Clematis chinensis.   威 灵 仙  Wēi líng xiān   Chinese clematis   Family: Ranunculaceae  
PART USED: Dried root and rhizome- harvested in Autumn.
Nature: Warm  FLAVOR: Pungent, salted, bitter, acrid    CHANNELS: Bladder
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Wind Damp Dispersing
1. Disperse Wind Damp, unblocks the channels, and alleviates pain.[4]
2. Dispels flatus and removes Damp.[1]
3. Softens and transforms fish bones lodged in the throat.[4]
3. Relieve pain.[1] Facilitate channels. Clears Jing and activates related Luo.[1]
INDICATIONS
1. Rheumatoid arthritis.[1] Sore loins and weak knees. Painful obstruction due to Cold- Chronic rheumatic arthritis- difficulty in moving- numbness in limbs.[3] Especially useful in treating Wind painful obsruction as it both releases the exerior and promotes the movement of Qi in the channels.[4]
2. Distention and accumulation in the middle Burner because it reduces phlegm and pathogenic water.[4] Cold type stomach ache.[1]
3. Fishbone stuck in throat,[1,4] however this herb in ineffective in the treatment of deeply lodged or relatively large bones.[4]
4. Tetanus.[1]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Qi and Blood deficiency.[4]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Dry root and rhizome  8-12 g.
Roots 9-15 g.[1] 6-9 g.[2] 6-12 g.[4]
- Fishbone stuck in upper throat- Boil 6-12 g of Wei ling xian for 10 minutes, and when add 30 g vinegar and 60 g white sugar and drink gradually- over 20 minutes. For fish bones stuck in the throat, use 15-30 g, make a thick decoction with vinegar and brown sugar, and swallow slowly.[4] Good quality is long, solid, and white with a black cortex.

HABITAT: Found growing wild on hillsides, along strream edges.
DESCRIPTION: Perennial woody herb 5 m in height. Subterranean roots; slender and long, clustered, blackish-brown on the exterior. Stem; black when dried, with noticeable stripes. Leaves; opposite, pinnately compound, leaflets 3-5, ovate-lanceolate, apexes acute, bases cuneate, margins intact. Flowers; in summer, terminal and axillary greenish white flowers appear to form panicle inflorescences. Achene; flat.
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

Anti-inflammatory effects of Clematis chinensis Osbeck extract(AR-6) may be associated with NF-κB, TNF-α, and COX-2 in collagen-induced arthritis in rat.
Peng C, Perera PK, Li YM, Fang WR, Liu LF, Li FW.
Abstract
The root of Clematis chinensis Osbeck has been used widely in rheumatoid arthritis in Chinese traditional medicine, and AR-6 is a triterpene saponin isolated from it. In this present study, we investigated the in vivo effects of oral AR-6 in chronic rat with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and possible molecular mechanism. CIA was induced by immunizing 56 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with chicken typeIIcollagen (CII). Following eighteen days, the immunization rats with CIA were treated with AR-6 (32, 16, 8 mg/kg), cyclophosphamide (7 mg/kg), and TGP (Total Glucosides of Paeonia) (180 mg/kg) for 7 days, and rats without CIA were given the same volume of purified water. TNF-α and IL-1β levels in peripheral blood will be measured by ELISA, and Western blot analysis will be used to detect the expression of NF-κB p65 subunits, TNF-α and COX-2, in synovial membrane. We found that therapeutic treatment with AR-6 markedly improves the paw swelling and histopathological changes. Moreover, the serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β were markedly lowered, and the expression of NF-κB p65 subunits, TNF-α and COX-2, in the synovial membrane of CIA rats was significantly inhibited in the AR-6-treated groups. These results enable to prove that AR-6 has a potential anti-inflammatory effect in CIA rats, and its mechanism may relate to the inhibition of the expression of NF-κB p65 subunits, TNF-α and COX-2.
PMID: 21932136 DOI: 10.1007/s00296-011-2083-8 Rheumatol Int. 2012 Oct;32(10):3119-25. Epub 2011 Sep 20. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Triterpene saponins from Clematis chinensis and their potential anti-inflammatory activity.
Fu Q, Zan K, Zhao M, Zhou S, Shi S, Jiang Y, Tu P.
Abstract
Seven new triterpene saponins, clematochinenosides A-G (1-7), together with 17 known saponins (8-24), were isolated from the roots and rhizomes of Clematis chinensis. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic evidence and hydrolysis products. Compounds 1, 3-7, and 20-24 showed inhibitory activities against COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes.
PMID: 20540535 DOI: 10.1021/np100057y J Nat Prod. 2010 Jul 23;73(7):1234-9. doi: 10.1021/np100057y. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Therapeutic effect of the saponin fraction from Clematis chinensis Osbeck roots on osteoarthritis induced by monosodium iodoacetate through protecting articular cartilage.
Wu W, Xu X, Dai Y, Xia L.
Abstract
The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of the saponin fraction from Clematis chinensis Osbeck roots (SFC) on an osteoarthritis model in rats and to explore its underlying mechanisms. Osteoarthritis was induced by intraarticular injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into knee joints of rats, and SFC and diclofenac were orally administered once a day for 28 consecutive days. Joint swelling, macroscopic observation, histological assessment and proteoglycan (PG) degradation were examined. In vitro, cultured rabbit chondrocytes were stimulated with MIA and sodium nitroprusside (SNP), respectively. The effects of SFC on MIA- and SNP-induced chondrocyte injury were examined by MTT assay. It was shown that SFC (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced cartilage injury and PG degradation induced by MIA. Diclofenac (4 mg/kg) only slightly alleviated cartilage injury and PG degradation. SFC also prevented SNP- or MIA-induced rabbit chondrocyte impairment. These results indicate that SFC is effective in ameliorating joint destruction and cartilage erosion in MIA-induced osteoarthritic in rats, and the mechanisms of action for protecting articular cartilage are through preventing extracellular matrix degradation and chondrocyte injury.
PMID: 19655297 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2977 Phytother Res. 2010 Apr;24(4):538-46. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2977. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov