INDIVIDUAL HERBS
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Cortex Moutan |
| Common English: | Tree Peony Root Bark Moutan Root Bark |
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
Acrid Bitter |
Slightly Cold (Cool) |
Heart Liver Kidney |
6-12g Maximum dose: 30g Tincture: 2-4ml |
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears Heat and cools (and harmonizes) the Blood |
Xue Stage Heat with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis or subcutaneous bleeding Menorrhagia due to Blood Heat |
Clears Deficiency Fire |
Yin Deficiency Heat signs especially in the aftermath of Warm Febrile Disease with fever at night and coolness in the morning (most appropriate when the is no sweating), steaming bones |
Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis |
Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, abdominal masses, lumps or bruises due to trauma, menstrual cramping Liver Blood Stagnation |
Clears Liver Fire |
Liver Fire with headache, eye pain, flank pain, flushing and dysmenorrhea |
Drains pus and reduces swelling |
Non-draining sores (topical) Intestinal abscesses (internal) |
CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Rx. Paeoniae Rubra |
Rx. Scutellariae |
Rz. Imperatae |
Cools the Blood and disperses Stasis, for Ying Stage Heat with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hemafecia, hematuria, menorrhagia and skin rashes. Blood Stasis disorders. (amenorrhea, menstrual pain, traumatic injury) Purpuric rash, hematemesis and Heat injuring the Ying and Xue levels. Irregular menstruation due to Heat and obstruction from Blood Deficiency. |
Heat causing pre-menstrual fevers or epistaxis during periods. |
Hematuria, hematemesis, and epistaxis due to warm febrile disease. |
Hb. Artemisiae Annuae |
Carapax Trionycis |
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Steaming bone disorder. |
Night fevers and recurrent afternoon fevers due to Heat lingering at the Ying level with exhaustion of Yin or Body Fluids. |
Bruises and pain from traumatic injury. Amenorrhea and abdominal pain due to Blood Stasis. |
Ram. Cinnamomi |
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Chest and abdominal pain due to Blood Stagnation. |
Swelling and pain due to Blood Stasis following trauma. |
Fire from constraint leading to Liver Fire or Liver Yang Rising. |
Flos Chrysanthemi |
Rx. et Rz. Rhei |
Flos Lonicerae |
Dizziness and red, swollen eyes due to ascending Liver Fire. |
Abdominal pain, constipation, and low grade fever associated with unsuppurated abdominal abscess. |
Carbuncles and painless, flat and slow healing suppurative inflammation of the soft tissues. |
Cornu Rhinoceri |
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Xue Stage Heat. |
Early menstruation and premenstrual fever. |
Amenorrhea, menorrhagia due to Blood Stasis. |
Sm. Persicae |
Rx. Paeoniae Rubra |
Rx. Rehmanniae |
Amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea with severe pain, Heat, masses, lumps and tumors due to Blood Stasis. |
Hematemesis and epistaxis due to Heat in the Xue level. |
Ying and Xue Stage Heat with a high fever, scarlet tongue, thirst, a rash all over the body, epistaxis and hemoptysis. Residual Warm pathogen which has injured the Yin. Kidney Yin Deficiency with steaming bones. |
Rx. Anemarrhenae |
Rz. Alismatis |
Rx. et Rz. Rhei |
Menopause with Yin Deficiency and Heat. |
Spermatorrhea due to Kidney Yin Deficiency with Heat. |
Acute appendicitis that has not suppurated with fever, vomiting and lower right quadrant pain. |
- When using this herb for Yin Deficiency Heat symptoms, it is best used when there is no sweat.
- This is a principle herb in treating gynecological problems associated with Blood Stasis.
- The flower is one of China’s most beloved flowers.
- Recent research shows it’s good for bronchial and intestinal infections.
- It cools Heat from either Excess or Deficiency.
- It gently invigorates the Blood without injuring Blood or Yin.
- It clears Lurking Fire from the Blood.
- It is also said to eliminate dead blood cells.
- Both Mu Dan Pi and Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang treat Yin Deficiency Heat. Mu Dan Pi is cool, aromatic and piercing. It disperses Heat to assist Yin to recover. Sheng Di Huang is Sweet, cold and nourishes the Yin to alleviate Heat, allowing the Yin to recover. They are often used together.
- Both Mu Dan Pi and Rx. Paeoniae Rubra Chi Shao cool Blood and dispel Stasis. Mu Dan Pi is more cooling and can clear Heat from the Blood associated with Excess and Deficiency. it focuses on the Heart channel. Chi Shao cannot clear Yin Deficiency Heat from the Blood, just Excess Heat, but its Blood-invigorating action is stronger and it stops pain. It focuses on the Liver channel.
- Mu Dan Pi, Rx. Cynanchi Atrati Bai Wei and Cx. Lycii Di Gu Pi all Cool Blood and reduce Deficiency Heat to treat Heat from Yin Deficiency with low grade fever. Mu Dan Pi and Di Gu Pi are also able to reduce Blood Heat and are used for bleeding in the upper or lower body due to Excess Heat causing chaotic movement of Blood. Mu Dan Pi dispels Blood Stasis which the others do not do and is also good for steaming bones and consumptive Heat without sweating. Di Gu Pi treats the same disorders with sweating. Bai Wei's ability to cool the Lungs is similar to that of Di Gu Pi, but Bai Wei can vent residual pathogenic Heat injuring the Yin in the later stages of a febrile disorder which the others cannot do. It can also facilitate urination.
- Dry-fried Moutan Chao Mu Dan Pi is less cold and its dispersing ability is reduced but its ability to drain Fire within Yin is improved and is most often used for Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency with low-grade fever and steaming bones without sweating.
- Wine-fried Moutan Jiu Chao Mu Dan Pi is better able to disperse and transform Stasis and is used for abdominal masses, accumulations and amenorrhea.
- Charred Moutan Mu Dan Pi Tan able to enter the Blood where cools and stops bleeding without causing further Stasis and is widely used to to stop bleeding due to pathogenic Heat.