- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- China and South-East Asia; various species in tropical Asia. Phyllostachys nigra and related species
- Sanskrit
- Vansa
- Other names
- Doornbamboe
Asia · Herb · № 134
Phyllostachys nigra
Herb · Asia
Bamboo
Phyllostachys nigra
In Chinese medicine bamboo shavings (zhu ru) and bamboo sap are used for coughs with yellow phlegm, nausea and restlessness. Ayurveda uses silica-rich bamboo manna. Clinical research is scarce.
Safety notes
Raw bamboo shoots contain cyanogenic compounds; always cook well. Do not use herbal preparations long term without expert advice.
Cautions by tradition (3)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Not with diarrhoea or cough from cold.
- Ayurvedic materia medica: Not in pregnancy.
- Chinese materia medica: Not for cough from cold or spleen deficiency with diarrhoea. Convulsions and fainting are emergencies.
Preparation
Stem shavings as decoction; young shoots cooked as a vegetable. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
In China bamboo is a symbol of resilience and integrity and one of the 'three friends of winter'. Ody describes how stem, leaf and sap each have their own place in Chinese medicine.
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.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Antispasmodic, antimicrobial, soothing, loosens mucus, tonic, stops bleeding.
Preparation and amount
Juice by the teaspoon (optionally with ginger juice) for stubborn cough; shavings as a decoction with elecampane after flu; tincture 20–40 drops to calm the nerves; powder 250 mg–1 g as a lung tonic; leaf tea for feverish colds and nausea, also as a nasal plug for nosebleeds.
Caution: Not with diarrhoea or cough from cold.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Leaf promotes menstruation and expels worms; tabashir stimulating, astringent, fever-reducing, tonic, cooling, antispasmodic; promotes lochia, against threadworms, vomiting blood, inflamed joints, skin blemishes.
Preparation and amount
Decoction 56–112 ml; bamboo manna (tabashir/bansalochan) 1–3 g; leaf juice with herbs.
Caution: Not in pregnancy.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- sweet, (very) cold
- Meridians
- heart, lung, stomach, gallbladder
Attributed effects
Bamboo shavings (zhu ru) cool heat and phlegm in the lungs with yellow or bloody phlegm, cool the stomach in vomiting and bad breath and stop bleeding. Bamboo sap (zhu li) cools hot phlegm in the lungs and phlegm blocking the heart in convulsions and fainting.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 5–9 g a day, for the shavings; the sap 30–60 g. The sap is combined with fresh ginger to temper its cold. In Ayurveda dried bamboo sap is the base of sitopaladi churna against cough.
Combinations
- Shavings with fresh ginger and huang lian for vomiting from heat
Caution: Not for cough from cold or spleen deficiency with diarrhoea. Convulsions and fainting are emergencies.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionTincturePowder and kitchen