Lumbago treated with TCM herb Cibotium barometz

What is Cibotium barometz(Gou Ji)?
Medicinally it means the dried rhizomes of Cibotium barometz (L.) J. SM, a tropical and subtropical plant in the fern family Dicksoniaceae. Or sometimes it also refers to the dry root of Woodwardia japonica (L.f.) Sm. in the family Blechnaceae. Hence, it has a variety of common names, such as oriental chain fern root, chain fern rhizome, rhizoma Cibotii, Rhizoma Cibotii Barometz, Cibotium barometz rhizome, east Asian tree fern rhizome, woolly fern, cibot rhizome, rhizoma cibotium barometz, Rhizome of Scythian Lamb, Rhizome of East Asian Tree Fern, woodwardia japonica, golden chicken fern, and so on. The best harvesting time is autumn and winter. After the excavation, remove the dirt and dry, or remove the hard root, petiole and golden hair, cut into thick slices, and then dry in the sun. This is the so called "raw rhizoma cibotii slice". Correspondingly, the cooked one need to be steamed, dried in the sun to 60% or 70%, cut into thick slices, and then completely dried once again.

Oriental chain fern, as its name suggested, is one of perennial tree ferns. It can be up to 2.5 to 3 meters. Rhizome is recumbent or erect sometimes, short and stout, woody, and densely covered with brown villous that comes with golden luster. Leaves are numerous, large, and grow thickly into calyptriform. Petiole is stout, brown, and densely covered with villous and yellow narrow lanceolate scales at base. Oval lamina, 3 pinnatifid, can reach up to 2 meters. Sori are born in the top edge of the lateral veins, slightly oblong, 2 to 12 pieces on each lobe, and with brown lips-shaped lateral fissure of indusia.

Main chemical constituents include pterosin R, onitin, (onitin-2′-O-β-D-glucoside, onitin-2′-O-β-D-alloside, ptaquiloside, pterosin Z, and so on.

Cibotium barometz health benefits
When it comes to herbs for lumbago, it always invites comparison with another commonly used Chinese herb – Eucommia Bark (Du Zhong). However, they differ from each other by acting on various parts. Simply put, the former is good at treating pain in the middle of the waist while the latter on both sides of the waist. And the following explanation based on its pharmacology may help further understand this amazing herb.

Modern pharmacological actions of rhizoma cibotii
1. 100% its injection showed no significant change to the rate of myocardial uptake of Rb86 in mice by intraperitoneal injection of 30g/kg. But it showed a significant increase by 54% in the case of continuous intraperitoneal injection of 20g/kg for 14 days;

2. Its wool demonstrated better hemostatic effects.