Stemona Stemona

Chinese Name: Baibu -- Wansheng Baibu

Class: root

Japanese stemona root

[alias]: drug lice.

[source]: stemonajaponica (Bl.) Miq., a stemonajaponica plant of stemonaceae.

[harvesting]: in spring and autumn, remove the fibrous roots, heat them in boiling water or steam them until there is no white heart, take them out and dry them in the sun.

[nature and taste]: the root is similar to Stemona verticillata, with narrow ends, light gray surface, irregular folds and horizontal wrinkles; the taste is bitter. It is mild in nature, sweet and bitter in taste.

[plant morphology]: perennial twining herbs. The stem is 100 cm long. Leaves 2-4 (~ 5) in whorls, petiole 1.5-3cm long; leaves ovate to ovate lanceolate, 3-9cm long, 1.5-4cm wide, apex acuminate. The base is round or broadly cuneate, margin microwavy, with 5-9 veins. The flowers are solitary or arranged in cymes, the total pedicel is completely attached to the midvein of the leaf blade; the perianth segments are 4, turning outward after opening; the tip of stamen anther has a short subulate appendage. Capsule ovoid, slightly flat. Seeds dark purple brown. The flowering period is April to May and the fruiting period is July.

[growing place]: it grows under shrub forest or bamboo forest on shady slope. It is mainly produced in Zhejiang.

[chemical composition]: it contains stemonine, stemonine, isoste monidine, protostemonine, stemonamine, isostemonamine, etc.

[function indications]: same as that of Stemona erecta.