Notopterygium Root (Qianghuo)
| Pharmaceutical Name: | Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii |
| Botanical Name: | Notopterygium incisium Ting ex H. T. Chang Notopterygium forbesii Boiss. |
| Common Name: | Notopterygium root |
| Source of Earliest Record: | Yaoxing Lun |
| art Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: | The root or rhizome, is dug, in the early spring or autumn, dried and cut into slices. |
| Properties and Taste: | Pungent, bitter and warm |
| Meridian: | Kidney and urinary bladder |
| Functions: | To release the exterior and disperse cold To dispel wind and eliminate dampness To stop pain |
| Indications and Combinations: | 1. Wind-cold exterior syndrome manifested by chills, fever, headache, and sever general pain. *Use with Ledebouriella root (Fangfeng), Dahurian angelica root (Baizhi) and Atractylodes rhizome (Cangzhu). 2. Wind-cold-damp bi syndrome manifested as joint pain and soreness and pain in the shoulders and upper back. *Use with Ledebouriella root (Fangfeng) and Turmeric (Jianghuang). |
| Dosage: | 3-10 g |
| Cautions: | The herb is contraindicated in joint pain due to deficient blood and headache due to deficient yin. |