Panax notoginseng, also known as Tianqi and Jinbuhuan, belongs to Araliaceae ginseng. It tastes sweet and slightly bitter, warm in nature, enters the liver and stomach meridian, and has the effects of stopping bleeding, dissipating blood stasis, reducing swelling and relieving pain. "Compendium of Materia Medica" records that Panax notoginseng "can cure all blood diseases". "Compendium of Materia Medica Supplements" records that "ginseng is the first to nourish qi, and Sanqi is the first to nourish blood. It tastes the same and has the same effect, so it is called ginseng and notoginseng, which is the most precious of traditional Chinese medicine." Modern medicine has found that Panax notoginseng has the effects of dilating blood vessels, increasing coronary artery and cerebrovascular blood flow, anti-platelet aggregation, and dissolving thrombus. Because Panax notoginseng has a variety of therapeutic and health care effects, it has a very high status in the hearts of ordinary people, and its price is relatively expensive. However, Panax notoginseng is not "cure all diseases, omnipotent". There are also some precautions and contraindications, which need to be paid attention to in clinical application.
Pay attention to distinguish the authenticity of the quality of Panax notoginseng
For the convenience of long-term use, people often choose to take Panax notoginseng powder orally. After powdering Sanqi, apart from the brown-green color, it cannot show other characteristics and is difficult to identify. Some unscrupulous merchants may use second-class notoginseng as good ones, and use third-class notoginseng (more than 40 heads, that is, more than 40 yuan per 500g dry goods) as first-class notoginseng (generally 20 heads, that is, only 20 yuan per 500g dry goods) for powdering For sale, there are even some ignorant merchants who sell the hepatotoxic and cheap soil notoginseng as notoginseng. Although there is a word difference between Tusanqi and Sanqi, the medicinal effects are worlds apart. Soil notoginseng belongs to the sedum family plant and contains pyrrole alkaloids that are highly toxic to the liver. There have been reports of liver failure and even death caused by mistakenly taking soil notoginseng as notoginseng.
Therefore, it is recommended that consumers purchase Panax notoginseng in regular medical institutions, and it is best to buy high-quality raw medicinal materials of Sanqi.
Which groups of people cannot take Panax notoginseng
Generally speaking, women should not take Panax notoginseng during menstruation and pregnancy. Panax notoginseng promotes blood circulation and removes blood stasis, which can easily lead to risks such as menorrhagia and premature delivery. Unless an experienced doctor of traditional Chinese medicine differentiates the syndrome as blood stasis-type irregular menstruation, Sanqi can be used in combination with other traditional Chinese medicines to regulate menstruation, or mothers can use Sanqi stewed chicken or steamed eggs to replenish qi and blood and eliminate postpartum blood stasis.
Panax notoginseng has a strong effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, so it cannot be used without blood stasis syndrome. In addition, notoginseng is warm in nature, which is more suitable for deficiency-cold syndrome, but not for heat syndrome with strong heat evil. Therefore, before using Panax notoginseng, it is recommended to consult a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine for syndrome differentiation and prescribe the right medicine.
It is not advisable to take Panax notoginseng during a cold, especially for wind-heat cold. In recent years, it has been reported that individual cold patients have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, thirst, and weakness of limbs after taking Panax notoginseng. It is recommended to reduce the dosage or stop using it.
How to take Panax notoginseng correctly
Panax notoginseng should not be taken too much, 6g-9g per day, the original medicinal materials are powdered and taken in divided doses, taken with warm water, and fried notoginseng is rarely used. Taking Panax notoginseng powder must be persisted for a long time, otherwise the health effects of unblocking blood vessels, anti-aging and beauty will not be achieved.
Panax notoginseng is often powdered with Danshen and American ginseng at a ratio of 1:3:1 to prevent and treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. When treating bruises, fractures or joint problems, you can take 1-3g of Panax notoginseng powder in a stewed chicken leg bone soup. When treating skin ecchymosis, a small amount of notoginseng powder is mixed with water or vinegar and applied externally.
In addition, Panax notoginseng should not be eaten with cold food such as bitter gourd, pear, crab, etc., because Panax notoginseng is warm in nature, and products with cold nature will reduce the temperature of Panax notoginseng, thus affecting its medicinal properties and efficacy; Eating greasy food together, the two are warm in nature, and eating together may easily lead to symptoms such as mouth sores; it is not suitable to eat together with tea and coffee, as these foods will hinder the body's absorption of Panax notoginseng.
In short, Panax notoginseng has the characteristics of dispelling blood stasis without hurting the body, and stopping bleeding without leaving stasis. It is mostly used for blood stasis syndrome. It is a rare and precious Chinese medicinal material and should be used under the guidance of experienced Chinese medicine practitioners.