Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica (Vol. 20)

Compendium of Materia Medica

Hanging Vine

According to the Supplement to the Materia Medica original: 本草拾遺, Běncǎo Shíyí; compiled by Chen Cangqi during the Tang Dynasty, the Hanging Vine original: 倒掛藤, Dǎoguàténg is bitter in flavor and non-toxic. It is primarily used to treat all conditions related to "old blood" This refers to chronic blood stasis or internal bruising that has not cleared as well as various postpartum ailments. It is particularly effective for "knotted pain" sharp, localized abdominal pain and instances where stagnant blood rises toward the chest, causing a state of near-death. The medicine is prepared by boiling the plant to produce a juice for consumption.

The plant grows deep in the mountains and resembles the hanging hook original: 懸鉤, xuángōu; a term often used for wild raspberries or brambles. It features recurved thorns thorns that curve backward, allowing it to grip surfaces and hangs downward from trees. Its leaves are both pointed and long.

Commentary: I have observed that on Mount Yuelu in Hunan, there is a vine known by the local name Golden Hook Hanging Backward original: 倒掛金鉤, Dǎoguà Jīngōu. Its physical form matches this description exactly. Local healers 俚醫 (lǐyī): rural or folk doctors whose knowledge is often practical and passed down outside of formal academic institutions utilize it as a medicine to disperse blood stasis and "reach the exterior" 達表 (dá biǎo): a therapeutic action intended to move pathogens or stagnant energy from the body's interior toward the surface. Its medicinal applications are identical to those recorded in the classics.