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INDIVIDUAL HERBS

NAME: E ZHU - 莪术 - RHIZOMA CURCUMAE - ZEDOARIAE

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Rhizoma Curcumae (Zedoariae)
Common English:	Curcuma Rhizome Zedoary Root Zedoaria

PROPERTIES

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter Acrid	Warm	Liver Spleen	3-10g Tincture: 1-4ml

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

Actions

Indications/Syndromes

Invigorates Blood circulation, dispels Blood Stasis, regulates Qi and alleviates pain

Blood Stasis with abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal masses and epigastric masses

Dissolves accumulations and alleviates pain

Food Stagnation with pain, distention, fullness and constriction in the chest and abdomen

Childhood nutritional impairment

CONTRAINDICATIONS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Contraindicated in pregnancy.
Contraindicated in all cases of early menstruation.
Contraindicated in all cases of Blood Heat.
Contraindicated for those with menorrhagia.
Contraindicated for those with Deficiency.
Do not use unless there is firm, stubborn accumulation.
Caution with Qi and Blood Deficiency.

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Use with caution for patients taking anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin) and enoxaparin (Lovenox) or antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, dipyridamole (Persantine) and clopidogrel (Plavix) as concurrent use may have an additive or synergistic effect.

MAJOR COMBINATIONS

Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang	Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Rx. Codonopsis Dang Shen	Per. Citri Reticulatae Viride Qing Pi
Food Stagnation with abdominal distention, fullness and pain.	Food Stagnation with abdominal distention, fullness, and pain with Qi Deficiency.	Stagnant Qi with chest and abdominal fullness and pain.
Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong or Rz. Sparganii San Leng Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi Rx. Ligustici Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong	Rz. Sparganii San Leng	Rz. Sparganii San Leng Fr. Gardeniae Zhi Zi Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang
Menstrual problems due to Qi and Blood Stagnation, especially depression, painful abdominal masses, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea and a wiry pulse.	Qi and Blood Stagnation with clumping and accumulations leading to pain with distending pain in the chest, epigastrium and abdomen, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, uterine myoma and ovarian cysts. Food Stagnation. Hepatosplenomegaly with distention, pain and immobile, palpable epigastric, sub costal and abdominal masses. (only for strong patients)	Hepatosplenomegaly with distention, pain, and immobile, palpable epigastric, sub costal, and abdominal masses with Heat. (only for strong patients)
Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Dan Shen Carapax Trionycis Bie Jia (Rz. Sparganii) (San Leng)	Lignum Sappan Su Mu	Massa Medicata Fermentata Shen Qu Fr. Hordei Germinatus Mai Ya Sm. Raphani Lai Fu Zi Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum Zhi Ban Xia Rz. Coptidis Huang Lian Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi
Firm abdominal masses.	Harmonizes the Blood. (small doses) Breaks up Blood Stasis. (large doses)	Epigastric distention and hardness.
Rx. Bupleuri Chai Hu Fr Aurantii Zhi Ke Concha Ostreae Mu Li Rz. Curcumae Longae Jiang Huang	Rx. Bupleuri Chai Hu Carapax Trionycis Bie Jia Rz. Belamcandae She Gan	Rz. Cyperi Xiang Fu Per. Citri Reticulatae Viride Qing Pi Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Dan Shen Rx. Curcumae Yu Jin
Epigastric distention and hardness of the right rib cage.	Epigastric distention and hardness of the left rib cage.	Periumbilical or lower abdominal masses.
Rz. Corydalis Yan Hu Suo Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae Niu Xi Hb. Lycopi Ze Lan Faeces Trogopterori Wu Lung Zhi Tabanus Meng Chong	Rz. Sparganii San Leng Rx. Aucklandiae Mu Xiang Fr. Aurantii Immaturus Zhi Shi	Rx. Codonopsis Dang Shen Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu
Palpable masses in the abdomen.	Abdominal pain due to Qi Stagnation. Indigestion.	Abdominal fullness and pain due to Qi Deficiency.

NOTES

Some sources consider this herb primarily as an anti-cancer herb and is considered one of the most effective anti-cancer herbs.
It is used with Rz. Sparganii San Leng for cervical cancer.
It is used as a single herb for late stage cervical cancer during menses.
It relieves diaphragmatic pain.
This is a weaker Blood Invigorator than San Leng, but a stronger Qi mover.
It's primary action is in the abdomen, flanks and hypochondrium.
It attacks delineated lumps.
It regulates Qi, increases appetite, breaks up Blood Stasis, relieves pain and stops dysentery.
It removes Phlegm and treats globus hystericus.
This herb is dry-fried for Liver diseases, simmered for diseases of the Heart and Spleen channels and roasted with goat or chicken for regulating menstruation for which it is used with Four Substances Decoction Si Wu Tang.
Local injection of the volatile oil necrotizes the tumor and causes it to come off without affecting the surrounding tissue.
Dry-fried Rz. Curcumae Chao E Zhu is suitable for more ordinary use than firm, stubborn accumulation.
Vinegar Rz. Curcumae Cu E Zhu is better able to enter the blood level of the Liver channel and its ability to disperse Stasis and stop pain is enhanced.
Both E Zhu and Rz. Curcumae Longae Jiang Huang are warm, acrid and bitter and both break up Blood Stasis and move Qi to stop pain. E Zhu more strongly breaks up Blood Stasis and reduces accumulations while Jiang Huang moves on the Interior and Exterior to treat Wind Bi.