Medicinals

chén pí / 陈皮 / 陳皮 / tangerine peel

Latin pharmacognostic name: Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium

Alternate English names:

Alternate Chinese names: 橘皮 jú pí; 贵老 guì lǎo; 红皮 hóng pí

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal and alimentary

Category: Qì-rectifying agents

Properties: Acrid, bitter; warm.

Channel entry: spleen and lung channels.

Indications:

Dosage & Method:

Oral: 3–10g, in decoctions. Use raw for damp phlegm cough or stir-fried to fortify the spleen and harmonize the stomach.

Warning:

Chén pí is acrid and dispersing as well as warm, bitter, and drying. It should be used with care in internal repletion heat manifesting in a red tongue with scant liquid, and it is unsuitable for dry cough with qì vacuity or yīn vacuity. Chén pí should be used with care in patients suffering from vomiting of blood (blood ejection). Prolonged use in large doses may damage original qì.

Product Description:

The dried skin is 1–2 mm thick. The exterior surface is reddish brown and wrinkled and bears numerous oil spots. The inside is white and spongy. The red and white layers may be cut apart before drying to be used separately.

Quality:

The best quality is thin, red, oily, strong-smelling peel in large pieces.

Product Area:

Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Fújiàn, Zhèjiāng, and Sìchuān.

Etymology:

The name chén pí 陈皮, literally ""old peel,"" reflects the maturing process involved in producing good tangerine peel.

See also:

jú (橘 Citri Reticulatae Fructus, tangerine)

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