Paniculate Swallowwort Root or Herb

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Anhui.

Rhizome is irregular pillar-shaped, jointed, 0.5~3.5cm long, 2~4mm diameter. Some apexes have remnants of stele, thin cylindrical, about 2cm long, 1~2mm diameter, fractured surface has hollow center; rhizome joints have numerous surrounding roots. Root is thin long cylindrical, curved, 10~16cm long, 1~1.5mm diameter. Externally pale yellowish-white or pale brownish-yellow or brown; with slightly thin longitudinal wrinkles and thin rootlets. Brittle texture, easily broken, powdery fractured surface, cortex is off-white or yellowish-white, cambium is pale brown, thin and small xylem. Aromatic odor, slightly acrid and cooling taste.

Superior medicinal material has potent aromatic odor.

Acrid, warm.

Dispels wind, transforms dampness, stops pain, stops itching. Apply to wind-damp impediment, stomachache and swelling fullness, toothache, waist pain, injury form falls, urticaria, eczema.