Bencao Gangmu Reference Library
碗花草 / 翼柄山牵牛 / 白碗花 / 假牵牛 — Thunbergia fragrans Roxb. (syn. Thunbergia volubilis)
Pinyin: Wǎnhuācǎo / Yìbǐng Shānqiānniú · Malay: Akar Tuah / Bunga Patung / White Lady / Fragrant Thunbergia · Family: Acanthaceae (爵床科)
Energetics
Cool (微寒 / 凉)
Flavor
Bitter, sweetish, bland (苦、微甘、淡、凉)
Meridians
Liver (肝), Lung (肺), Urinary Bladder (膀胱)
Traditional Edict
Fragrant Thunbergia / White Lady (Akar Tuah / Wan Hua Cao). Pure snow-white salverform flowers. Sovereign ophthalmic wash for acute wind-heat red swollen eyes and corneal pterygium (Tui Yi), and cooling fresh poultice to heal tropical weeping ulcers.
Cautions & Contraindications
- Strict sterile filtration required for ophthalmic preparations. High safety margin. Caution in severe Spleen-deficiency cold diarrhea. Contraindicated in deep perforated corneal ulcers.
Clinical Applications
- Acute catarrhal and viral conjunctivitis, digital eye fatigue with conjunctival hyperemia, superficial pterygium/corneal nebulae, tropical cutaneous ulcers, and damp-heat dysuria.
Quality Markers
Mechanism & Phytochemistry
1. Apigenin-7-glucoside downregulates corneal stromal COX-2/PGE2 and VEGF, suppressing pterygium neo-vascularization. 2. Iridoid glucosides stimulate fibroblast migration and type I collagen synthesis for wound granulation.
Preparation & Dosage
THE SOVEREIGN OPHTHALMIC WASH: 30 g fresh leaves infused in 200 mL sterile boiling water, cooled, and filtered through 0.22 um paper; applied as warm compress or sterile eye drops (2-3 drops) for conjunctivitis. Internal decoction: 15 to 30 g dried whole herb.
Appended Prescriptions
- 1. Sovereign Eye-Brightening & Pterygium Clearance Draught with Chrysanthemum indicum and Cassia tora (Jue Ming Zi). 2. Tropical Ulcer Granulation Poultice with Curcuma longa.
Yemama Apothecary · Petaling Jaya, Malaysia · For educational and clinical reference only