Platycladus orientalis. Biota orientalis, Thuja orientalis   Biota, Thuja, Arborvitae  Family: Cupressaceae  
Platycladus is a distinct genus of evergreen coniferous tree.
柏 子 仁 Bǎi zǐ rén   Ripe kernel,  Seed    
Nature- neutral     FLAVOR: Sweet, pleasant
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Calm Spirit- Mild
1. Nourish the Heart, calm down spirits.[2] Calms the nerves and counteracts full Heat in system.[1]
2. Lubricate intestines.[2]
INDICATIONS
1. Palpitation, nervousness, insomnia.[2] Apprehension, insomnia, seminal emission.[1]
2. Hydrosis. [1] Constipation.[1,2]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS:  Decoction- Seeds/Dry ripe kernel 3-9 g.[1,2]
  
侧 柏 叶 Cè bǎi yè  Biota branch tip and leaf    
Nature- cold, cool      FLAVOR: Bitter, acrid, harsh CHANNELS: Lung, Liver, Large Intestine
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Regulating Blood- Styptic
1. Relieve cough.[2] Stop cough and disperse phelgm.[3] Antibacterial.[3]
2. Cools Blood.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Hot type chronic bronchitis:[3] Cough with sputum containing blood, bronchitis, Dry cough.[3]
2. Bleeding: Vaginal bleeding.[2] Nosebleed, vomiting of blood, discharge of blood from anus.[2] Hematemesis, epistaxis, blood in stools, hematuria, metrorrhagia.[1]
3. Arthritis.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Do not overuse, as causes dizziness and nausea- due to Cold nature.[3]
PREPARATIONS: Dried branch tip and leaf 6-12 g.[2] 3-16 g.[3]Decoction 2-4 g.[1]
- Chronic bronchitis of Hot type- nourish Lung Yin- Use powder of Ce bai ye with Da zao (5-6 pieces). Boil dates in water and add powder. Take once a day a few times a week.[3]
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.
Research

Dietary Platycladus orientalis seed oil suppresses anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies and prolongs survival of NZB mice.
Lai LT, Naiki M, Yoshida SH, German JB, Gershwin ME.
Abstract
Dietary fish oils rich in 20:5(5,8,11,14,17) and 22:6(4,7,10,13,16,19) are known to replace arachidonic acid [20:4(5,8,11,14)] and to improve the immunopathology of New Zealand mice. However, in humans, similar dietary strategies may be impractical because of the high levels of fish oils required. In contrast, we believe that beneficial effects in humans may be attainable using new exotic fatty acids. Toward this end, we have focused on 5,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid [5,11,14-ETA, 20:3(5,11,14)]. This fatty acid is structurally analogous to 20:4(5,8,11,14) but lacks the delta-8 double bond essential for conversion to eicosanoids. To examine our hypothesis, diets containing the oil of Platycladus orientalis containing 3% 5,11,14-ETA, a matched control oil, fish oil, or safflower oil were fed to NZB mice. There was a dramatic delay in both the onset and the titer of direct Coombs' tests in mice fed P. orientalis oil. These were directly reflected by the abundance of 5,11,14-ETA in serum lipids. Most striking was the accumulation of 5,11,14-ETA in serum and tissue phospholipids. Though constituting only 3% of dietary fatty acids, 5,11,14-ETA was the most abundant long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid in the serum phospholipids, suggesting that it very successfully competed with 20:4 as a constituent of membrane lipids. 5,11,14-ETA was incorporated into all tissue phospholipids examined except brain phosphatidyl inositol. Among tissues, liver showed the highest incorporation of 5,11,14-ETA into phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), and phosphatidylinositol (PI), yet spleen PE had a higher quantity of ETA than other tissues. Lesser arachidonate in spleen PS, heart PC, and heart PI showed the evidence of replacement by 5,11,14-ETA. The data presented illustrates how new nutrition can modify autoimmune responses and emphasizes the need for further studies based on new nutritional strategies.
PMID: 8200132 Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1994 Jun;71(3):293-302. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Hair growth promoting activity of cedrol isolated from the leaves of Platycladus orientalis.
Zhang Y, Han L, Chen SS, Guan J, Qu FZ, Zhao YQ.
Abstract
Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco is traditionally known to potentiate hair growth promotion. However, there has been no report on its main active ingredient responsible for the hair growth activity. In the current work, cedrol as a major constituent from P. orientalis was evaluated for its potential on hair growth in vivo. Different concentrations of cedrol (10, 20 and 30mg/mL) were applied topically over the shaved skin of C57BL/6 mice and monitored for 21days. Results indicated that cedrol significantly promoted hair growth in a dose-dependent manner, particularly for the female mice. Both male and female mice groups treated with 30mg/mL cedrol required shorter time than the blank control and 2% minoxidil groups at different growth stages. Compared with the blank control (8.87mm) and 2% minoxidil (9.94mm) groups at 21days, the hair length of female mice treated with 30mg/mL cedrol showed a remarkable increase with the value of 11.07mm. Hair in male and female mice groups treated with 30mg/mL cedrol was heavier than the 2% minoxidil (38.2 and 35.9mg, respectively) groups with the weight of 42.6 and 45.2mg, respectively. Further observation of the hair follicle demonstrated that cedrol exerted a remarkable effect on the hair follicle length. These findings suggested that cedrol may be the main active ingredient of P. orientalis and have the potential of becoming a new hair growth promoter.
PMID: 27459121 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.07.022 Biomed Pharmacother. 2016 Oct;83:641-647. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2016.07.022. Epub 2016 Jul 25. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov