Literature Research on Herbal Medicine of Fenugreek / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

ABSTRACT

Fenugreek is a kind of Chinese herbal medicine with great development prospects.At present,there are many modern reports on its components extraction,quality standards,processing technology and pharmacological effects.However,there is still a lack of research on sorting out and analyzing the relevant ancient records,and people's herbological cognition of fenugreek is still controversial and incomplete.In this study,through systematic review and analysis of ancient records,the names,original plant,processing methods and properties(including nature,flavor,meridian tropism,action,application,toxicity and contraindication)of fenugreek were comprehensively verified for the first time,which provided a herbological reference for further development,utilization and in-depth study of Fenugreek.It is found that fenugreek has several names such as Kudou,Luba,Huba and Jidou.Based on analyzing the descriptions and pictures of fenugreek original plant in ancient records,there is a strong likelihood that the ancient and modern medicinal fenugreek belong to the same species.In addition to the current common method of stir-frying with salt solution,the ancient books also recorded eight processing methods of fenugreek,such as stir-frying,steaming,baking,and calcining.According to the research of properties,it is found that fenugreek is warm-hot in nature,bitter,sweet,and pungent in flavor,and attributive to the kidney,stomach,liver and bladder meridians.In addition to the efficacy recorded in pharmacopoeia,this study also complemented fenugreek's actions of"improving hearing and eyesight,guiding fire to origin"and application of"fullness and discomfort in abdomen and hypochondrium".According to the textual research of toxicity and contraindication,fenugreek has been recorded as non-toxic in the past dynasties,but it should be used cautiously in the excess-heat syndrome,Yin deficiency syndrome,and pregnant women.