Medicinals
ān xī xiāng / 安息香 / 安息香 / benzoin
Latin pharmacognostic name: Benzoinum
Alternate English names:
Alternate Chinese names: 安息香脂 ān xí xiāng zhī
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Orifice-opening agents
Properties: Acrid and bitter; balanced; nontoxic*.
Channel entry: heart, liver, and spleen channels.
Indications:
Opens the orifices and arouses the spirit; repels foulness and sweeps phlegm; moves qì and the blood. block pattern clouded spirit (as in wind stroke); pain in the heart [region] and abdomen; postpartum dizziness; impediment (bì) pain.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: Grind to a powder (0.3–1.5g) and use in pills and powders.
Warning:
Contraindicated in yīn vacuity with effulgent fire.
Product Description:
Two main types are traditionally distinguished.
Quality:
The best quality is oily, has yellowish-white speckles, and a strong aroma.
Product Area:
Styrax tonkinensis (Siam benzoin): Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Yúnnán, Guǎngxī. Styrax benzoin (Sumatra benzoin), not recognized by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia: Indonesia (Sumatra and Java).
Etymology:
The name ān xī xiāng 安息香, ""peaceful rest aroma,"" is said to reflect the fact that this agent provides respite from tormenting evils. ān xī 安息 is also an old name for Persia.