Wiseman’s Chinese Medical Database

tiān xiān téng / 天仙藤 / 天仙藤 / aristolochia stem;

Latin pharmacognostic name: Aristolochiae Herba

Alternate English names: birthwort stem

Alternate Chinese names:

Origin: Plant

Use: medicinal

Category: Qì-rectifying agents

Properties: Bitter; warm.

Channel entry: liver and spleen channels.*

Indications:

• Rectifies qì and relieves pain: Liver-stomach qì pain; mounting qì (shàn qì, hernia); postpartum abdominal pain.
• Quickens the blood and free the network vessels: Wind-damp impediment (fēng shī bì) pain; concretions, conglomerations, accumulations, and gatherings.
• Disperses swelling and resolves toxin: Pregnancy water swelling; snake and insect bites.

  Dosage & Method:

  Oral: Decoct (3–9g) or use in powders. Topical: Decoct as a wash or apply crushed.

  Warning:

  Do not exceed prescribed dose or use for extended periods. Contraindicated for patients with lowered kidney function as biomedically defined.

  Quality:

  Slender green stems with leaves are the best.

  Product Area:

  Zhèjiāng, Jiāngsū, Húběi, Héběi, Shǎnxī (Shaanxi), Jiāngxī, and Hénán.

  See also:

  mǎ dōu líng (马兜铃 Aristolochiae Fructus, aristolochia fruit;)