Bai Changshan, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the roots of the Rubiaceae plants Mussaenda pubescens Ait.f. (Yuye Jinhua) and Mussaenda divaricala Hutch. (Zhanzhi Yuye Jinhua). It has antipyretic and antimalarial effects. It is primarily used to treat malaria.
Bai Changshan
Bai Changshan, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the roots of the Rubiaceae plants Mussaenda pubescens Ait.f. (Yuye Jinhua) and Mussaenda divaricala Hutch. (Zhanzhi Yuye Jinhua). It has antipyretic and antimalarial effects. It is primarily used to treat malaria.
Chinese Name : 白常山
Aliases : Jade-Leaf Golden Flower, Goose Flower
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Bitter in taste, cold in nature
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Antipyretic and antimalarial.
Indications
Malaria.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoction, 6–10 g.
Relevant Discussions
*Chronicle of Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine*, 1960 edition: “Dispels cold and clears heat. Treats malaria with chills and fever.”
Applications
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvested from August to October and sun-dried.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The main root is typically thick, straight, and long, though it may be irregularly curved; diameter 6–20 mm. There are numerous lateral roots, along with countless fine roots; the surface is grayish-brown with irregular longitudinal and transverse cracks. The texture is hard and difficult to break; the cross-section is yellowish-white or pale yellow, with a thick cortex that peels off easily when fresh; the inner surface is smooth and rich in mucilage.Its appearance closely resembles that of Changshan, but its cross-section has a white center, hence the name “White Changshan.” It has a faint odor and a bland taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
The Rubiaceae plants *Yuye Jinhua* and *Zhanzhi Yuye Jinhua*.
Morphological Characteristics
1. Yuye Jinhua: A hairy, climbing shrub. Leaves are opposite and whorled; petioles are 3–8 mm long; stipules are triangular, 5–7 mm long, with the apical end deeply bifid;leaf blades are ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 5–8 cm long and 2–2.5 cm wide, with a gradually tapering apex and a cuneate base; the upper surface is glabrous or sparsely hairy, while the lower surface is densely covered with short soft hairs. The cymes are terminal, dense, with very short peduncles and hairy linear bracts;Flowers are pentamerous, hairy, and sessile; the calyx tube is spindle-shaped, 3–4 mm long, with linear lobes more than twice as long as the tube; in some flowers, one calyx lobe is enlarged into a leaf-like structure that is white, broadly elliptic, 2.5–4 cm long, and bears longitudinal veins;Corolla yellow; corolla tube 2–2.5 cm long; lobes ca. 4 mm long, with golden-yellow powdery papillae on the inner surface. Fruit fleshy, nearly elliptic, ca. 8 mm in diameter, turning black when dry.Flowering occurs in summer. 2. Spreading-Branch Jade-Leaf Goldenflower: A climbing shrub, approximately 1 m tall. The roots are dark brown and emit a foul odor. The stems are grayish-white, with elliptical lenticels that are brown, vary in size, and are slightly raised; young branches are sparsely covered with short hairs. Leaves are opposite; petioles are 0.8–1.5 cm long; stipules are triangular and deeply bifid;leaves are elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 7.5–11 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, with a gradually tapering or acute apex, a cuneate or slightly extended base, entire margins, and 6–8 pairs of lateral veins that do not reach the margin but curve forward; the interveinal areas are raised; the upper surface is glabrous or covered with sparse, short, stiff, appressed hairs, while the lower surface has short soft hairs along the veins.Compound corymbs arranged in corymboid clusters, terminal, bearing numerous flowers; calyx 5-lobed; corolla yellow, funnel-shaped, with a long tube, externally covered with silky hairs, 5 lobes, expanded, ovate, with small golden-yellow spots on the inner surface; stamens 5; ovary inferior, 2-chambered, with 2 linear stigmas. Fruit a berry, nearly spherical, 8–10 mm in diameter.Seeds are numerous, small, and ridged. Flowering occurs in summer.
Distribution Area
1. Jade-leaf Goldenflower: Distributed throughout areas south of the Yangtze River. 2. Spreading-branch Jade-leaf Goldenflower: Distributed in Hubei, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and other areas.