with han fang ji in Belgian slimming pills led in the 1990s to 'Chinese herb nephropathy': kidney failure and later urinary tract cancer in more than a hundred women. It is now banned in many countries.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, bitter, cold
- Meridians
- bladder, spleen, kidney
Attributed effects
The book describes use for pain from wind, dampness and heat with thirst, a rapid, slippery pulse and a thick yellow, greasy tongue coating, and for oedema, especially of the face, with wheezing.
Preparation and amount
Deliberately no dosage is given here: only under the supervision of a qualified therapist. Never use 'fang ji' for these complaints unless the species has been established.
Caution: Banned: do not use.