Asarum herb (Xi Xin)
| Pharmaceutical Name: | Herba asari cum Radice |
| Botanical Name: | Asarum hetrotropoides Fr. Var. mandshuricum (maxim.) Kitag.; A. sieboldii Miq. |
| Common Name: | Asarum herb, Wild Ginger, Chinese Wild Ginger |
| Source of Earliest Record: | Shennong Bencao Jing |
| art Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: | The entire plant is gathered in summer and dried in the shade. |
| Properties and Taste: | Pungent and warm |
| Meridian: | Lung and kidney |
| Functions: | To dispel cold and stop pain; To warm the lungs and resolve phlegm-damp; To relieve nasal congestion Directs the action of other herbs to the Heart and Kidney meridians, especially in the arms and chest. |
| Indications and Combinations: | 1. Headache, toothache and obstruction pain: a) Wind-cold headache. *Use with Chuanxiong rhizome (Chuan xiong) in the formula Chuanxiong Cha Tiao San. b) Wind-cold toothache. *Use with Dahurian angelica root (Bai zhi). c) Toothache due to excessive heat in the stomach. *Use with Gypsum (Shi gao) and Scutellaria root (Huang qin). d) Wind-cold-damp obstruction syndrome (joint pain). *Use with Notopterygium root (Qiang huo), Ledebouriella root (Fang feng) and Cinnamon twigs (Gui zhi). 2. Wind-cold exterior syndromes manifested as chills, fever, headache and general pain *Use with Notopterygium root (Qiang huo) and Ledebouriella root (Fang feng) in the formula Jiuwei Qianghuo Tang. 3. Cold phlegm fluid attacking the lungs manifested as asthma and cough with profuse, clear sputum *Use with Ephedra (Ma huang) and Dried ginger (Gan jiang) in the formula Xiao Qinglong Tang. 4. Rhinorrhea manifested as copiously running nose, nasal congestion, sinuses and headache *Use with Angelica root (Bai zhi), Magnolia flower (Xin yi) and Mentha (Bo he). |
| Dosage: | 1-3 g |
| Cautions: | This herb is contraindicated in headache due to deficient yin and hyperactivity of Yang, or cough caused by heat in the lungs. Do not use during pregnancy. Use only in small quantities. |