根据药用部位(茎)特征与古今主要医药文献描述对照的考证方法,结合近百年数次未通商品调查结果和日本实际使用情况,论证了关木通有较长久的应用历史和特定的临床疗效。关木通(茎)直径可达9cm,断面射线明显、导管大而密,放射状排列(即“车辐”),符合历代医家反复描述的“大者径3寸”、“茎有细孔,两头皆通”等特点,近、现代有大规模的商品生产,并出口日本和亚洲许多国家,被中医、藏医、日本汉方医临床广泛应用。Akebia spp.一类植物近地茎的直径约1cm,分支茎的直径就更细,断面射线不明显、导管少而小,排列不规则,因此肉眼看不见“细孔”和“车辐”结构,也不能“气从中贯”,所以不是历代医家治病所用之木通。由于缺少本草依据和临床基础,Akebia不宜贸然代替中国药典1977年版、1985年版、1990年版、2000年版所收载的关本通。

This article demonstrates that caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis has guite a long history of application as a medicinal material and specially clinical effectiveness in accordance with the characteristics of its medicinal part (stem) and with the result of comparing various descriptions of major ancient and current medical literatures as well as in combination with several surveys of it as a commodity in the last hundred years and with its practical application in Japan. Caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis (stem) has a diameter of 9cm with clear rays and big and close vessels arranged in radiation (in the form of spokes in a wheel) , conforming to such characteristics of "its biggest ones having a diameter of three inches" and "its stem having pinholes open from one end to the other" as described repeatedly by medical doctors in the history of China. It has been produced largely as a commodity in modern times and exported to Japan and many other countries in Asia, being widely used in the clinical treatment of TCM, traditional Xizang medicine and Chinese prescription medicine in Japan. As for the plants of Akebia spp. and its like, their main stem is about lem of diameter and the diameter of their branching stems is much thinner with unclear rays and few and very fine vessels arranged irregularly in their section so that neither the "pinholes" and the composition of "wheel-spoke" can be seen by eyes nor " air can go through the pinholes" , and therefore they are not caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis which has been applied as medicine by medical doctors in the history of the country. Owing to its deficient basis of Chinese materia medica and lack of clinic foundation Akebia cannot be hastily used to replace caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis, which bas been listed in the 1977, 1985, 1990 and 2000 editions of "Chinese Pharmacopoeia".