Knowledge Base/Herbs/Arisaema Rhizome
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温化寒痰药（有毒） · Warm phlegm-transforming; classically toxic

Arisaema Rhizome tiān nán xīng · 天南星

Arisaema erubescens (Wall.) Schott; Arisaema heterophyllum Bl.; Arisaema amurense Maxim. (Arisaematis Rhizoma)

Nature and flavour. Bitter and pungent, warm; listed as toxic in the classical materia medica; Lung, Liver and Spleen systems.

Traditionally classed as drying dampness and transforming phlegm, dispelling wind and stopping spasm, and dissipating masses. Only the processed tuber is used internally; the raw tuber is not. Recorded for stubborn cold-phlegm with cough, for wind-phlegm with numbness, facial deviation and convulsion, and for scrofula and swellings. Processing — classically with ginger and alum — is treated as essential rather than optional in the classical sources, and the raw drug appears in external use only. A separate article, 虎掌南星 (Pinellia pedatisecta Schott), circulates as a related but distinct drug.

性味归经。苦、辛，温；传统本草列为有毒；归肺、肝、脾经。

传统归类为燥湿化痰、祛风止痉、散结消肿。内服只用炮制品，生品不内服。古籍用于顽痰寒痰咳嗽、风痰所致麻木、口眼歪斜与痉挛，以及瘰疬、痈肿。传统以姜、矾炮制被视为必需而非可选项，生品仅供外用。另有虎掌南星（Pinellia pedatisecta Schott）作为相近而不同的品种流通。

Classical category · no formulas, no dosages, no herb-drug combinations are given.
Safety. The raw tuber is the hazard and it is not a mild one. As an arum (Araceae) it contains needle-sharp calcium oxalate raphides together with other irritant constituents; chewing raw arisaema causes immediate intense burning and swelling of the mouth, tongue and throat, and swelling in that space can compromise the airway. It has also caused poisoning when taken internally unprocessed, and confusion between the raw and processed drug is the recurring cause. Classically contraindicated in pregnancy. Never a self-care item; the processed drug is a prescription medicine in jurisdictions that recognise it, and the raw drug has no place outside professional preparation. Safety in breastfeeding is not established. Do not confuse it with 白附子, which is a different drug — the names are one character apart.

生品即为危害，且非轻微。本品属天南星科，含草酸钙针晶及其他刺激性成分；嚼食生品可立刻引起口、舌、咽喉剧烈灼痛与肿胀，该部位肿胀可进而危及气道。未经炮制内服亦曾致中毒，生熟混淆是反复出现的原因。传统列为孕妇禁用。绝不是可自行使用的药材；在承认本品的法域内，炮制品属处方药，生品除专业炮制外无使用余地。哺乳期安全性未确立。注意勿与白附子混淆 —— 两者只差一字，并非一物。

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Other Warm phlegm-transforming; classically toxic herbs

1 related entry.

Giant Typhonium Rhizome白附子

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