Zhu Ye is also known as Bamboo Leaf and can be used for medicine and food. It first appeared in <Mingyi Bie Lu> around 420-589 AD.
Bamboo is the general name of Bambusoideae. They have more than 70 genera and about 1,200 species. Among them, some types of bamboo shoots can be eaten, and some types of bamboo poles can be made into furniture, canes, umbrella handles, musical instruments and crafts.
Bamboo is defined by the Chinese as four gentlemen in flowers, and the other three are plum blossom, orchid, and chrysanthemum. It symbolizes nobility, integrity, and perseverance.
The Zhu Ye referred to herein is the leaf of Phyllostachys Nigra, which is a perennial herb belonging to the family Poaceae. This plant originated in China and was subsequently introduced to India, Japan, and some European and American countries.
The leaf of Phyllostachys Nigra can be gathered in any season. People remove their impurities, wash them with water, use them directly or dry them in the sun, cut them into sections, and make them into Chinese herbs. It contains flavonoids, phenol ketones, anthraquinones, lactones, polysaccharides, amino acids, and trace elements.
According to <Mingyi Bie Lu>, the medicinal property of Zhu Ye is relatively cold, with a pungent, sweet and light taste. It has a certain therapeutic effect on the pathological changes of the heart, stomach and small intestine meridians.
In Chinese medicine, Zhu Ye is often used to clear heat and reduce fire, promote fluid production to quench thirst, treat infantile epilepsy, scanty dark urine, and oral ulcers.
The efficacy of Zhu Ye is similar to that of Dan Zhu Ye (Lophatherum), so they are often used interchangeably. Generally, Zhu Ye has a stronger effect on removing annoyance, and Dan Zhu Ye (Lophatherum) has a better effect of clearing heat and diuresis.
Health benefits of Zhu Ye
- Anti-inflammation, anti-virus, and anti-tumor.
- Anti-free radical and delaying aging.
- Lowering blood lipids and cholesterol, and raising blood sugar.
- Dilating capillaries, dredging microcirculation, improving memory and sleep.
- Promoting fluid production, relieving irritability and thirst caused by febrile disease.
- Promoting urination and treating dark urine, turbid urine, difficult and painful urination.
- Clearing heart fire and treating aphthous and tongue sores caused by the flaring-up of heart fire.
- Treating viral myocarditis, acute otitis media, acute conjunctivitis, acute cystitis, acute ureteritis, acute urethritis.
Zhu Ye is used with other Chinese herbs
- It with Che Qian Cao (Plantago Asiatica), Gan Cao (Licorice Root), and Mu Tong (Caulis Akebiae) to treat oral ulcers, difficult and painful urination.
- It with Shi Gao (Gypsum), Zhi Mu (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae), and Xuan Shen (Radix Scrophulariae) to relieve irritability and thirst caused by febrile disease.
- It with Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower), Lian Qiao (Fructus Forsythiae), and Bo He (Mentha) to treat fever, irritability, headache, and sore throat caused by wind-heat.
- It with Ge Gen (Kudzu Root), Fang Feng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), Jie Geng (Radix Platycodi), Gan Cao (Licorice Root), Gui Zhi (cassia twig), Ren Shen (Radix Ginseng), Fu Zi (Aconitum carmichaelii), Da Zao (Fructus Jujubae), and Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger) to treat postpartum stroke.
Side effects of Zhu Ye
Zhu Ye can be eaten with almost no side effects. A small number of people taking it may cause gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea and vomiting.
Precautions of Zhu Ye
- The dosage of Zhu Ye should be controlled at 6-15g.
- When using fresh Zhu Ye, the dose should be doubled.
- It can be made into decoction, medicinal liquor or tea.
- It should not be used with diaphoretics or emetics.
- Pregnant women should not take it.
- People with deficiency-cold in spleen and stomach should not take it.
- People with diarrhea or frequent urination should not take it.
- People with flaming of fire from yin deficiency should not take it.
- People with hot flashes should not take it.