White Side-Ear, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant or roots of Parnassia delavayi Franch., a species of the genus Parnassia in the Saxifragaceae family. It has the effects of clearing heat, moistening the lungs, detoxifying, and reducing swelling. It is primarily used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, laryngitis, mumps, lymphadenitis, heat-toxin sores and swellings, and traumatic injuries.
White-sided Ear
White Side-Ear, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It refers to the whole plant or roots of Parnassia delavayi Franch., a species of the genus Parnassia in the Saxifragaceae family. It has the effects of clearing heat, moistening the lungs, detoxifying, and reducing swelling. It is primarily used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, laryngitis, mumps, lymphadenitis, heat-toxin sores and swellings, and traumatic injuries.
Chinese Name : 白侧耳
Aliases : Plum Blossom Herb, Yellow Grass, Little White Flower, Horse Hoof Grass, White Ear Herb, Lung Heart Herb, White Folded Ear, Water Folded Ear
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Sweet in taste, cold in nature
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Clears heat, moistens the lungs, detoxifies, and reduces swelling
Indications
Tuberculosis, laryngitis, mumps, lymphadenitis, heat-toxin sores and swellings, and trauma.
Usage and Dosage
Internal use: Decoction, 9–15 g. External use: Pound and apply as a poultice.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Collection of Folk Remedies and Herbs of Guizhou*: “Suppresses cough, expels phlegm, dispels wind, reduces fever, and promotes urination.”
2. *Yunnan Chinese Herbal Medicine*: “Clears heat and moistens the lungs; reduces swelling and relieves pain. Primarily used to treat pulmonary tuberculosis, parotitis, lymphadenitis, laryngitis, leukorrhea, heat-toxin sores and swellings, and trauma.”
3. Revised Edition of *Herbal Medicine of Southern Yunnan*: “Relieves cough, resolves phlegm, and stabilizes pregnancy.”
Applications
Related Compatibility
1. For chronic cough leading to consumption: 6 g of white wood ear, 6 g of deer-bite grass. Stew with pork lung and consume.
2. For coin-shaped tinea: 30 g of fresh white wood ear roots; lightly roast over a fire for a short while, knead into a ball, and rub onto the affected area. (Formulas 1 and 2 are from *Collection of Folk Remedies from Guizhou*)
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest from June to August; sun-dry or use fresh.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The rhizome is irregularly tuberous, brownish-black, with numerous adventitious roots, scales, and leaf petiole remnants; the apex is hairy. The stem is cylindrical with longitudinal ridges; it is brittle and breaks easily.The leaves are shriveled; intact basal leaves are reniform or cordate, thick and papery, with petioles up to 16 cm long. There is a single cauline leaf, which is round with a cordate base and clasping the stem. The flowers are yellow and solitary at the stem apex. Elliptical capsules are sometimes visible. It has a faint odor and a sweet taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
A species of the genus *Platycodon* in the Saxifragaceae family: *Platycodon sp.*.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial herb, 10–45 cm tall, with a slightly thick and elongated creeping rhizome. The stem is ridged and glabrous. Basal leaves are thick papery; petioles are up to 16 cm long; leaf blades are reniform or cordate, 2.5–6 cm long; the stem bears a single sessile leaf, which is round, with a blunt apex, a cordate base, clasping the stem, and entire margins.Flower stalks 1–4, with a single flower at the apex; sepals 5, ovate or broadly obovate, apex obtuse and rounded;petals 5, white, spatulate, obovate, or oblanceolate, with a bluntly rounded apex; margins eroded in the upper part and finely fringed in the middle and lower parts, with a long claw at the base; stamens 5, alternate with the petals, connectives brown, awl-shaped, often projecting beyond the anthers; degenerate stamens deeply 3-lobed from the middle upward; ovary semi-superior;3 carpels, fused; style slightly longer than the ovary; stigma 3-lobed. Capsule elliptical. Flowering period: July–August; fruiting period: August–September.
Distribution Area
Distributed in Southwest China, as well as Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, and other regions.