Tamarix chinensis.  西 河 柳  Xī hé liǔ, Cheng Liu   Tamarix    Family Tamaricaceae       
Nature- neutral, warm    FLAVOR:  Sweet, acrid, salty, neutral, pleasant   CHANNEL: Heart, Lung, Stomach
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Exterior Clearing- Warming
1. External clearing. Facilitate eruption of measles[1,3] - External application
2. Disperse Wind. Stops coughing from External Perverse Energy.[3]
3. Clears Heat. Clears fever.[1] Detoxifies.[1] Promotes diuresis.[1]
4. Acute and chronic rheumatism.[3]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Influenza.[1]
2. Alcoholic intoxication.[1]
3. Rheumatoid arthritis.[1]
4. External application to Measles just prior to eruption,[1,3] itching. Chicken pox.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Excessive sweating with perverse Qi in the Lung, or due to a weak body structure.[3]
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Dry tender twigs and leaves 5-10 g.
 9-15 g.[1] 2-6 g.[2] Internal 3-5 g. External 90-150 g.[3]
HABITAT: Cultivated along roadsides and stream edges.
DESCRIPTION: Small deciduous shrub. Stem; erect, multiple branches, small branches slender and drooping. Leaves; small, alternate, scaly lanceolate, bases clasping stem. Flowers; in summer, pink, forming a panicle inflorescence. Fruit; a capsule.
References
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Constituents
ImageResearch

Tamarix chinensis Lour inhibits chronic ethanol-induced liver injury in mice
Zhi-Dan Wang, Yu Zhang, Yi-Dan Dai, Ke Ren, Chen Han, Heng-Xiao Wang, Shuang-Qin Yi
Abstract
Background: Tamarix chinensis Lour (TCL) is a shrub that usually grows in arid or semiarid desert areas and saline-alkali fields. It is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with hepatoprotective, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor activities.
Aim: To investigate the possible protective effects of TCL against liver injury induced by chronic ethanol intake.
Methods: C57BL/6J male mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli lipid diet containing alcohol and received (by gavage) a water-alcohol extract (80%) of TCL (100 and 200 mg/kg BW) or distilled water for 4 wk. After euthanasia, liver tissues were observed histologically with hematoxylin and eosin staining and Oil red O staining, and the levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate transaminase, hepatic lipids, reactive oxygen species, malondialdehyde, and superoxide dismutase were measured. In addition, expression of the NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and downstream proinflammatory cytokines were determined.
Results: Compared with the ethanol group, mice in the TCL-treated group (200 mg/kg) had significantly lower serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (mean, 34.1 IU/L vs 45.3 IU/L, P < 0.01) and aspartate transaminase (mean, 89.6 IU/L vs 115.7 IU/L, P < 0.01), as well as marked reduction of hepatic tissue reactive oxygen species (decreased by 27.5%, P < 0.01) and malondialdehyde (decreased by 76.6%, P < 0.01) levels, with a significant increase of superoxide dismutase (Increased by 73.2%, P < 0.01). Expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-6], and recruitment of natural killer T cells to the liver, were reduced in the TCL-treated incubation with a Lieber-DeCaril ethanol lipid diet group.
Conclusion: These findings suggest that a TCL extract (200 mg/kg) protects against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury, probably by inhibiting the NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1β signaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.
World J Gastroenterol 2020 Mar 28;26(12):1286-1297. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i12.1286. PMID: 32256017 PMCID: PMC7109270 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v26.i12.1286 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov