Ye Jiao Teng
English Name: polygonum vine
Literal Translation: “vine to pass through the night”
Pharmaceutical Name: Caulis Polygoni Multiflori
Medica Category: Shen Calming Herbs
Properties: Ye Jiao Teng enters the Heart and Liver channels; it is sweet and slightly bitter in nature and neutral in temperature.
What is Ye Jiao Teng?:
The Chinese Herb Ye Jiao Teng is the stalks and stems (i.e. the caulis) of a flowering plant in the buckwheat family commonly known as Chinese knotweed or fleeceflower tuber (Polygonum Multiflorum Thunb.), which is the same plant from which the Chinese Herb He Shou Wu is also derived (He Shou Wu is the prepared root of this plant). Polygonum Multiflorum grows wild along the river banks and valleys of the Yangtze River but is now widely cultivated in wider ranges in several Chinese provinces. To prepare it for use as medicine, the vine stalks of are collected in the autumn and winter and stripped of extraneous leaves and branches. They are then tied into bundles and sun-dried. These sun-dried vines are then cut into small pieces but are otherwise left unprocessed.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Ye Jiao Teng:
Ye Jiao Teng nourishes the Heart and calms the shen to address insomnia/restless sleep and excessive dreaming due to overall Heart blood deficiency.
Ye Jiao Teng opens the channels and collaterals and dispels wind to address soreness and pain in the limbs and joints. It is also used topically (as a wash) to address various skin disorders (e.g. rashes and eczema) characterized by itchiness.