Porphyra is a name used in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the thallus of plants in the genus Porphyra of the family Porphyraaceae, including Porphyra haitanensis T.J.Chang et B.F.Zheng, P. yezoensis Ueda, P. suborbiculata Kjellm., P. tenera Kjellm., and P. dentata Kiellm.It has the effects of resolving phlegm and softening hardened masses, soothing the throat, relieving coughs, clearing heat and alleviating restlessness, and promoting diuresis to eliminate dampness. It is primarily used to treat goiters, sore throat, coughs, restlessness and insomnia, beriberi, edema, painful urination, and diarrhea with bloody stools.
Porphyra
Porphyra is a name used in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the thallus of plants in the genus Porphyra of the family Porphyraaceae, including Porphyra haitanensis T.J.Chang et B.F.Zheng, P. yezoensis Ueda, P. suborbiculata Kjellm., P. tenera Kjellm., and P. dentata Kiellm.It has the effects of resolving phlegm and softening hardened masses, soothing the throat, relieving coughs, clearing heat and alleviating restlessness, and promoting diuresis to eliminate dampness. It is primarily used to treat goiters, sore throat, coughs, restlessness and insomnia, beriberi, edema, painful urination, and diarrhea with bloody stools.
Chinese Name : 紫菜
Aliases : Suo Cai, Zi Ying, Zi Cai, Wu Cai (Guangdong)
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Taste: sweet and salty; nature: cold; enters the Lung, Spleen, and Bladder meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Resolves phlegm and softens hard masses; soothes the throat; relieves cough; clears heat and relieves restlessness; promotes diuresis and removes dampness.
Indications
Goiter, sore throat, cough, restlessness and insomnia, beriberi, edema, painful urination, and diarrhea with bloody stools.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoct 15–30 g.
Precautions
Should not be consumed in excess. 1. *Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*: “Excessive consumption causes bloating.” 2. *Supplement to the Materia Medica*: “Excessive consumption causes abdominal pain, flatulence, and foaming at the mouth; treat by drinking a small amount of warm vinegar.”
Chemical Constituents
1. Pickled laver: Contains protein, carbohydrates, fat, carotene,vitamins B1, B2, and C, niacin, as well as calcium, phosphorus, iron, and iodine. It also contains isopinoene, graminone, furfural, alpha-lipoic acid, choline, phospholipids, glycerides, and lutein, among other compounds. Additionally, it contains phycoerythrin and amino acids, primarily glutamic acid, alanine, and aspartic acid. 2. Striped Nori: Contains 18 amino acids, with alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid present in the highest amounts; others include leucine, valine, lysine, and threonine.In addition, it contains cholesterol galactoside, cholesterol mannoside, palmitoyl cholesterol galactoside, palmitoyl cholesterol mannoside,R-phycoerythrin and carotenoids, vitamins B1, B2, and C, niacin, protein, as well as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. It also contains porphyrin polysaccharides and galactan. 3. Sweet Laminaria: Contains lipopolysaccharides, which have ulcer-protective and macrophage-activating effects; vitamin B12; arsenic; riboflavin; niacin; alpha-lipoic acid; choline; amino acids such as alanine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid; β-carotene,α-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, phycoerythrin, phycochlorophyll, isopinoene, geosmin, furfural, phthalic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and lipids.
Pharmacological Actions
It exhibits antimutagenic and antitumor effects, as well as lipid-lowering properties; it influences immune function and the hematopoietic system; administration of nori polysaccharides into the duodenum of rats slows heart rate and enhances myocardial contractility; experiments on chicken embryos indicate that Polysaccharide A from Porphyra yezoensis possesses anti-influenza A (H1N1) virus activity;oral administration of Porphyra polysaccharides extends the average lifespan of fruit flies; it also has a protective effect against carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage in mice; when Porphyra glycina is fed to rats as the sole dietary fiber, it alters the metabolic capacity of small intestinal microbiota and reduces their fermentation capacity; in addition, it exhibits other pharmacological effects.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Collected Notes on the Classic of Materia Medica*: “Treats goiter and stagnant qi.”
2. *Dietary Therapy Materia Medica*: “Dispels heat.” “If heat obstructs the throat, drink its juice.”
3. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Those suffering from goiter or beriberi should consume it.”
4. *Dietary Spectrum of Suixi Ju*: “Harmonizes the blood and nourishes the heart; clears restlessness and dispels heat. Treats insomnia, soothes the throat, eliminates beriberi and goiters; is effective for epidemic diarrhea and dysentery; and refreshes the mind and stimulates the appetite.”
5. *Medicinal Spore Plants of China*: “Resolves phlegm and softens hard masses; clears heat and promotes urination. Treats hypertension, laryngitis, edema, gonorrhea, etc.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
Medicinal Diet Therapy: Seaweed and Fresh Oyster Soup
1. Benefits: Clears heat, resolves phlegm, softens hardened masses, and disperses nodules. Used for phlegm-fire scrofula, goiters, and similar conditions.
2. Ingredients: 15 grams of nori, 200 grams of oysters, 50 grams of mung bean vermicelli.
3. Preparation: First, bring an appropriate amount of water to a boil. Add the mung bean vermicelli; once cooked, add the oysters and nori. Season with an appropriate amount of high-quality fish sauce and MSG, then serve.
4. Dosage: One bowl daily.
Related Compatibility
1. For goiter: 15 g of sweet laver, 15 g of sea wormwood, 30 g of oysters, and 9 g of summer枯草. Decoct and drink. (From *Medicinal Marine Organisms of China*)
2. For laryngitis and tracheitis: 15 g of sweet laver, 12 g of purple ox, and 9 g of fritillary bulb. Decoct and drink.
3. For edema: 30 g of sweet laver, 15 g of motherwort, and 15 g of corn silk. Decoct and drink. (Formulas 2 and 3 are from *Medicinal Spore Plants of China*)
4. For hypertension: 15 g of sweet laver and 15 g of cassia seeds. Decoct and drink. (*Medicinal Marine Organisms of China*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvesting is performed using the cutting method and the picking method. 1. Cutting method: When the laver has grown to the appropriate harvest size, use scissors to cut off the majority of the upper part of the plant, leaving only the portion near the base—typically 6–8 cm in length—to allow continued growth. 2. Hand-picking method: Applied during the mature and senescent stages. During the mature stage, large nori are picked, while smaller ones are left to continue growing. During the senescent stage, the entire plant is uprooted regardless of size. 3. Processing method: After thoroughly washing the harvested nori, chop it into 0.5–1 cm pieces, then shape into cakes and dry.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
1. Jar-cultivated laver: The thallus is often curled and shriveled into irregular clumps or irregular flat shapes, ranging in color from purplish-brown to purplish-red. When soaked in water and flattened, the thallus is long-lanceolate or long-ovate, 10–28 cm long and 3–8 cm wide, with a heart-shaped or wedge-shaped base, slightly wrinkled margins, and irregular serrations.The texture is membranous and easily breaks. It has a fishy odor, a salty taste, and is slightly sticky.
2. Striped Nori: The thallus is ovate or oblong, 8–30 cm long and 4–12 cm wide, with a heart-shaped or slightly wedge-shaped base. The margins are wrinkled but not serrated, and the surface features pale white stripes.
3. Round Nori: Thallus is round, oval, or kidney-shaped, 2–8 cm long and 1.5–6 cm wide, with serrated margins.
4. Sweet laver: Thallus oblong, lanceolate, or irregularly ovate, 20–30 cm long and 10–18 cm wide, with a wedge-shaped, heart-shaped, or rounded base and wavy, wrinkled margins.
5. Long Laminaria: Thallus is long-lanceolate or lanceolate, 15–25 cm long and 2–6 cm wide, with a heart-shaped or rounded base and margins that are slightly wrinkled and irregularly serrated.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Species of the genus Laminaria in the family Laminariaceae, including Laminaria tan, Laminaria striata, Laminaria rotunda, Laminaria甘, and Laminaria longifolia.
Morphological Characteristics
1. *Ulva tanaka*: The thallus is dark greenish-purple or with a pale brownish tint, membranous, lamellar, and oblong-lanceolate, oblong-ovate, or oblong-subovate. The base is cordate, rounded, or cuneate; the margins are slightly wrinkled and bear irregular, sparse serrations. The thallus consists of a single layer of cells, with localized double layers; a few cells possess double plastids.A spherical starch nucleus is located at the midpoint. Cells along the margin of the thallus may differentiate into sperm sacs and sporangia. The species is monoecious, with a few dioecious forms. The holdfast consists of filamentous pseudorhizal cells. 2. Striped Porphyra: The main distinction from Jar Porphyra is that the thallus is purplish-red or has a slight bluish-purple tint. The base is round, heart-shaped, or, in a few cases, wedge-shaped; the margins are wrinkled, smooth, and without serrations.It is monoecious; clusters of sperm sacs grow intermittently within areas of dark purple spore clusters, forming grayish-white or pale yellow banded patterns. 3. Round Porphyra: The main differences from the above species are as follows: the thallus is purple or purplish-red, round or kidney-shaped, with distinct serrations along the margin; when dried, it often curls inward.4. Sweet Purple Laver: The main differences from the above species are: the thallus is purple, purplish-red, or bluish-purple; it is sheet-like, oblong, lanceolate, or irregularly oval, with slightly wavy, wrinkled margins. 5. Long Purple Laver: The main differences from the above species are: the margins of the thallus are slightly shriveled and irregularly serrated.
Distribution Area
1. Tan Nori: Found along the southeastern coast, particularly abundant off the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian. It is one of the primary cultivated species in southern China. 2. Striped Nori: Found along the coasts of Liaoning, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shandong. It is one of the primary cultivated species in northern China. 3. Round Nori: Found along the coasts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, and Guangdong. 4. Gan Nori: Found along the coasts of Liaoning, Zhejiang, and Shandong.5. Long-leaved Porphyra: Found along the coasts of Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong.
Growth Habits
Porphyra is a eurythermal seaweed; its thallus is not particularly sensitive to temperature, with an optimal growth temperature of around 15°C. Under short-day conditions with 8–10 hours of light, when the water temperature drops to around 20°C, the filamentous thallus can form mature spore sacs. Porphyra exhibits strong tolerance to low-tide conditions; it can grow normally despite post-low-tide desiccation, intense sunlight, and significant fluctuations in temperature.Good water circulation promotes the metabolism of laver. After February–March, sperm sacs and sporangia form along the edges of the algal thallus. Following fertilization, these develop into spores, which drift with the current and attach to substrates such as clam or oyster shells, where they germinate into filamentous stages. The filamentous stage, which is heat-tolerant, survives the hot summer.In late autumn, when water temperatures drop below 23°C, the filamentous stage forms mature shell spores, which germinate and grow into mature nori.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Filamentous Stage Cultivation: Select large, dark-colored nori with no diatom fouling and at an appropriate stage of maturity. Lay them on shaded bamboo mats in the cultivation room and subject them to air-drying stimulation for approximately 12 hours. Submerge them in seawater to release spores. Spray the spore-containing water onto substrates such as shell surfaces in the cultivation pond; the spores will germinate within one week.Scrub the shells with a soft-bristled brush once every half-month, change the water, and adjust the light intensity. Maintain the temperature at around 28°C, apply nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, and stir the pond water frequently; these measures all promote the growth and development of the filamentous stage.The growth and development of the filamentous algae can be determined by observing color changes on the surface of the shells. For example, when Tanaxina is cultured into late autumn, if the shell surface turns brownish-gray or brownish-black, it indicates that the filamentous algae are growing and developing normally. 2. Seedling Harvest: Before harvesting, weave a net curtain using a blend of plastic filament and vinylon rope.In late fall, when the water temperature drops below 23°C, mature filamentous bodies release large quantities of cysts. Place both the shells and the net curtains in the pond simultaneously, and manually stir the pond water frequently to promote cyst release. Care should be taken to control the attachment density of the cysts; generally, when 1–2 cysts are observed per field of view under low-power microscopy, the shells can be harvested.