Medicinals
xù duàn / 续断 / 續斷 / dipsacus [root];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Dipsaci Radix
Alternate English names: Japanese teasel root
Alternate Chinese names: 川断 chuān duàn; 川续 chuān xù; 川续断 chuān xù duàn; 六汗 liù hàn
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Supplementing agents / Yáng-supplementing agents
Properties: Bitter, sweet, acrid; slightly warm.
Channel entry: liver and kidney channels.
Indications:
- Supplements the liver and kidney, strengthens sinew and bone, treats injuries and joins bone: Lumbar pain and weak legs; wind-cold-damp impediment;
injury from knocks and falls including bone fractures, sinew damage, pain and swelling. - Stanches bleeding and quiets the fetus: Flooding and spotting, bleeding in pregnancy, habitual miscarriage, and stirring fetus.
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 10–15g in decoctions. Use the raw form for impediment or injuries; use the stir-fried form for stirring fetus and bleeding in pregnancy. Also used externally.
Warning:
Contraindicated in heat patterns of wind-damp impediment.
Product Description:
The roots are cylindrical, of varying length, and 0.4–1 cm in diameter. Their surface is earth brown in color and bears longitudinal wrinkles or furrows and transversely configured lenticels 2–4 mm in length. They are soft and supple and break with difficulty to produce an uneven fracture. The decocting pieces are oblique slices or longitudinal slices of short sections.
Quality:
Dry, fat roots with sticky, but not stringy flesh that has a slightly green tinge are the best.
Product Area:
Húběi, Sìchuān, Húnán, Guìzhōu, Shǎnxī (Shaanxi), Yúnnán.
Etymology:
Xù duàn 续断, literally ""joins breaks,"" reflects the use of this agent in the treatment of broken bones and ruptured sinews.