Use of Tu Fu Ling (smilax glabra roots) in TCM

Please note that you should never self-prescribe TCM ingredients. A TCM ingredient is almost never eaten on its own but as part of a formula containing several ingredients that act together. Please consult a professional TCM practitioner, they will be best able to guide you.

Preparation: Wash, soak in water, slice and dry

Dosage: 15 - 60 grams

Main actions according to TCM*: Expels Damp-Heat especially from the skin. Clears Heat and dispels Dampness. Dispels toxicity such as Syphilis.

Primary conditions or symptoms for which Tu Fu Ling may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Urinary tract infection Dysuria Leukorrhea Carbuncles Lymphadenitis Eczema Syphilis Lyme disease

Contraindications*: This herb should not be used by those with Yin Deficiency of the Liver and Kidney.

Key TCM concepts behind Tu Fu Ling's properties

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Tu Fu Ling belongs to the 'Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity' category. Herbs in this category are used to clear inflammatory and infectious conditions, referred to as 'Internal Heat' in TCM. This is why most of the herbs in this category will have both antibacterial and antiviral properties. In TCM one has too much 'Internal Heat' in their body as a result of a deficiency of 'Yin' (which is Cold in nature, see our explanation on Yin and Yang) or, more commonly, an Excess of Yang (Hot in nature). Herbs that clear Heat and relieve Toxicity treat the latter while, at the same time, removing infectious toxins from the body. As such they tend to be Cold or Neutral in nature.

As suggested by its category Tu Fu Ling is Neutral in nature. This means that Tu Fu Ling typically doesn't affect the balance in your body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Eating too many "Hot" (Yang) ingredients can lead to an imbalance whereby one has a Yang Excess. The inverse is true as well: too many "Cold" (Yin) ingredients can lead to a Yin Excess. The Neutral nature of Tu Fu Ling means that you don't have to worry about that!

Tu Fu Ling also tastes Sweet. The so-called 'Five Phases' theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Sweet ingredients like Tu Fu Ling tends to slow down acute reactions and detoxify the body. They also have a tonic effect because they replenish Qi and Blood.

The tastes of ingredients in TCM also determine what Organs and Meridians they target. As such Tu Fu Ling is thought to target the Liver and the Stomach. In TCM the Liver is often referred as the body's "general" because it is in charge of regulating the movements of Qi and the Body Fluids. It also takes a leading role in balancing our emotions. The Stomach on the other hand is responsible for receiving and ripening ingested food and fluids. It is also tasked with descending the digested elements downwards to the Small Intestine.

Research on Tu Fu Ling

The aqueous extract from Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae (RSG) remarkably inhibited the primary inflammation of adjuvant arthritis (AA) in rats. RSG also exhibits an improvement on AA during the later phase of arthritis. Such characteristics of RSG on AA may be advantageous to the long-term treatment of clinical rheumatoid arthritis.¹

Sources:

1. J Jiang, Q Xu (2003). Immunomodulatory activity of the aqueous extract from rhizome of Smilax glabra in the later phase of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 85, Issue 1, Pages 53-59