To treat insomnia, anxiety, and restlessness, use 16 g of bamboo sap and 16 g of Ophiopogon japonicus (also known as the root of the “hairy plant”), and boil it to drink throughout the day. Bamboo sap is a medicinal ingredient made by scraping off the green outer skin of the bamboo, then shaving the inner stem into thin pieces or strands.
Bamboo has long been used as a medicinal plant in traditional medicine and folk remedies. Many medicinal substances are derived from this plant. For instance, bamboo sap is effective in clearing heat, dispelling phlegm, alleviating anxiety, and preventing vomiting; it is used to treat coughs with thick yellow phlegm, restlessness and insomnia, and nausea.
Bamboo leaves, which are the mid-sized or young leaves of the bamboo plant, are known for their ability to clear heat, dispel irritability, generate body fluids, and promote urination. They are commonly used to treat heat-induced damage to body fluids, irritability, thirst, oral ulcers, and red, painful urination. The effects of mid-sized leaves and young leaves (bamboo shoots) are similar; however, when treating heat-related diseases in the stomach, the leaves are usually used, while the shoots are preferred for heart-related heat conditions.
Bamboo juice is a medicinal preparation made by cutting fresh bamboo into segments, roasting them, and extracting the juice; alternatively, bending young bamboo at the clump, cutting the top, securing it to the mouth of a container, lighting the middle, and allowing the juice to drip into the container. It is effective in clearing heat, dispelling phlegm, and alleviating asthma; it is used to treat asthma caused by phlegm heat, comatose stroke, convulsions, and mania.
Additionally, bamboo shoots and residue from burned bamboo segments (known as Tian Zhu Huang) can also be utilized as medicine.
Some Remedies from Bamboo
– Preventing Japanese Encephalitis: Use bamboo leaves, wax gourd skin, lotus leaves, and cogongrass roots, 9 g each, boiled in water to drink instead of water throughout the day. To prevent Japanese encephalitis, drink this remedy 1-2 days a week.
– Treating high fever and coma from encephalitis: Use 30-50 g of bamboo juice, mix with boiled water, and divide into doses to drink throughout the day.
– Treating cough and asthma, or stroke with locked jaws: Crush fresh ginger to extract 1 cup of juice, mix with 1 cup of bamboo juice for the patient to drink gradually.
– Treating dry cough: Use 12 g each of bamboo leaves, pennywort, and mulberry root bark, 8 g of gardenia fruit (roasted golden), 8 g of lemon leaves, and 6 g of licorice; add 700-800 ml of water, boil down to 250-300 ml, and divide into two doses throughout the day. This remedy can also be ground coarsely and steeped in a thermos to drink gradually. It is suitable for cases of dry cough, thick phlegm, dry and itchy throat, and thin yellow tongue coating.
– Treating pleurisy with effusion: Use 20 g of bamboo leaves, 20 g of gypsum, 12 g each of mulberry root bark, jute seeds, and dodder seeds, along with 12 g of cogongrass root, 12 g of earthworm, and 12 g of plantain flower. Use 600 ml of water, boil down to 200 ml; drink it all once, 30 minutes before lunch. Add more water, boil a second time, and drink before dinner. This remedy works well in conjunction with antibiotic treatment.
– Treating hiccups (due to heat): Use 20 g each of bamboo leaves, bamboo sap, and roasted rice, 30 g of gypsum (roasted until red), 8 g of pinellia, 16 g of Ophiopogon japonicus (cored), and 10 pieces of cherry blossoms; add 800 ml of water, boil down to 300 ml, and divide into two doses throughout the day. This remedy helps to regulate qi, reduce heat, and is suitable for hiccups caused by heat, accompanied by symptoms such as restlessness, thirst, bad breath, red painful urination, and constipation. Not suitable for hiccups caused by cold.
– Treating oral and tongue ulcers: Use 15-20 g of bamboo shoots, 10 g of rehmannia root, 10 g of houttuynia, 8 g of licorice, and boil in water to drink instead of water throughout the day. This remedy helps to “clear the heart and dispel irritability,” suitable for cases of excess heart heat, irritability, thirst, oral ulcers, and yellow, painful urination.
– Treating hematuria: Use 20 g each of bamboo leaves, Ophiopogon japonicus, plantain, cogongrass roots, purple water lily, and corn silk; add 700 ml of water, boil down to 300 ml, and divide into two doses throughout the day. This remedy helps to clear the heart, promote urination, and stop bleeding, suitable for hematuria caused by heat toxicity accumulated in the bladder.
