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Li Lu藜芦

Veratri Nigri Radix et Rhizoma · Black False Hellebore · Veratrum Root

Herbs that Induce Vomiting 涌吐药Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing 《神农本草经》

Overview

The root and rhizome of Veratrum nigrum — acrid, bitter, cold and strongly toxic. Classically it was given in tiny powdered doses to bring up wind-phlegm in stroke, epilepsy and phlegm-obstruction mania, and applied externally to kill skin parasites. It is best known today for two things that have nothing to do with treatment: it is the single most emphatic entry in the list of incompatible pairs, and its veratrum alkaloids have one of the narrowest margins in the whole materia medica. Internal use has effectively ceased. This entry is a record of the classical drug and of the incompatibility rule that every practitioner has to know.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid, bitter · Cold · Strongly toxic

Channels

Lung · Stomach · Liver

Typical Dosage

0.3–0.6 g as a powder was the classical internal dose — an amount that is no longer given. External use in a prepared powder mixed with oil or water.
藜芦Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Induces vomiting of wind-phlegmThe classical indication: sudden collapse in stroke with phlegm rattling in the throat, phlegm-obstruction epilepsy and mania. The dose was measured in fractions of a gram.
  • Kills parasitesPowdered and mixed into oil or a wash for scabies, tinea and lice — the one use with any modern relevance, and still an external use only.
  • The ruleLi Lu is incompatible with Ren Shen 人参, Sha Shen, Dan Shen 丹参, Xuan Shen 玄参, Ku Shen 苦参, Xi Xin 细辛 and Shao Yao (both Bai Shao 白芍 and Chi Shao 赤芍) — the classical line 「」. These combinations are not written, not dispensed and not tested on patients.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Li Lu

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Wind-phlegm blocking the throat in stroke, with rattling breath (classical, obsolete)
    - Phlegm-obstruction epilepsy and mania (classical, obsolete)
    - Scabies, tinea and lice (external use only)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

ScabiesHead liceTineaInduced emesis

Contraindications

Cautions

Li Lu is strongly toxic, and the margin between a working dose and a poisoning is very small. Veratrum alkaloids cause violent vomiting and diarrhoea, burning in the mouth and throat, a slowed and irregular heartbeat, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and in serious poisoning respiratory failure; deaths are documented, including from mistaking wild Veratrum for edible plants. Internal use has essentially been abandoned and should not be attempted. Classical incompatibility: never combined with Ren Shen 人参, Sha Shen, Dan Shen 丹参, Xuan Shen 玄参, Ku Shen 苦参, Xi Xin 细辛 or Shao Yao. It is also incompatible with the many prepared medicines that contain those herbs, so the whole prescription has to be checked, not just the herb list in front of you. Contraindicated in the weak, the elderly, in heart disease or arrhythmia, in blood loss, and in children. External preparations must not be applied over large or broken areas — the alkaloids are absorbed through skin — and must be kept away from the eyes, mouth and nose.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy, internally and externally.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(classical source, public domain).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.

Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.