Medicinals
wǔ jiā pí / 五加皮 / 五加皮 / acanthopanax [root bark]
Latin pharmacognostic name: Acanthopanacis Cortex
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 南五加皮 nán wǔ jiā pí
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Wind-damp–dispelling agents / Wind-damp–dispelling sinew-strengthening agents
Properties: Acrid, bitter; warm.
Channel entry: liver and kidney channels.
Indications:
- Dispels wind-damp: Wind-damp impediment pain; hypertonicity of the limbs.
- Strengthens sinew and bone: Liver-kidney yīn vacuity with limp lumbus and knees; slowness to walk in children.
- Disinhibits urine: Water swelling and inhibited urination.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 5–15g in decoctions.
Product Description:
This bark comes in strips of varying lengths, coiled in tubular form. Its exterior surface is finely wrinkled but generally smooth in texture and pierced with long lenticels and is grayish brown in color; the interior surface is grayish white. This bark, which gives off a faint smell, is brittle, and leaves a jagged edge when snapped. The decocting pieces are slices 1 mm thick.
Quality:
Neat long thick strips without any trace of wood.
Product Area:
Jiāngsū, ānhuī, Zhèjiāng, Húběi, Húnán, Guǎngxī, Sìchuān, Yúnnán, Shǎnxī (Shaanxi), Hénán, and Shāndōng.