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Latin pharmacognostic name: Massa Medicata Fermentata

Alternate Chinese names: 六神曲 liù shén qū; 六曲 liù qū

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: A dough made from flour or bran with the addition of medicinals such as qing hāo (Artemisiae Annuae Herba) and xìng rén (Armeniacae Semen) . The dough is fermented and dried before use. Jiàn qū 建曲 Massa Medicata Fermentata Fujianensis, Fújiàn leaven a shén qū preparation that includes over 40 medicinals; it is stronger than regular shén qū. It disperses food, transforms stagnation, and disperses wind-cold, and is often used for food stagnation with concurrent invasion of wind-cold. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Use: Medicinal

Category: Food-dispersing agents

Properties: Acrid, sweet; warm.

Channel entry: Spleen and stomach channels.

Indications:

• Disperses food and harmonizes the stomach: Food accumulation with distension and fullness in the stomach duct and abdomen, reduced eating, rumbling intestines, and diarrhea.
• Additional uses: Shén qū aids the digestion of decoctions and pills containing metals and minerals, which are difficult to digest and absorb. Shén qū may be used as a paste or in pills to assist their digestion.

Dosage & Method: Oral: 6–15g, in decoctions, powders, or pills.

Warnings: Unsuitable for spleen vacuity with exuberant stomach fire or for reduced eating in pregnancy.

Quality: Clean, dry, fresh-smelling matured leaven without grubs is the best.

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