White peony root

　　White peony root is the root of the Ranunaceae plant Raeonia lactiflora pall. Mainly produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, Sichuan and other places. Excavate in summer and autumn, remove soil and roots, peel, soak in boiling water or boil briefly until heated evenly, and dry in the sun. Moisten slices while using. It is generally used raw or stir-fried with wine or stir-fried.

　　[Medical properties] Bitter, sour, slightly cold. Returns to liver and spleen meridians.

　　【Efficacy】Nourishes blood and restrains yin, softens liver and relieves pain, calms liver yang.

　　【application】

　　1. Liver blood deficiency and blood deficiency, irregular menstruation. This herb tastes sour and astringes liver yin to nourish blood. It is often used with Rehmannia glutinosa and Angelica sinensis to treat deficiency of liver blood, pale complexion, dizziness and palpitations, or irregular menstruation and metrorrhagia, such as Siwu Decoction ("Heji Bureau Prescription"). If there is blood deficiency, heat, and irregular menstruation, it can be combined with Scutellaria baicalensis, Phellodendri, Dipsacus bark and other medicines, such as Baoyinjian ("Jingyue Complete Book"); if there is metrorrhagia, it can be used with donkey-hide gelatin and mugwort leaves.

　　2. Chest, flank, epigastrium and abdominal pain due to disharmony between the liver and spleen or acute pain in the limbs. This product is sour in the liver, nourishes blood, softens the liver and relieves pain. It is often used with Bupleurum, Angelicae, White Peony, etc., to treat blood deficiency, liver stagnation, and rib pain, such as Xiaoyao Powder ("Heji Bureau Prescription"); this product can also be used to regulate the liver and spleen, soften the liver and relieve pain, and use it with Atractylodes, Fangfeng, and Tangerine Peel to treat spleen deficiency and liver hyperactivity, abdominal pain and diarrhea. For example, the key prescriptions for painful diarrhea ("Jingyue Quanshu"); if used in the same way as Acosta and Coptidis, it can treat abdominal pain due to dysentery, such as Shaoyao Decoction ("Su Wen's Collection of Pathogenesis and Qi Yi Yi Baosheng Collection"); if deficiency of yin and blood and malnutrition of the muscles and veins cause cramps and pain in the hands and feet, licorice is often used to relieve pain and relieve pain, that is, Shaoyao Gancao Decoction ("Treatise on Febrile Diseases").

　　3. Headache and dizziness caused by excessive liver yang. This product is used to nourish blood, collect yin, and calm liver yang. It is often used with Achyranthes bidentata, ochre, dragon bone, oyster, etc., such as Zhengan Xifeng Decoction and Jianling Decoction ("Medicine Zhongshen Xilu")

　　In addition, this product astringes yin and has antiperspirant properties. If there is external wind and cold, and the Ying and Wei are incompatible with sweat and produce bad wind, it can be used to astringe Yin and Ying. It can be used with Guizhi, which warms the meridian and opens Yang, to harmonize Ying and Wei, such as Guizhi Decoction ("Treatise on Febrile Diseases").

　　[Usage and Dosage] Decoction, 5 to 15g; large dose, 15 to 30g.

　　[Identification and use of medicines] White peony root and red peony root are not distinguished in the "Shen Nong's Materia Medica". They are commonly known as peony. In the late Tang and early Song Dynasty, the two were first distinguished. Although the two are derived from the same substance and have a slightly cold nature, the predecessors said that "Bai Bu Chi Xie, Bai Shu Chi San", which explains the main difference between the two in one sentence. It is generally believed that in terms of efficacy, white peony root is good at nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, astringing yin and stopping sweating, and calming liver yang; red peony root is good at clearing away heat and cooling blood, activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis, and clearing away liver fire. In terms of application, white peony root mainly treats various syndromes caused by blood deficiency and yin deficiency, and excessive liver yang; red peony root mainly treats various syndromes caused by blood heat, blood stasis, and liver fire. Both white peony root and red peony root can relieve pain and can be used to treat painful diseases. However, white peony root is good at nourishing blood and softening the liver, relieving pain and relieving pain. It is mainly used to treat insufficient liver yin, blood deficiency and liver hyperactivity, pain in the flanks and ribs, spasm and pain in the epigastrium, abdomen and limbs caused by unsatisfactory liver qi. Red peony root is good at promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis and relieving pain. It is mainly used to treat various painful syndromes of blood stagnation. Because it can clear away heat and cool blood, it is especially suitable for those with blood heat and blood stasis.

　　[Usage Note] It should not be used if you have symptoms of Yang deficiency and cold. Veratrum veratrum.

　　[Abstract from ancient books]

　　1. "Shen Nong's Materia Medica": "It mainly treats abdominal pain due to evil gas,... relieves pain, facilitates urination and replenishes qi." ”

　　2. "Materia Medica Seeking Truth": "Red peony root and white peony root have the same main indications, but white peony root has the power of condensing yin and replenishing nutrients, red peony root has the effect of dispersing evil and promoting bleeding; white peony root can purge wood in the soil, and red peony root can activate stagnation in blood." ”

　　【Modern Research】

　　1. Chemical composition: White peony root contains paeoniflorin, paeoniflorin, paeoniflorin, benzoic acid, etc. In addition, it also contains volatile oil, fatty oil, resin sugar, starch, mucilage, protein and triterpenoids.

　　2. Pharmacological effects: The percentage of peritoneal macrophages and the phagocytosis index of mice fed with white peony decoction were significantly higher than those in the control group. White peony root can promote the phagocytosis function of mouse peritoneal macrophages. White peony decoction can antagonize the inhibitory effect of cyclophosphamide on peripheral T lymphocytes in mice and restore them to normal levels, indicating that white peony can restore the low cellular immune function to normal. White peony extract has a significant inhibitory effect on egg white-induced acute inflammatory edema in rats, and has an inhibitory effect on cotton ball granuloma. White peony root has an obvious analgesic effect on the writhing reaction caused by acetic acid. When combined with the methanol complex of licorice, the two have a synergistic analgesic effect on the writhing reaction caused by acetic acid. Paeoniflorin, the main component of peony, has a good antispasmodic effect.

　　3. Clinical study: Hangshao, Zhigancao decoction in water. For upper limb myalgia, add Guizhi and Shenjincao; for lower limb myalgia, add Dipsacus and Achyranthes; for shoulder, back and neck myalgia, add Pueraria lobata and Ligusticum chuanxiong; for chest and hypochondral myalgia, add Bupleurum and Platycodon; for abdominal myalgia, add Bergamot and Atractylodes to treat muscle spasms. Syndrome (Yunnan Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1991, 12(11): 20); White peony root and Zhigancao are effective in treating facial twitching (Journal of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, 1991, 11(1): 43).