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Gentiana urnula, Gang ga chung གང་ག་ཆུང༌

Gang ga chung (Tibetan)
Gentiana urnula from a Tibetan Thangka

Gentiana depressa
(Photo by Donald Macauley) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:
Gentiana spp.
Two separate species supply this medicine:
  1. G. urnula
  2. G. depressa (syn. G. don)
Other sources have listed G. pseudosquarrosa, G. phyllocalyx, G. wardi as sources.

Parts used:
Flower; Whole herb

Temperature & Taste:
Cool, dry. Bitter

Uses:
1. Clears Heat, Resists Poison:
-Cold, Influenza, Epidemic Fever
-acute Cough
-Diarrhea, Dysentery
-Infected Wounds
-Poisoning, especially Food poisoning

2. Clears Liver Heat:
-Heat of Bile and Blood

3. Clears Brown Phlegm:
-used for Brown Phlegm (Smug Po) disorders


Dose:
1. Taken with Jaggery or Honey to increase body strength. (Norbu)
Powder: 1–3 grams

Substitutes:
1. Leonurus sibirica is so commonly used for this medicine it is often listed as the primary source of the medicine Gang ga chung.
2. Panzerina lanata
3. Ajuga lupulina has been listed as a source
4. Some Tibetan formulas list Raisins as a substitute for Gang ga chung.
5. In some cases European Gentian or Gentiana Long Dan Cao may be used

Main Combinations:

Major Formulas:
Great Cold Compound Precious Black Pill
Great Decoction 25 (Thang chen nyer lnga)
The Melting Solar Disk (Ju byed nyi mai dkyil khor)
Turquoise 25 (Rin chen gyu rnying nyer lnga)

Cautions:
None noted

Main Preparations used: