Medicinals
hǔ zhàng / 虎杖 / 虎杖 / bushy knotweed [root];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma
Alternate English names: Japanese knotweed [root]; giant knotweed [root]
Alternate Chinese names: 虎杖根 hǔ zhàng gēn
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Blood-Quickening Stasis-dispelling agents / Blood-quickening pain-relieving agents
Properties: Bitter; cold.
Channel entry: liver, gallbladder, and lung channels.
Indications:
- Disinhibits the gallbladder and abates jaundice: Damp-heat jaundice, strangury, and vaginal discharge.
- Clears heat and resolves toxin: Burns and scalds; toxin swelling of welling-abscesses and
sore s, venomous snake bites. - Quickens the blood, dispels stasis, and settles pain: Blood stasis amenorrhea, menstrual pain, and
injury from knocks and falls . - Dispels phlegm and relieves cough: Lung heat cough.
- Frees the stool: Hǔ zhàng has a precipitating action that is used to free the stool in the case of constipation due to heat bind.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 10–30g, used as a decoction. Externally, it is either decocted and used as a wash or pounded to a pulp (if the fresh form is used). Other topical applications make use of the powdered form, mixed with sesame oil.
Warning:
Contraindicated in pregnancy.
Quality:
Thick rhizomes with solid hearts are the best.
Product Area:
Central and southern regions of China.