Polygala

Polygala

　　This product is the dried root of *Polygala tenuifolia* Willd. or *Polygala sibirica* L., plants of the Polygalaceae family.

　　 　　【Other Names】Yaorao, Jueyuan, Jiwang, Xicao, Xiaojitui, Xiaojian, Xiaocaogen.

　　 　　【Properties, Flavor, and Meridians】Bitter, acrid, slightly warm. Enters the Heart, Kidney, and Lung meridians.

　　 　　【Functions and Indications】Calms the spirit and improves intelligence, expels phlegm, reduces swelling. Used for insomnia and excessive dreaming due to disharmony between the Heart and Kidney, forgetfulness, palpitations, mental confusion, difficult expectoration, sores and abscesses, and breast swelling and pain.

　　 　　【Applications】

　　 　　1. Insomnia and excessive dreaming, palpitations, forgetfulness. This herb is bitter, acrid, and warm in nature, good at promoting circulation and penetration. It can both calm the Heart and soothe the spirit, and regulate the Kidney to strengthen memory. It is an excellent herb for harmonizing the Heart and Kidney, calming the spirit, improving intelligence, and enhancing memory. It is mainly used for restlessness, insomnia, and palpitations caused by disharmony between the Heart and Kidney, often combined with Poria Spirit, Dragon’s Teeth, and Cinnabar—such as in Yuanzhi Pills (*Zhang’s Medical Communications*). For forgetfulness, it is often used with Ginseng, Poria, and Calamus—as in Kaixin Powder (*Thousand Ducat Formulas*). If Poria Spirit is added to the formula, it becomes Buwang Powder (*Standards for Diagnosis and Treatment*).

　　 　　2. Epilepsy and mania. This herb is acrid and promotes circulation, capable of opening the Heart orifices and expelling phlegm. Therefore, it can be used for epilepsy, convulsions, and mania caused by phlegm blocking the Heart orifices. For epilepsy with fainting and convulsions, it can be combined with Pinellia, Gastrodia, and Scorpion—to resolve phlegm and calm wind. For mania attacks, it is often used with Calamus, Turmeric, and Alum—to resolve phlegm and open the orifices.

　　 　　3. Cough with profuse phlegm. This herb is bitter, warm, and drying, entering the Lung meridian, and can expel phlegm and relieve cough. It is used for thick, sticky phlegm that is hard to expectorate, or for cough with profuse phlegm due to external Wind-Cold. It is often combined with Apricot Seed, Fritillaria, Trichosanthes, and Platycodon.

　　 　　4. Abscesses, sores, breast swelling and pain, sore throat. This herb is acrid and promotes circulation, bitter and draining, skilled at unblocking stagnant Qi and Blood to disperse swellings. It is used for abscesses, sores, and breast swelling and pain, effective both internally and externally. Internally, it can be used alone as a powder taken with yellow wine. Externally, it can be steamed to soften, mixed with a small amount of yellow wine, mashed, and applied to the affected area. Polygala is acrid and enters the Lung, opening and diffusing Lung Qi to benefit the throat—as in *Ren Zhai’s Direct Pointers*, where “Polygala flesh is ground into powder, blown into the throat until saliva flows out.”

　　 　　【Usage and Dosage】Decoct and take 3–9g.

　　 　　【Precautions】Use with caution in cases of gastritis and gastric ulcer.

　　 Variety Research

　　 　　Polygala was first recorded in *Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica*, listed as a top-grade herb. *Famous Doctors’ Additional Records* states: “Polygala grows in Mount Tai and Yuanju river valleys.” *Commentary on the Materia Medica* says: “The little grass resembles Ephedra but is green.” *Kaibao Materia Medica* states: “Polygala has stems and leaves similar to Isatis but smaller.” *Jiayou Materia Medica*, quoting Guo Pu’s annotation of *Erya*, says: “(Polygala) resembles Ephedra, has red flowers, sharp yellow leaves, and the upper part is called little grass.” *Materia Medica Illustrata* states: “Now it is also found in Henan, Shaanxi, and western Jing regions. The root is yellow, shaped like wormwood root, and the seedling is called little grass. It resembles Ephedra but is green, also like a small bean. The leaves also resemble Isatis but are smaller. It flowers in March, white, very long, up to one foot. The roots and leaves are harvested in April… Those from Sizhou have red flowers, with roots and leaves larger than elsewhere; those from Shangzhou have black roots. It is commonly said that Yimen Polygala is the best.” *Compendium of Materia Medica* states: “There are two types of Polygala: large-leaf and small-leaf. The one described by Tao Hongjing is the small-leaf type, while that by Ma Zhi is the large-leaf type—the large-leaf type has red flowers.” *Materia Medica Illustrata* includes five illustrations of Polygala: Sizhou Polygala, Xiezhou Polygala, Weisheng Army Polygala, Qizhou Polygala, and Shangzhou Polygala. Based on origin, morphological descriptions, and illustrations, it is known that ancient medicinal Polygala sources included several varieties. The mainstream products include the small-leaf type, which is today’s Polygala, and the large-leaf type, which is today’s Siberian Polygala.

　　 Original Plant

　　 　　A perennial herb, 20–40 cm tall. Root is cylindrical, up to 40 cm long, fleshy, pale yellow-white, with a few lateral roots. Stem is erect or ascending, tufted, much branched at the upper part. Leaves are alternate, narrowly linear or linear-lanceolate, 1–4 cm long, 1–3 mm wide, gradually tapering at the apex, narrowing at the base, entire margin, sessile or nearly so. Raceme is 2–14 cm long, borne laterally at the top of small branches, slender, usually slightly curved; flowers are pale blue-purple, 6 mm long; flower stalks are slender, 3–6 mm long; bracts are three, very small, easily shed; outer three sepals are relatively small, linear-lanceolate, about 2 mm long, inner two sepals are petal-like, forming slightly curved oblong-obovate shapes, 5–6 mm long, 2–3 mm wide; petals consist of two lateral lobes that are obovate, about 4 mm long, and a central larger petal resembling a keel, with a torn, strip-like cockscomb-like appendage on the back apex; stamens are eight, filaments connate into a sheath; ovary is obovate, flattened, style is linear, drooping, stigma is bilobed. Capsule is flattened, ovoid, with narrow wings on the edges, about 4–5 mm long and wide, green, smooth, and glabrous. Seeds are ovoid, slightly flattened, about 2 mm long, brown-black, densely covered with white fine down, with a well-developed caruncle at the apex. Flowering period is May to July, fruiting period is July to September.

　　 　　Origin: Found on both the northern and southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains, growing in mountain slope grasslands or roadside areas at altitudes of 400–1000 meters.

　　 Classical Discussions

　　 　　1. *Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica*: Treats cough and counterflow, injuries to the middle, supplements deficiencies, eliminates pathogenic factors, benefits the nine orifices, enhances intelligence, improves hearing and vision, strengthens memory, and boosts strength.

　　 　　2. *Commentary on the Materia Medica*: Neutralizes toxicity of Heaven’s Majesty and Attached Aconite.

　　 　　3. *Famous Doctors’ Additional Records*: Calms the Heart Qi, calms palpitations, benefits essence, removes epigastric and diaphragmatic Qi stagnation, heat in the skin, and yellowing of the face.

　　 　　4. *Treatise on the Properties of Herbs*: Treats forgetfulness of the Heart and Spirit, strengthens the Yang vessels, and treats dream-related disorders.

　　 　　5. *Japanese Materia Medica*: Treats diaphragmatic Qi and frightful dreams, builds muscle, strengthens sinews and bones, treats blood-stagnation muteness in women, and infant fright conditions.

　　 　　6. Wang Haogu: Treats Kidney accumulation and running piglet syndrome.

　　 　　7. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: Treats all types of abscesses.

　　 　　8. *Yunnan Materia Medica*: Nourishes Heart Blood, calms fright, soothes the Heart, and disperses phlegm. Treats five types of epilepsy, opisthotonus, convulsions, phlegm spitting, trembling of hands and feet, loss of consciousness, reduces urination, treats red and white turbidity, gleet, and seminal emission.

　　 　　9. *Revised Materia Medica*: Promotes Qi circulation, disperses depression, and excels at resolving phlegm.

　　 　　10. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: Polygala enters the Kidney meridian of the Foot-Shaoyin, not the Heart meridian. Its function is specifically to strengthen memory and benefit essence, treating forgetfulness. Essence and memory are both stored in the Kidney meridian. When Kidney meridian is deficient, vitality declines, unable to communicate upward to the Heart, hence leading to confusion and forgetfulness. *Spiritual Pivot* states: “The Kidney stores essence, essence combines with memory. Excessive rage without ceasing injures memory; injured memory leads to forgetfulness of previous words, inability to bend or stretch the waist and spine, withered hair and faded color.” It also states: “Those who are forgetful have insufficient upper Qi and excessive lower Qi, with a full Intestine and Stomach but deficient Heart and Lungs. Deficiency causes Ying and Wei to remain in the lower body, and over time, they do not ascend on time, hence forgetfulness occurs.” Chen Yan’s *Three Causes Formula* uses Polygala Wine to treat abscesses, claiming miraculous effects, likely also due to its Kidney-nourishing power.

　　 　　11. "Compendium of Materia Medica Commentary": Shen Sheshi said: Polygala root combined with ginseng, poria, and white atractylodes can nourish the heart; combined with astragalus, licorice, and white atractylodes can nourish the spleen; combined with rehmannia, wolfberry, and Chinese yam can nourish the kidneys; combined with peony and angelica can nourish the liver; combined with ginseng, ophiopogon, and glehnia can nourish the lungs; combined with cinnabar, gold foil, amber, and rhinoceros horn can calm convulsions; combined with pinellia, arisaema, fritillaria, and white mustard seed can eliminate phlegm convulsions; combined with sparganium, uncaria, and bamboo sap can treat acute convulsions; combined with Angelica Six Yellow Decoction can stop night sweats due to yin deficiency; combined with Astragalus Four Gentlemen Decoction can stop spontaneous sweating due to yang deficiency. A single-ingredient decoction can treat discomfort below the heart and stagnation of qi, as well as emotional unease. A single-ingredient wine can treat abscesses, swelling toxins, and long-standing sores caused by emotional distress such as anger or depression, gradually improving with continued use.

　　 　　12. "The Correct Materia Medica": Polygala root primarily benefits the heart and kidneys, thus it can calm the heart and relieve convulsions, ward off evil and calm dreams, strengthen yang and enrich essence, enhance willpower and vitality. Due to its ascending qi nature, when combined with ginseng, licorice, and jujube seed, it is highly effective in lifting collapse and consolidating essence, harmonizing water and fire.

　　 　　13. "Elucidation of the Properties of Medicinals": Polygala root has an acrid, heavy, and potent taste, entering the heart to open orifices, making it a diffusive medicinal. Whenever phlegm and saliva lurk in the heart, obstructing the heart orifices, leading to excessive heart heat, resulting in confusion, dullness, slurred speech, restless sleep, startle fright, forgetfulness, nightmares, or infantile fright, it temporarily resolves phlegm and opens orifices, allowing the heart qi to flow smoothly, thus calming the spirit. It also uses its acrid property to invigorate the spleen qi, treating spleen deficiency with fire constraint, worry and constraint, hence its use in the Spleen-Returning Decoction. It is also used for mental fatigue, where deficient phlegm causes trouble, and must be used in appropriate amounts. If there is insufficient heart blood leading to weak spirit and no phlegm to eliminate, even the acrid angelica and ligusticum should be avoided, let alone this strongly acrid herb. Various Materia Medica texts claim that acrid flavors moisten the kidneys, using it to enrich essence and strengthen willpower, not realizing that strong acrid flavors are harsh and irritating, pricking the throat and tongue, similar to arisaema and pinellia. The Classics say: "The kidneys dislike dryness—how can it enter the kidneys?"

　　 　　14. "Records of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in Combination": Polygala root’s sour property can gather, and its acrid property can disperse, hence it is particularly good at regulating the lungs, enabling the natural expansion and contraction of lung lobes, thus regulating lung respiration, transforming phlegm, and stopping coughs. When supplemented with licorice, it is indeed an essential lung-nourishing medicinal. Its sour astringent power, entering the liver, can calm liver fire; entering the kidneys, it can consolidate collapse; entering the stomach, it can promote acid secretion, increasing appetite. As a balanced and pure medicinal, it is suitable for many purposes. If decocted into a concentrated liquid, filtered, and then recooked until thick like thin paste, it is very effective for applying to swelling, painful sores, and breast abscesses. To prevent fermentation over time, two qian of borax can be dissolved into each liang. When I first chewed polygala root, I noticed its sour taste with a hint of alum. Later, after taking up to two qian of its powder, it induced vomiting, confirming the presence of alum. Therefore, I never use more than two qian in decoctions, fearing it may also cause vomiting.

　　 　　15. "The Pure Commentary on Materia Medica": Polygala root, with its bitter taste entering the heart, its warm nature moving blood, and its fragrant and cool quality also circulating through the qi aspect. Its primary role in the heart meridian lies in the heart being the convergence of all blood. Using its acrid warmth to unblock it appropriately stimulates heart yang and enhances wisdom. Ancient and modern treatments all aim to support heart yang, yet Li Shizhen alone claimed it primarily enters the kidneys—an intentionally contrarian view, echoed by Zhang Shiwan, which is not well-founded. The Classic states it treats coughing and rebellious qi, where its bitter drainage, warmth, and acrid dispersion naturally calm cold-phlegm coughs, showcasing its ability to eliminate phlegm and stop coughs. The Supplemental Record's relief of discomfort below the heart and diaphragm follows the same principle. The "Medical Records of the Tang Dynasty" includes a formula for chest impediment and heart pain containing polygala, aligning well with this intent. The "Three Causes Formula" for all types of abscesses aligns perfectly with the concept of warming, circulating, and moving blood—yet modern surgery remains unaware, wasting such an excellent formula, truly regrettable. I often use it for cold congealing, qi stagnation, phlegm-dampness invading collaterals, and resulting abscesses, with the fastest effects. However, for blood heat or damp-heat toxins, indiscriminate use without distinction is unnecessary. Polygala root promotes blood circulation and is considered a heart-nourishing medicinal by stimulating and smoothing flow, thus allowing heart yang to spread without blockage—this is the true essence of heart nourishment. Yet, warming and ascending medicinals must not be used for excess heat—for instance, mistakenly using it for heat-phlegm clouding the pericardium may only intensify the condition. Similarly, claims of calming the spirit and settling palpitations actually mean supporting heart yang, thus filling heart qi and naturally calming the spirit and palpitations, unlike nourishing fluids and calming the spirit to soothe the abode. For palpitations caused by heat or ministerial fire agitation, using warming ascending medicinals has the same drawbacks as for phlegm-heat. There is also the claim that polygala root connects heart and kidneys—that is, for cases of weak heart yang, sinking clear qi, or deficient kidney yang unable to rise, polygala’s warming ascent lifts the collapse and stimulates kidney yang, which is the correct treatment. Yet, people often overlook this, and for conditions like kidney yang failing to store, leading to erotic dreams and seminal emission, they claim it’s due to the disconnect between water and fire, requiring polygala to guide them into connection, facilitating water-fire exchange. This only makes ministerial fire more unrooted, the kidneys less controlling, and the orifice-smoothing effect leads to seminal leakage instead of consolidation, while essence enrichment results in essence loss.

　　 Drug Standards

　　 　　[Source] This product is the dried root of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. or Polygala sibirica L. of the Polygalaceae family. It is harvested in spring and autumn, with fibrous roots and dirt removed, then dried.

　　 　　[Preparation]

　　 　　Polygala root: Remove impurities, wash slightly, soak until moistened, cut into segments, and dry.

　　 　　Processed Polygala root: Take licorice, add an appropriate amount of water to decoct, remove dregs, add clean polygala root, and simmer over low heat until the liquid is fully absorbed. Remove, and dry. Use 6 kg of licorice per 100 kg of polygala root.

　　 　　Honey Polygala root: Mix processed polygala root with prepared honey and a little boiling water, stir well, let stand briefly, then stir-fry in a pan until not sticky to the touch. Remove and cool (use 20 kg of prepared honey per 100 jin).

　　 　　[Characteristics] This product is cylindrical, slightly curved, 3–15 cm long, and 0.3–0.8 cm in diameter. The surface is grayish-yellow to grayish-brown, with dense, deep transverse wrinkles, longitudinal wrinkles, and cracks. Older roots have denser, deeper transverse wrinkles, slightly nodular. It is hard and brittle, easily broken, with a yellowish-brown cortex and yellowish-white xylem, and the cortex separates easily from the xylem. It has a faint odor, a bitter and slightly acrid taste, and a prickling sensation in the throat when chewed.

　　 　　[Identification]

　　 　　(1) Transverse section of this product: 10 or more layers of cork cells. The cortex consists of 20 or more layers of thin-walled cells with tangential fissures. The phloem is relatively broad, often showing radial fissures. The cambium forms a ring. The xylem is well-developed, fully lignified, with rays 1–3 cells wide. Most thin-walled cells contain fat oil droplets; some contain calcium oxalate cluster crystals and square crystals.

　　 　　(2) Take 1 g of this product’s powder, add 20 ml of hydrochloric acid anhydrous ethanol solution (10→100), heat under reflux for 30 minutes, cool, filter, add 30 ml of water to the filtrate, extract twice with chloroform (20 ml each time), combine the chloroform layers, evaporate to dryness, dissolve the residue in 1 ml of ethyl acetate, centrifuge, and take the supernatant as the test solution. Take 1 g of polygala reference herb, prepare the reference solution in the same way. Perform thin-layer chromatography (Appendix VI B), spot 2 μl of each solution on the same silica gel G plate, develop with toluene–ethyl acetate–formic acid (14:4:0.5), remove, dry, spray with 10% sulfuric acid ethanol solution, and heat at 105°C until spots are clearly visible. The test chromatogram shows main spots of the same color at the corresponding positions as the reference chromatogram.

　　 　　[Properties, Taste, and Meridians] Bitter, acrid, warm. Enters the heart, kidney, and lung meridians.

　　 　　[Functions and Indications] Calms the spirit and improves intelligence, dispels phlegm, and reduces swelling. Used for insomnia and excessive dreaming, forgetfulness and palpitations, mental confusion, unsatisfactory cough with phlegm, sores and swelling toxins, and breast swelling and pain caused by disharmony between heart and kidneys.

　　 　　[Usage and Dosage] 3–9 g.

　　 　　[Storage] Store in a ventilated, dry place.

　　 　　[Preparations] Polygala Root Fluid Extract

　　 Cultivation Techniques

　　 　　(I) Growth Characteristics

　　 　　Prefers a cool climate, drought-resistant, intolerant to high temperatures, mostly wild in dry fields, roadsides, hillsides, etc. Best cultivated in sunny, well-drained sandy soil, followed by clay loam and calcareous loam. Clayey and low-lying, damp areas are unsuitable for cultivation.

　　 　　(II) Cultivation Techniques

　　 　　1. Site Selection and Land Preparation

　　 　　Choose high, dry land with good drainage; most soils are suitable for cultivation. Before land preparation, apply base fertilizer. Since polygala is a perennial herb, sufficient base fertilizer must be applied—commonly 37,500 kg of manure or compost and 750 kg of calcium superphosphate per hectare. Plow, harrow, and level the land. In northern regions, flatbed drilling is commonly used.

　　 　　2. Propagation Methods

　　 　　Propagate by seeds, either direct seeding or transplanting seedlings. Since polygala capsules split open upon maturity, scattering seeds onto the ground, seeds should be harvested when the fruits ripen from July to August.

　　 　　(1) Direct Seeding

　　 　　Spring sowing is done in mid-to-late April, and autumn sowing in mid-to-late October or early November. On prepared land, evenly sow seeds into furrows, cover with 1–2 cm of soil, sow in shallow rows 20–23 cm apart, with a seeding rate of 11.25–15 kg per hectare. After sowing, press lightly and water sufficiently. Seedlings emerge about half a month after sowing. Autumn-sown seeds emerge in the following spring.

　　 　　(2) Seedling Cultivation

　　 　　In early to mid-March, sow the seeds in rows on the seedbed, covering them with about 1 cm of soil after sowing. Keep the seedbed moist, with an optimal temperature of 15–20°C. Seedlings usually emerge around 10 days after sowing. When the seedlings reach about 6 cm in height, they can be transplanted. Transplanting should be done on overcast or rainy days or in the afternoon, with a row and plant spacing of 20–23 cm × 3–6 cm.

　　 　　3. Field Management

　　 　　Polygala plants are relatively short, so frequent weeding is required during the growth period to prevent weeds from overshadowing the plants. Since they prefer dry conditions, apart from appropriate watering during seed germination and the seedling stage, frequent watering is not necessary in the later growth stages. Apply fertilizer once each in spring, winter, and during April to May each year to increase root yield. Use phosphorus-based fertilizers, applying 300–375 kg of cake fertilizer or 187.5–262.5 kg of calcium superphosphate per hectare. For potassium spraying, during the peak growth period from mid-June to early July each year, spray 750–900 kg of 1% potassium sulfate solution or 1200–1500 kg of 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution per hectare, once every 10 days for a total of three times. Apply in the early morning before dew dries or in the evening around 5 PM to enhance disease resistance and promote root enlargement.

　　 　　For one-year-old seedlings after soil loosening and weeding, or two to three-year-old seedlings after fertilizing and watering, apply 12,000–15,000 kg of wheat straw, wheat bran, or sawdust per hectare. Spread it along the rows without turning it over until harvest. Mulching enhances microbial decomposition in the soil, retains moisture, reduces weeds, and creates favorable conditions for Polygala growth.

　　 　　4. Pest and Disease Control

　　 　　Root Rot: Causes the roots of Polygala to rot and the plant to wither.

　　 　　Control Method: Strengthen field management, promptly remove and burn diseased plants, and disinfect the affected spots with a 10% lime water solution. In the early stages of the disease, spray a 1000-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim solution once every 7 days for a total of 2–3 applications.

　　 　　Aphids can be controlled by spraying a 2000-fold dilution of 40% dimethoate solution once every 10 days for 2–3 applications. For bean aphids, spray a solution of 5×10⁻⁶ to 1×10⁻⁵ DDVP twice, with an interval of 5–7 days.

　　 　　(5) Harvesting and Processing

　　 　　Harvest the roots in the autumn of the third or fourth year after planting, after the aboveground parts have died back, or in the spring before sprouting. Dig up the roots, remove soil and impurities, and while the roots are still moist, gently pound them with a wooden stick to soften and expand them. Remove the woody core and then dry them in the sun. Roots with the woody core removed are called “Polygala meat.” If dried directly after harvesting without removing the core, they are called “Polygala sticks.” The yield for two-year-old plants is 1500–2250 kg per hectare, and for three-year-old plants, it is 3750–4500 kg per hectare.