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Latin pharmacognostic name: Ailanthi Cortex

Alternate English names: tree-of-heaven root bark tree-of-the-gods bark

Alternate Chinese names: 椿樗白皮 chūn shū bái pí

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin (other sources): Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle

Use: Medicinal

Category: Astringing agents / Intestine-astringing diarrhea-checking agents

Properties: Bitter, astringent; cold.

Channel entry: Large intestine and liver channels.

Indications:

• Clears heat and dries dampness; checks vaginal discharge by astriction: Red and white vaginal discharge.
• Checks diarrhea by astriction: Damp-heat diarrhea or damp-heat dysentery; enduring diarrhea or dysentery.
• Stanches bleeding: Flooding and spotting; profuse menstruation; bloody stool; bleeding hemorrhoids.
• Additional uses: Chūn pí can kill worms. It is taken orally to treat roundworm with abdominal pain and is used externally as a wash to treat itchy scab and lichen.

Dosage & Method: Oral: 6–9 g in decoctions.

Warnings: Use with care in spleen-stomach vacuity cold.

Notes: In Chinese texts, chūn pí is often referred to 椿樗白皮 chūn shū bái pí. Until recently, 椿 chūn and 樗 shū were believed to be different trees, Toona sinensis (A. Juss.) Roem. [= Cedrela sinensis Juss.] and Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle respectively. Now, only the Ailanthus is recognized by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

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