Biological name 拉丁文學名：Plantago major L. or Plantago depressa Willd.var. asiatica L.
Other Names 別名： wu gen cao 五根草﹐che qian 車前﹐dang dao 當道﹐niu yi 牛遺﹐xia mo yi 蝦蟆衣﹐niu she 牛舌﹐che guo lu 車過路﹐che lun cai 車輪菜﹐yu cao 魚草 。
Common Name 英文名：Asiatic plantain, broadleaf plantain, greater plantain, large plantain,
Distribution 分佈：
Throughout China, south east Asia
In northern China:Plantago depressa
全中國，東南亞。Plantago depressa 分佈於華北。
Properties (characteristics) 性味：
sweet, cold
甘，寒。
Channels (meridians) entered 歸經：
bladder, kidney, liver, lung
膀胱，腎，肝，肺。
Actions & Indications 主治：
Damp heat lowering to the lower burner channel (infection of the urinary tract and bowel): painful urinary, diarrhea , red eyes and sexual dysfunction due to damp heat, cataracts, expels phlegm and cough.
Seeds are more effective in promoting urination and leave are more in clearing damp heat and rid of toxicity.
有涼血去熱﹐止吐衄﹐消瘕瘀﹐利水﹐通淋﹐滲濕止瀉﹐清肝明目﹐袪痰止咳的功能。凡利水之劑 ﹐多損於目﹐惟此能解肝與小腸之熱﹐濕熱退而目清。
子甘寒﹐清肺肝風熱﹐滲膀胱濕熱 ﹐利小便而不走氣﹐與茯苓同功﹐強陰益精﹐令人有子。治濕痺五淋﹐暑溼瀉痢。
（歐陽文忠）患暴下﹐國醫不能愈。夫人云：市有藥三文一貼甚效﹐公不肯服 ﹐夫人他藥進之﹐一服而愈﹐問其方﹐乃車前子為末﹐米飲下二錢。一說此藥利水而不動氣﹐水道利則清濁分﹐穀臟自止矣。目赤障翳﹐能除肝熱。催生下胎 ﹐酒蒸搗餅乾研。
全草煮汁飲服具利尿消腫﹐清肝洩熱的作用。
Medical Function 藥理：
1. phlegm expectorant, promote excretion of mucus of the bronchial tubes
2. antibiotic
3. diuretic
4. lower blood pressure
1. 袪痰止咳，促進氣管及支氣管分泌增加；
2. 抑菌；
3. 利尿
4. 降血壓。
Chemical ingredients 化學成份:
1. plantainoside A, B, C, D, E, F (車前); acteoside; acteosideisomer; desrhamnosyl acteoside; leucosceptoside; martynoside; isomartynoside; plantamajoside; calceorioside B[1].
2. aucubin （桃葉珊瑚); 3, 4-dihydroxyaucubin; 6'-O-beta-glucosyl-aucubin.[2].
3. carvacrol; 1-oeten-3-ol; linalool; geranyl acetate; alpha-pinene; camphene; limonene; n-hexanol; 3-hexen-1-ol; camphor; 1-terpinene-4-ol; beta-caryophyllene; alpha-terpinyl acetate; nerolide; guaiacol; cresol[3].
4. apigenin; plantaginin; homoplantaginin[4,5]; luteolol-7-O-beta-D-glucoside; luteolol-7-O-beta-D-glucoronide.[4].
5. plantago-mucilage A[8], Ursolic acid（熊果酸)
6. oxalic acidDosage 用量：
seeds: 4.5 to 9 g
leaves: 9 to 30 g
子：4.5 ～ 9 克。
葉： 9 ～ 30 克。
Samples of formulae 處方舉例：
1. interstitial cystitis
2. To improve sperm count and sperm activity: wu zi yan zong wan
3. Vagina yeast infection formula: zhi dai fang
1. 間質性膀胱炎
2. 增加精子數量與活動性：五子衍宗丸
3. 婦女白帶：止帶方
Modern Research 现代研究：
che qian zi can help expel oxalate.
車前子能助排出草酸鹽。
Cautions 禁忌：
not to use during pregnancy. Use caution in cases of yangxu (yang deficient), spermatorrhea due to shenxu (kidney deficient) or exhaustion from overwork.
懷孕期間忌用。 陽虛體寒者或 腎虛而 遺精或操勞過度而疲倦者須 小心應用。
(by: Joe Hing Kwok Chu)
