Knowledge Base/Herbs/Fangji (Stephania Root)
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祛风湿药 · Wind-damp

Fangji (Stephania Root) fáng jǐ · 防己

Stephania tetrandra (root; known as han fang ji)

Nature and flavour. Bitter, cold; Bladder and Lung systems.

Grouped with the herbs that dispel wind and ease pain, and with those that promote urination to reduce swelling. Four characters are worth spending on the name: the material the modern pharmacopoeia means by fang ji is the root of Stephania tetrandra, and the historical record contains several other plants traded under the same two characters. The traditional uses are categories recorded in the literature and are not established by modern research.

性味归经。苦，寒；归膀胱、肺经。

传统上列入祛风止痛、利水消肿一类。名称上值得多说几句：现代药典所称的防己是 Stephania tetrandra 的根（汉防己），而历史上有另外几种植物曾以相同的两个字流通。以上为文献所载的用法归类，并非已被现代研究证实的效应。

Classical category · no formulas, no dosages, no herb-drug combinations are given.
Safety. This is the entry in this section with a substitution history that has killed people, and it should be read before anything else. Guang fang ji, the root of Aristolochia fangchi, was sold in place of han fang ji and caused aristolochic acid nephropathy: irreversible kidney failure, and cancer of the urinary tract in a large share of those affected. Aristolochic acid is classified as a cause of cancer in humans, and Aristolochia species are banned or restricted in many jurisdictions. A packet labelled fang ji is therefore not something to buy on trust: the species has to be identified by a qualified professional, and anyone with kidney disease should not take it at all. Even the correct root is pharmacologically active — its principal alkaloid is tetrandrine — and is not a harmless herb; safety with prolonged use is not established. Bitter and cold, it is classically avoided where the digestion is weak, and safety in pregnancy is not established. No amount is given here.

这是本栏目中有过致死性混淆史的一条，应先读这一条再读其余。广防己（Aristolochia fangchi 的根）曾被当作汉防己出售，造成马兜铃酸肾病：不可逆的肾衰竭，且相当比例的受害者发生尿路恶性肿瘤。马兜铃酸被列为人类致癌物，马兜铃属植物在多个司法辖区被禁用或严格限制。因此标着「防己」的药材不能凭信任购买：品种必须由专业人员鉴定；有肾病者根本不应服用。即便是正品，它的根也有明确药理活性（主要生物碱为粉防己碱），并非无害之品，长期使用的安全性未确立。味苦性寒，脾胃虚弱者传统上不宜；孕期的安全性未确立。本条不列用量。

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