Rhizoma Sparganii — Sparganium stoloniferum (Buch.-Ham. ex Graebn.) Buch.-Ham. ex Juz., the dried rhizome
Nature and flavour. Pungent and bitter, neutral. Liver and Spleen systems.
The rhizome of a marsh plant, and one half of the most famous pairing in this category: 三棱 and 莪术 are quoted together so consistently that the classical literature treats them almost as one phrase, 三棱 breaks the blood and 莪术 moves the qi, and the argument is that stasis is rarely only one of the two. Classical sources describe it as breaking blood, moving qi, dispersing accumulation and settling pain, and record it for amenorrhoea and painful periods held to be blood stasis, for postpartum stasis, for hard abdominal masses, and for the distension and pain of food accumulation with qi stagnation. Its traditional role in food accumulation is why some materia medica classify it as a digestive drug as much as a blood drug. Modern clinical evidence for these uses is limited and is not established.
性味归经。辛、苦，平。归肝、脾经。
沼泽植物的根茎，也是本类中被引用得最频繁的一对中的一半：三棱与莪术在古籍中并称，几乎成了一个固定词组 —— 三棱破血、莪术行气，理由是瘀与气滞很少只占一头。古籍记载其破血行气、消积止痛，用于经闭痛经（属瘀血者）、产后瘀阻、腹部硬块，以及食积气滞所致的胀痛。它在食积方面的传统角色，是部分本草把它同时归入消导药的原因。上述用途的现代临床证据有限，尚未被证实。
属破削之品而非补药，传统讲得很直白：孕期禁用；且古籍明确指出无瘀血者不宜 —— 理由是既破瘀，无瘀可破时反伤正气。有出血倾向者、活动性溃疡患者、血小板极低者、术前患者不宜；与华法林及其它抗凝药的相互作用顾虑已有文献记载，也不应自行判断与抗血小板药同用。同样不应自行长期服用：破血药这一类药物在传统里预设了疗程、监督者与停下的时机，这三样读者自己提供不了。不属于可自行使用的药材，须在合格执业者监督下使用。
1 related entry.