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Costusroot

Name

Costusroot

Latin Pharmaceutical Name

Aucklandiae Radix

Chinese Name

木香

Category

Roots and rhizomes

CostusrootMore Info

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi.

Macroscopic Features

Cylindrical, flat cylindrical, 5~15cm long, 0.5~5.5cm diameter. Externally yellowish-brown grayish-brown or brown, often the cortex is removed, with obvious longitudinal grooves and lateral root scars, sometimes a reticular pattern can be seen. Hard texture, not easily broken, fractured surface is slightly flat, grayish-yellow, grayish-brown or brown, scattered dark brown oil spots, cambium is brown, with radial pattern; old roots often are rotten in the center. Potent, distinctively aromatic odor, sweet then bitter taste, slightly numbing to the tongue.

Quality Requirements

Superior medicinal material is even, firm, oily, potent aroma.

Properties

Acrid, bitter, warm

Functions

Moves qi, stops pain, adjusts middle, resolves stasis, warms middle, digests food.

Technical Terms

'Gutted eel’: The shape of yun mu xiang is cylindrical, semi-cylindrical, or like dessicated bones. Its shape is described as similar to an eel that has been gutted and cooked. ‘Cinnabar spots’: this refers to the appearance of oil dusts, which present as scattered brown or yellowish-orange oil spots that can be seen on the cut surface of evenly-sliced medicinal material.

Origin

The dried root of Aucklandia lappa Decne.(Compositae)

CostusrootHerbs in the formula

Storax Pill

Action：Aromatically opens the orifices, moves qi and relieves pain.

Indication：Su He Xiang Wan is indicated for cold blockage. The symptoms are sudden fainting and locked jaw, unconsciousness, a white tongue coating, and a slow pulse. It is also indicated for sudden pain in the heart and abdomen as well as syncope due to cold blockage.

View Details Resuscitative formulas

Spleen-Restoring Decoction

Action：Boosts qi, supplements blood; fortifies the spleen, and nourishes the heart.

Indication：1. Qi and blood deficiency of the heart and spleen marked by palpitations, amnesia, insomnia, night sweat, deficiency-heat, tiredness, reduced food intake, withered-sallow complexion, a pale tongue with a thin, white coating, and thready, weak pulses.

View Details Tonic formulas

Spleen-Strengthening Powder

Action：Warms yang and fortifies the spleen, moves qi, and promotes urination.

Indication：Shi Pi San is indicated for a pattern of yin edema caused by spleen-kidney yang deficiency and retention of water-dampness in the interior. The symptoms are swelling of the lower limbs, cold hands and feet, no thirst, fullness and distention of chest and abdomen, loose stool as well. The tongue coating is white and greasy and the pulse is deep, wiry and slow.

View Details Dampclearing formulas

Flower of Kudzuvine Drunk-Relieving Decoction

Action：Promotes urination and disperses to separate and remove the invisible alcohol-dampness pathogenic accumulation, regulates qi and fortifies the spleen.

Indication：This formula is indicated for spleen damage due to alcohol accumulation, marked by dizziness, vomiting, fullness and oppression of the chest and diaphragm, aversion to food, tiredness, dysuria, loose stool, a greasy tongue coating, and a slippery pulse.

View Details Digestive formulas

Purple Snow Elixir

Action：Clears heat and opens the orifices, extinguishes wind and arrests convulsion.

Indication：Zi Xue Dan is indicated for heat invading the pericardium and excessive heat generating wind. The symptoms are high fever, vexation and agitation, unconsciousness and delirium, convulsion, syncope, thirst, drinking a lot, scorched lips, dry tooth, dark urine, and constipation. The tongue is crimson with a dry, yellow coating, and a wiry, forceful pulse. Zi Xue Dan is also indicated for infantile convulsion due to excessive heat.

View Details Resuscitative formulas

Ginseng and Perilla Beverage

Action：Boosts qi, releases the exterior, rectifies qi, and dissolves phlegm.

Indication：This formula is indicated for a pattern of qi deficiency with contraction of external wind-cold, complicated by interior phlegm-dampness. Signs and symptoms include aversion to cold, fever, absence of sweat, headache, stuffy nose, cough, white phlegm, distended and suppressed chest and abdomen, fatigue, lassitude, short of breath, dislike of speaking, a white tongue coating, and a weak pulse.

View Details Exterior-releasing formulas

Spleen-Fortifying Pill

Action：Fortifies the spleen and harmonizes the stomach, promotes digestion and arrests diarrhea.

Indication：Food accumulation with spleen deficiency, marked by indigestion, fullness and oppression of the abdomen and stomach cavity, loose stool, greasy, yellow tongue coating, and a weak pulse.

View Details Digestive formulas

Enlightened Master Viscera-Nourishing Decoction

Action：Astringes the intestines and rescues from desertion, warms and supplements the spleen and kidney.

Indication：This formula is used to treat chronic diarrhea or dysentery due to deficiency-cold of the spleen and kidney. Corresponding symptoms include fecal incontinence, excessive diarrhea or dysentery, abdominal pain that is relieved by pressure and warmth, fatigue, poor appetite or reduced food intake. Usually, the tongue is pale with a white coating. The pulse is deep and slow or slow and thready.

View Details Astringent formulas

Officinal Magnolia Bark Center-Warming Decoction

Action：Moves qi to eliminate distention, warms the center and dries dampness.

Indication：This formula is indicated for the pattern of spleen-stomach qi stagnation caused by cold-damp. The symptoms are distention, fullness, pain in the stomach cavity and abdomen, no desire to eat or drink, lassitude of the four limbs. The tongue is white and greasy. The pulse is deep and wiry pulse.

View Details Qi-regulating formulas

Peony Decoction

Action：Clears heat in the large intestine, dries dampness, invigorates the blood, and moves qi.

Indication：This formula is indicated for damp-heat dysentery. The symptoms are dysentery with stool containing pus and blood, abdominal pain, abdominal urgency with rectal heaviness, burning sensation in the anus, scant dark urine, a greasy yellow tongue coating, and a wiry rapid pulse.

View Details Heat-clearing formulas

Tian Tai Combined Spicebush Root Powder

Action：Moves qi, soothes the liver, disperses cold, and relieves pain.

Indication：Tian Tai Wu Yao San is indicated for small intestinal shan qi due to cold congealing and stagnant qi in the liver channel. The symptoms are lesser abdomen pain dragging to testicle (s), a feeling that the testicles are distended and dropped unevenly, or lesser abdomen pain. The tongue is pale with a white coating and the pulse is deep and slow or wiry. This formula is also used for painful menstruation and abdomen mass due to cold congealing and qi stagnation.

View Details Qi-regulating formulas