What is Gan Cao?
Gan Cao, which is also called
Licorice,
Liquorice or
Glycyrrhizae, the name of traditional Chinese medicine. It is the dry root and rhizome of
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.,
Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat. or
Glycyrrhiza glabra L. of the leguminous plant. Distributed in North China, Northeast China, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Shandong, Xinjiang and other places. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, replenishing qi and invigorating the spleen, relieving cough and eliminating phlegm, relieving pain and relieving spasm, and harmonizing various medicines. It is often used for weakness of the stomach and spleen, fatigue, shortness of breath, palpitation, cough with excessive phlegm, acute pain of extremities, abdominal distension, carbuncle and sore to relieve drug toxicity and potency.
Licorice
Licorice is sweet, nourishing and soothing, cool in life, warm in sunburn, mainly enters the spleen and lung meridians, and also enters the stomach and heart meridians. It not only replenishes qi and invigorates the middle, but also relieves spasms and relieves pain, moderates the properties of the medicine, and also eliminates phlegm, relieves cough, and detoxifies. Honey broiler can invigorate qi and has strong urgency; it can purify fire and detoxify when used raw.
Types of Gan Cao
Gan Cao
Gan Cao is a kind of leguminous plant, which is often used to treat internal organs to dissipate evil energy, anti-inflammation and diuresis, etc. It can relieve pain, clear away heat and detoxify.
Sheng Gan Cao
Sheng Gan Cao means Raw grass, is generally suitable for clearing heat and detoxifying, and can improve the phenomenon of qi deficiency.
Gan Cao Shao
Gan Cao Shao means Grass shoot is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine, which can protect the eyes, detoxify and relieve pain in the body.
Growth environment of Gan Cao
Gancao is born in dry grasslands and sunny hillsides. Gancao likes an ecological environment with sufficient light, humidity, hot summer, severe cold in winter, and large temperature difference between day and night. It has the characteristics of light, drought, heat, salt, and cold. It is highly adaptable and often grows in arid, semi-arid sandy soils, desert edges and loess hilly areas. It is best to sow in spring.
Gancao is distributed in North China, Northeast China, Shaanxi, Qinghai, Gansu, Shandong, Xinjiang and other regions.
Processing methods of Gan Cao
Collection and processing
Excavated in spring and autumn, removed fibrous roots, and sun-dried.
Processing method
Gan Cao
Remove impurities, wash, moisten thoroughly, cut into thick slices, and dry.
Zhi Gan Cao
Take Gan Cao slices, fry them until yellow to dark yellow according to the honey-roasting method, take them out when they are not sticky, and let them cool in the air. This product is in the form of round or oval slices. Outer skin reddish brown or grayish brown, slightly shiny. The cut surface is dark yellow to yellow, with obvious radial rays and cambium ring. Slightly sticky. With coke aroma, sweet.
Zhi Gan Cao benefits
Zhi Gan Cao has the effect of invigorating the spleen and stomach, replenishing qi and restoring the pulse. It is often used for weakness of the stomach and spleen, palpitation, fatigue, and intermittent pulse.
Gan Cao TCM
Medicine part
Dry roots and rhizomes.
Taste
Sweet in the mouth, flat in nature.
Tropism
Return heart, lung, spleen, stomach warp.
Effect
Replenishing qi and invigorating the spleen, detoxification and clearing away heat, relieving cough and eliminating phlegm, relieving pain and relieving spasm, harmonizing various medicines.
Attending
For weakness of the stomach and spleen, weakness and lassitude, shortness of breath and palpitation, epigastric abdomen, cough with copious phlegm, carbuncle sore tumefacting virus, extremity convulsion acute pain, alleviates drug toxicity, strong.
Related compatibility
Treatment of viscera and hysteria: 15g of licorice, 30g of jujube, 12g of floating wheat, decocted in water. ("Synopsis of the Golden Chamber" Ganmai Jujube Soup)
Dosage
2~10g.
Taboo
It should not be used together with seaweed, Beijing euphorbia, red euphorbia, kansui and genkwa.
Properties of medicinal materials
Licorice root
The root is cylindrical, 25-100 cm long, and 0.6-3.5 cm in diameter. The outer skin varies in tightness. The surface is reddish-brown or gray-brown, with prominent longitudinal wrinkles, grooves, lenticels and sparse fine root scars. The texture is solid, the cross-section is slightly fibrous, yellowish white, powdery, the cambium ring is obvious, the rays are radial, and some have cracks. The rhizome is cylindrical, with bud scars on the surface and pith in the middle of the section. Slight gas, sweet and special.
Glycyrrhiza bulging
The roots and rhizomes are woody and thick, some are branched, the skin is rough, mostly gray-brown or gray-brown. The quality is hard, the wood fiber is much, and the powder is small. Rhizome adventitious buds many and thick.
Glycyrrhiza glabra
The roots and rhizomes are relatively solid, with some branches, the outer skin is not rough, more grayish brown, and the lenticels are thin and not obvious.
Gan Cao benefits
Invigorate the spleen and replenish qi
Gan Cao tastes sweet and flat, enters the heart, lung, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the effect of benefiting qi and rejuvenating the pulse, and the power of invigorating qi is enhanced after honey-burning. Gan Cao can be used as an auxiliary treatment for heart-qi deficiency, heart palpitations, and pulse depression. Heat-clearing and detoxifying: Licorice is sweet and cool in nature and can clear away heat and detoxify. It can be used as an auxiliary treatment for sore throat, carbuncle and sore. Zhi Gan Cao is warm in nature and generally not used for clearing heat and detoxifying.
Expelling phlegm and relieving cough
Gan Cao is mild in nature and mild in nature. Can reduce phlegm and relieve cough, benefit qi and moisten lung. It can be used regardless of exogenous pathogenic factors and internal injuries, cold and heat, deficiency and excess, new symptoms and chronic cough. It can be used to treat cough due to wind-cold, cough due to wind-heat, cough with cold phlegm, cough with damp phlegm, and cough due to lung dryness.
Pain relief
Gan Cao into the middle burner has the effect of invigorating the spleen and stomach, relieving pain and relieving pain. It can be used to treat spleen and stomach qi deficiency, fatigue, anorexia, loose stools, abdominal distension or acute pain in limbs.
Gan Cao side effects
The side effects of Gan Cao mainly include increased blood pressure, headache, and weight gain.
Elevated blood pressure
Taking a small amount of Gan Cao will basically have no effect on the individual's body. If it is taken in excess, it may have certain side effects, and it is easier to cause blood pressure to increase.
Headache
Some patients may have certain effects on nerve function after taking Gan Cao, leading to neurological decline and headache symptoms.
Weight gain
Excessive consumption of Gan Cao may also lead to excessive hormone levels in the body, which is more prone to water and sodium retention, resulting in symptoms of weight gain.
When using Gan Cao to treat diseases, you must pay attention to observing your physical condition.
How to take Gan Cao?
The use of licorice includes decoction, soup, tea and medicine, etc., all of which can have good medicinal value.
Decoction
Compatibility of Gan Cao with Chinese medicinal materials such as chrysanthemum, astragalus, ginseng and tangerine peel according to the doctor's advice, can also be used for the treatment of various fevers.
Shao Yao Gan Cao tang
Shao Yao Gan Cao tang is a one-dose prescription. This prescription mainly treats the syndromes caused by damaged body fluid, insufficient yin and blood, and loss of tendons. In the prescription, peony is sour and cold, restrains yin and nourishes blood, relieves pain and softens the liver; Gan Cao is warm and sweet, replenishes qi and invigorates the spleen, relieves pain and relieves spasms. Make the two medicines together, sweet and sour to transform yin, harmonize the spleen and liver, and have the effect of relieving pain and softening tendons.
Zhi Gan Cao tang
Zhi Gan Cao tang, the name of a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, also known as Fumai Decoction. As a tonic, it has the effects of nourishing qi, nourishing yin, dredging yang and restoring pulse. Indications for deficiency of yin and blood and yang qi, syndrome of deficiency of nourishment of heart arteries and veins.
Soup
Gan Cao and mung bean soup
You can mix Gan Cao and mung beans together to make soup, which can clear away heat and reduce fire, relieve summer heat and quench thirst, and relieve annoyance. It can effectively improve sore throat, red eyes, and sore tongue caused by fire. disease.
Make tea
Make tea with Gan Cao only or make tea with licorice and wolfberry, which can nourish yin and kidney, and enhance the body's immunity. It is more suitable for taking in autumn and can effectively reduce the appearance of symptoms of getting angry.
How to choose Gan Cao?
Color
The most obvious sign that Gan Cao is good or bad is its color. Generally speaking, the higher the greenness of Gan Cao, the higher its carotene content and the more storage of other nutrients.
Texture
True Gan Cao has longitudinal wrinkles, grooves and lenticels, and sparse fine root scars. False Gan Cao has less obvious vertical and horizontal lines and lenticels.
Section
True Gan Cao is firm and heavy, slightly sunken in the center of the cut surface, slightly fibrous, powdery, with radial texture and fissures. There is an obvious ring pattern and chrysanthemum heart on the section, and the cambium ring pattern is obvious. The section of false Gan Cao is obviously fibrous, less powdery, without ring pattern and chrysanthemum heart.
Smell
The smell of Gan Cao is produced during the storage process. The Gan Cao that has just been sun-dried in the field and the hay that has been dried artificially will not have a fragrance. Only the Gan Cao that has been piled up and fermented will produce an aromatic smell. The aroma of licorice is an important verification method to verify that the hay has been stored properly. High-quality Gan Cao is rich in fragrance and has no mildew smell; medium Gan Cao has a lighter fragrance, but it will not have a mildew smell; inferior hay has no fragrance, thick stems, and mild mildew smell; and inferior hay has a strong musty smell.
How to buy Gan Cao?
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