Herb
Gentian (Long dan)
龙胆long dan
1 sourceRadix et Rhizoma Gentianae
Drains liver and gallbladder fire and clears lower-burner damp-heat, and relieves throat pain and convulsions.
Source
Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu)卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·主治（《本经》）
References
- functions_en self-translated from 本草纲目 traditional_functions (public domain; the Chinese tf carries verbatim excerpt_hash citations). No modern work consulted.
- WHO IST-TCM terminology-aligned for the English rendering.
- public pharmacopoeia & botanical facts (public-domain reference facts; no proprietary modern source).
Traditional functions
Classical source text (Chinese) — English summary above.
传统中医记载：《本经》载龙胆主骨间寒热、惊痫邪气、续绝伤、定五脏、杀蛊毒；《别录》除胃中伏热、时气温热、热泄下痢、益肝胆气、止惊惕；李杲谓退肝经邪热、除下焦湿热之肿、泻膀胱火；李时珍谓疗咽喉痛、风热盗汗。
Nature, flavor & meridians
Nature & flavor: 苦、涩，大寒，无毒（《本经》）；张元素谓气味俱厚、沉而降、阴，足厥阴、少阳经气分药。·Meridians: 肝（足厥阴）, 胆（少阳）
Citations
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆（条目标题·《本经》上品）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its classification.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·释名Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its alternate names.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·气味（《本经》·元素）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its nature & flavor.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·气味（元素：足厥阴、少阳经气分药）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its meridian tropism.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·主治（《本经》）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·主治（李杲）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its traditional functions.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·气味（敩·空腹令人溺不禁）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.
- Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) · Li Shizhen · 卷十三·草部·山草类下·龙胆·气味（之才·为使恶）Cited from Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu) for its safety notes.