Anemarrhena asphodeloides.  知 母 Zhī mǔ   Anemarrhena   Family: Liliaceae    
PART USED: Rhizome- harvested in Autumn
Nature: Cold    FLAVOR: Bitter, sweet     CHANNEL: Lung, Stomach, Kidney
FUNCTIONS- Assist Shi Gao to clear Internal Heat
GROUP: Clearing Internal Heat- Reducing Fire
1. Clear internal Heat and drains Fire.[5]
2. Nourishes the Yin.[1,2,3] Lubricates the intestines, by being mildly laxative.[1] Promote the production of body fluid to quench thirst. Lowers fever.[1,4] Counteracts excess Fire parchness.[1]
3. Generates fluids.[5]
4. Relieve mental depression.
5. Disperse phlegm.[4]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS- used for the indications as Squill, and is could make a very good substitute.[6]
1. Epidemic febrile diseases: high fever, irritability, dire thirst, full and forceful, rapid pulse.[5] It is often used with Gypsum and others, as in White Tiger Decoction- Bai hu tang.
2. Cough due to Heat in the Lung or dry cough, with thick yellow sputum due to deficiency of Yin.[5] it is often used with Fritillary bulb, known as Powder of Anemarrhena and Fritillary- Er mu san.
3. Hyperactivity of Fire marked by high fever due to Yin deficiency: Particularly in afternoon: hot bone steaming fever, moisture on skin, low ever, vexation and night sweat, five hearts hot (face and souls and palms) bleeding gums. P- deep, thin and rapid.[5] It is often used with Phellodendron & Rehmannia- Zhi bai di huang wan. Periodic fever in the afternoon. Thirst.[1] Yin deficiency and an overheated system.[1] Constipation.[1]
4. Diabetes due to Yin deficiency, with manifestations of thirst, polydipsia, polyuria. Oral ulcers and inflammation, as well as wasting and thirsting disorder- diabetes.[5] It is often used with Trichosanthes root, Ophiopogon root and Pueraria root, as in Decoction for Promoting the Production of body Fluid- Yu ye tang.
5. Kidney Fire- lacking Kidney Yin: Spermatorrhea, dry throat, pain in knees and loins areas.[4] Dysuria.[1] Noturnal emissions, and abnormally elevated sex drive.[5]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Zhi mu strongly clears Internal Heat, being cold and moistening in property and can loosen the bowels, therefore it is improper to use it in cases of loose stools due to Spleen deficiency.[4] Diarrhea due to Spleen deficiency.[5]
Classically, used with great caution during pregnancy-[4] but presently being used with herbs for cooling the heat and calming the foetus when pregnant women are suffering from high fever with symptoms of discomfort and red tongue body or yellow tongue coating.[4]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS PREPARATIONS: Decoction.  Dried rhizome 5-9 g.[1,2]  6-12 g.[3,4] This herb may be fried in salt water to strengthenb its ability to nourish the Kidneys and to direct the actions of a prescription downward.[5] Good quallity is large, thick and hard with a yellowish white cross section.[5]
     
DESCRIPTION: The drug occurs in irregular flattened, twisted, shriveled pieces, from 50-75 mm in length, and generally covered with reddish or yellowish-borwn hairs, which becomes scaly at the distal extremity. The interior is yellow, spongy, or mealy.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

Inhibitory effects of steroidal timosaponins isolated from the rhizomes of Anemarrhena asphodeloides against passive cutaneous anaphylaxis reaction and pruritus.
Lee B, Trinh HT, Jung K, Han SJ, Kim DH.
Abstract
To investigate the antiallergic effect of the rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides (AA, family Liliaceae), which was found to inhibit the mouse passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction induced by the antigen-immunoglobulin E (IgE) complex in preliminary experiments, main steroidal saponins, timosaponins AIII, BIII, and D, were isolated and their inhibitory effects against PCA reaction and scratching behaviors investigated in mice. Oral administration of three main steroidal sapogenins blocked the PCA reaction and scratching behaviors, timosaponin AIII was the most potent. However, intraperitoneal administration of timosaponin AIII showed weak inhibition. To understand its metabolism and antiallergic mechanism, timosaponin AIII was anaerobically incubated with human intestinal microflora to afford a main metabolite, sarsasapogenin. Intraperitoneal administration of sarsasapogenin inhibited allergic reaction more potently than timosaponin AIII. In addition, sarsasapogenin more potently inhibited degranulation and IL-4 protein expression of RBL-2H3 cells induced by IgE-antigen complex than timosaponin AIII. On the basis of these findings, antiallergic effect of AA may be due to those of its steroidal constituents, and that of timosaponin AIII may be activated by using intestinal microflora.
PMID: 20095799 DOI: 10.3109/08923970903383889 Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2010 Sep;32(3):357-63. doi: 10.3109/08923970903383889. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Isolation and anti-oomycete activity of nyasol from Anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizomes.
Park HJ, Lee JY, Moon SS, Hwang BK.
Abstract
The methanol extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides rhizomes exhibited strong antifungal activity against the plant pathogenic fungi Magnaphothe grisea, Rhizoctonia solani, and the plant pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora capsici. The antifungal substance isolated from the rhizomes of A. asphodeloides was identified to be nyasol, (Z)-1,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4-pentadiene by NMR and mass spectral analysis. Nyasol effectively inhibited the mycelial growth of Colletotrichum orbiculare, P. capsici, Pythium ultimum, R. solani, and Cladosporium cucumerinum in a range of 1-50 mug/ml, but did not affect the growth of bacteria and yeast. In a greenhouse test, treatment with the antifungal compound nyasol was significantly effective in suppressing the Phytophthora blight on pepper plants.
PMID: 14561517 Phytochemistry. 2003 Nov;64(5):997-1001. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides counteracts diabetic ophthalmopathy progression in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
Li X, Cui X, Wang J, Yang J, Sun X, Li X, Zhu Q, Li W.
Abstract
Diabetic ophthalmopathy (DO) impairs patients' eyesight and even causes blindness. Here, we investigated the effect of 60% ethanol extract of the rhizome of Anemarrhenae asphodeloides (ERA), which is commonly used in Chinese medicine formulae in treating diabetes, on DO progression. Blood glucose, insulin, advanced glycation end products (AGE), super oxygen dehydrogenises (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels in serum and sorbitol concentration in the lens were measured. Retinal endothelium/pericyte (E/P) ratio was evaluated, and structural changes of the retina and lens were observed. Effects of mangiferin and neomangiferin, the two major components of ERA, on subnormal growth of pericytes induced by high glucose were also detected. It was found that the activities of SOD and GSH-Px in serum were increased, whereas MDA and AGE levels in serum and sorbitol concentration in the lens were decreased in ERA-treated DO rats. E/P ratio was decreased, and the pathological changes of the lens and retina were alleviated by ERA treatment. Moreover, the subnormal growth of pericytes induced by high glucose was ameliorated by mangiferin and neomangiferin. These results indicated that ERA could effectively prevent DO progression in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, and mangiferin and neomangiferin may be the main effective components.
PMID: 23148017 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.4866 Phytother Res. 2013 Aug;27(8):1243-50. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4866. Epub 2012 Nov 12. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov