Lobelia chinensis 半邊蓮

Campanulaceae 桔梗科

Chinese Lobelia, Lobelia1

鐮刀子草、急解索、瓜仁草、細米草2,3

POISONOUS PARTS

Whole plant.3,4

TOXICITY

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment.

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Perennial herbs, glabrous. Stems decumbent or ascendent, 6–15 cm or longer, rooting at the nodes. Leaves alternate, 8–25 × 2–6 mm. Flowers solitary; calyx lobes 5, lanceolate. Corolla pink, light purple or white, 10–15 mm long, slit open on the upper side nearly to the base; limb 5‑lobed, lobes spreading. Filaments united above middle. Capsules 5–6 mm long, obconical.11

MEDICINAL USES

Whole plant with roots used in TCM: induce diuresis and disperse swelling, clear heat and remove toxin. Recommended dose: 9–15 g.2,12–14

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Lobeline can be detected by HPLC-DAD, GC-MS and LC-MS/MS.15–17