Gentiana tibetica, Kyi lce ཀྱི་ལྕེ

Kyi lce ཀྱི་ལྕེ (Tibetan)
Trayamana (Ayurveda)
Xi Zang Qin Jiao 西藏秦艽 (G. tibetica) (TCM)
Tian Shan Qin Jiao 天山秦艽 (G. tianschanica) (TCM)

Genitana tibetica
Curtis’s Botanical Magazine (1897)

Gentian Flower for sale at the Chengdu Medicine Market (Adam, 2018)

Botanical name:

Gentiana spp.
Several varieties of the plant are used:

1. Kyi lce dkar po ཀྱི་ལྕེ་དཀར་པོ (White variety): G. straminea, G. tibetica, G. robusta, G. tianschanica
2. Kyi lce nag po ཀྱི་ལྕེ་ནག་པོ (‘Black variety’): G. crassicaulis, G. dahurica, G. hexaphylla, G. macrophylla; G. triflora in Buryat.
3. Kyi lce dngon po ཀྱི་ལྕེ་དངོན་པོ (‘Blue variety’): Gentiana spp.

Gentiana macrophylla Qin Jiao of TCM is used as a source for Kyi lce nag po.

Parts used:

Flowers

Temperature & Taste:

Cool, dry. Bitter

Uses:

1. Clears Liver Heat, Clears Heat and Damp:

-excess Bile; Hepatitis, Gastritis
-especiall Heat of the Liver or Gal Bladder; Fever associated with the Liver
-Red eyes, Headache
-Heat or Fever of the Hollow organs (Stomach, Intestines, Bladder, Gall Bladder)
-Inflamed Joints, Gout, Arthritis

2. Clears Heat, Stops Cough:

-Sore Throat, Diphtheria
-Lung heat cough

3. Clears Swellings, Resists Poison:

-Swellings, Inflammation, especially of the muscles
-Scrofula, Lymphatic Swellings
-Leprosy
-Fever from Poison

Dose:

Decoction: 2–6 grams
Powder: 1–2 grams

Comment:

1. These are the large-leafed Gentians, similar to Gentiana Qin Jiao of TCM. G. macrophylla, the source of Qin Jiao, may also be used as a source for the Flowers.
2. The roots of several of the above species are used as source for the Chinese drug Qin Jiao (root).
3. The Black type is better for drying Lymph, so is preferred fro Swellings, Swollen limbs, and infectious Swellings.
4. The White type if better for clearing Heat and Poison.
5. Ashes of the flowers are used for Convulsions and Dullness of Mind.

Substitutes:

1. Swertia
2. Campanula flower supplies Kyi lce nag po in the Buryat region.
3. G. macrophylla, the source of the root for Qin Jiao, can be used as a source of the flowers
4. Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea) is used for Kyi lce dkar po by Tibetans in Buryat region
5. Gentiana Kyi lce is sometimes used as a substitute for White Sandalwood for Lung Heat. This suggests White Sandalwood to be an acceptable substitute.

Main Combinations:

1. Liver heat, combine with Chrysanthemum

Cautions:

None noted

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