Chinese sarsaparilla - 土茯苓 (Tu Fu Ling)
Glabrous Greenbrier Rhizome
土茯苓
Tu Fu Ling·Salsepareille de Chine
Smilacis Glabrae Rhizoma
- Traced and verified origin
- Dispatched within 24/48h, packed to order
- Kept away from light and moisture
According to the classical texts
解毒除湿 通利关节
Pinyin
Jie Du Chu Shi · Tong Li Guan Jie
Overview
The rhizome of Smilax glabra, not to be confused with Fu Ling (the fungus Poria, an entirely different thing), comes as flat slices of a creamy white, sometimes with pink glints.
Harvested in summer or in autumn in the forests of southern China, it gives off a very mild scent and an almost neutral, faintly sweet savour.
Traditional uses
The reference herb for the heat-Dampness settled deep in the lower part of the body, and for long-standing constitutions of accumulated poisons with persistent involvement of the skin.
Traditionally used in the long-course freeing blends.
Preparation and traditional-use quantity
- Long decoction: 15 to 60 g (high quantities are possible, the herb being very mild), simmer for 30 to 45 minutes
- Clearing cooking: slices simmered in long broths or in traditional Cantonese soups
Precautions
To be avoided in cases of deficient without Dampness (the herb could dry things further).
