Product Overview
Parts used: Fresh or dried rhizome
TCM category: Herbs that clear Heat and purge Fire and/or clear Summer Heat
TCM nature: Cold
TCM taste(s): Sweet
Meridian affinity: Stomach Lung
Scientific name: Phragmites communis
Use of common reed rhizomes (Lu Gen) 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 practitionner, they will be best able to guide you.
Preparation: Remove impurities and fibrous roots, wash, moisten slightly, cut into sections, and dry. If using fresh you can bury it in wet sand to prevent dryness.
Dosage: 9 - 30 grams
Main actions according to TCM*: Clears Heat and promotes the generation of Fluids. Dispels Lung Heat. Dispels Stomach Heat. Promotes urination and clears Heat in the urinary tract. Calm the minds and stop vomiting.
Primary conditions or symptoms for which common reed rhizomes may be prescribed by TCM doctors*: Dehydration Phlegm Vomiting Strangury Lung abscess
Contraindications*: This herb should not be used when there is weakness in the Spleen and Stomach caused by Cold.
Common TCM formulas in which common reed rhizomes are used*:
For Cool Heat in the Lung and Stomach combine common reed rhizomes with cogongrass rhizomes (Bai Mao Gen).
For feverish diseases with symptoms of thirst and irritability combine common reed rhizomes with gypsum (Shi Gao), dwarf lilyturf roots (Mai Dong) and snake gourds (Gua Lou).
For severe colds, flu or upper respiratory tract infections combine common reed rhizomes with honeysuckle flowers (Jin Yin Hua), forsythia fruits (Lian Qiao), platycodon roots (Jie Geng), greater burdock fruits (Niu Bang Zi), wild mint (Bo He), fermented soybeans (Dan Dou Chi), lophatherum herbs (Dan Zhu Ye), liquorice (Gan Cao), notopterygium roots (Qiang Huo) and woad roots (Ban Lan Gen).
For sore throat and hoarseness combine common reed rhizomes with chinese white olives (Qing Guo) and honeysuckle flowers (Jin Yin Hua).
Key TCM concepts behind common reed rhizomes (Lu Gen)'s properties
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), common reed rhizomes are plants that belong to the 'Herbs that clear Heat and purge Fire and/or clear Summer Heat' 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 '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 purge Fire treat the latter and as such tend to be Cold or Neutral in nature.
As suggested by its category common reed rhizomes are plants that are Cold in nature. This means that common reed rhizomes typically help people who have too much "heat" in their body. Balance between Yin and Yang is a key health concept in TCM. Those who have too much heat in their body are said to either have a Yang excess (because Yang is Hot in nature) or a Yin deficiency (Yin is Cold in Nature). Depending on your condition common reed rhizomes can help restore a harmonious balance between Yin and Yang.
Common reed rhizomes also taste Sweet. The so-called "five elements" theory in Chinese Medicine states that the taste of TCM ingredients is a key determinant of their action in the body. Sweet ingredients like common reed rhizomes tend 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 common reed rhizomes are thought to target the Stomach and the Lung. In TCM the Stomach is responsible for receiving and ripening ingested food and fluids. It is also tasked with descending the digested elements downwards to the Small Intestine. In addition to performing respiration, the Lungs are thought to be a key part of the production chain for Qi and the body fluids that nourish the body.
Use of common reed rhizomes (Lu Gen) as food
Common reed rhizomes are also eaten as food.
