Medicinals
tǔ niú xī / 土牛膝 / 土牛膝 / native achyranthes [root]
Latin pharmacognostic name: Achyranthis Radix
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 土牛膝根 tǔ niú xī gēn; 杜牛膝 dù niú xī
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Blood-Quickening Stasis-dispelling agents / Blood-quickening menses-regulating agents
Properties: Bitter, sour; balanced.
Channel entry: lung, liver, and kidney channels.
Indications:
- Tǔ niú xī clears heat and resolves toxin in the treatment of painful swollen throat, for which it can be combined with jīn yín huā (金银花 Lonicerae Flos, lonicera [flower];), shè gān (射干 Belamcandae Rhizoma, belamcanda [root];), and niú bàng zǐ (牛蒡子 Arctii Fructus, arctium [seed];).
- It quickens the blood and disperses stasis in the treatment of amenorrhea and painful wind-damp impediment (fēng shī bì) pain.
- Disinhibits urine and frees strangury: Combine with mù tōng (木通 Akebiae Trifoliatae Caulis, trifoliate akebia) and chē qián zǐ (车前子 Plantaginis Semen, plantago seed;) to treat heat strangury.
- Tǔ niú xī also treats leg qì (jiǎo qì) (beriberi) with water swelling.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 10–15g in decoctions. When using the fresh form, double this amount.
Product Area:
Achyranthes bidentata: Hénán, Shānxī, Shāndōng, Jiāngsū, ānhuī, Zhèjiāng, Jiāngxī, Húnán, Húběi, Sìchuān, Yúnnán, Guìzhōu. Achyranthes longifolia: Húnán, Húběi, Sìchuān, Yúnnán, Guìzhōu, Jiāngxī, ānhuī, Jiāngsū, Zhèjiāng, Fújiàn. Achyranthes aspera: Guǎngdōng, Guǎngxī, Yúnnán, Guìzhōu, Fújiàn, Shāndōng, Jiāngsū.