Medicinals
yán hú suǒ / 延胡索 / 延胡索 / corydalis [rhizome];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Corydalis Rhizoma
Alternate English names: yanhusuo [root]
Alternate Chinese names: 延胡 yán hú; 元胡索 yuán hú suǒ; 元胡 yuán hú; 玄胡索 xuán hú xuǒ; 玄胡 xuán hú
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Blood-Quickening Stasis-dispelling agents / Blood-quickening pain-relieving agents
Properties: Acrid, bitter; warm.
Channel entry: liver, heart, and spleen channels.
Indications:
Quickens the blood, moves qì, and relieves pain: Pain due to qì stagnation and blood stasis.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 3–10g in decoctions; when swallowed as a powder, each dose should be 1–3g. The pain-relieving effect may be strengthened by stir-frying it with vinegar. This increases the solubility of the active analgesic constituents.
Warning:
Contraindicated in pregnancy.
Product Description:
This tuber is spheroid or ovate, sometimes single, sometimes attached to another. It is about 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter and a yellowish brown in color. On one side, it has a depression where the base of the stalk was removed, and on the other, numerous tuberous protuberances. It is hard and breaks to reveal a smooth, granular fracture that is a greenish yellow in color. It is cut into thin transverse slices, which are then stir-fried until they turn dark brown, or mix-fried with vinegar or wine until light brown.
Quality:
Firm large plump tubers that have finely wrinkled wax-yellow skin, and golden yellow interiors are the best.
Product Area:
Zhèjiāng, Tianjin, Hēilóngjiāng.