PinyinCānɡ Zhù
AliasChì Zhù (Chi Atractylodes, by Tao Hongjing), Mǎ Jì (by Shuō Wén Xì Zhuàn), Qīng Zhù (by Zhang Gun in Shuǐ Nán Hàn Jì), Xiān Zhù (by Gāng Mù).
Source《Zhèng Lèi Běn Cǎo》
OriginIt is the rhizome of the Asteraceae plant, either Nán Cāng Zhù or Běi Cāng Zhù. It can be harvested in spring or autumn, with autumn being preferable. After harvesting the rhizome, remove the residual stems, fibrous roots, and soil, and then dry it.
Plant Morphology① Nán Cāng Zhù
Perennial herb, 30-80 cm tall. The rhizome is thick and irregular. The stem is single, round with longitudinal ridges, and slightly branched at the top. Leaves are alternate, leathery and thick; the lower leaves are mostly 3-lobed, with pointed lobes, the largest lobe being ovate at the base, clasping the stem slightly; the upper leaves are ovate-lanceolate to elliptical, about 4 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide, without petioles, with spiny margins. The upper side is dark green, while the underside is slightly white-powdered. The head-like flower clusters are terminal, about 2 cm in diameter; the involucre is leaf-like with many spiny bracts; there are 6-8 layers of involucral bracts, lanceolate, membranous, green on the back, with purple edges and fine hairs; the receptacle is flat, with many flowers, both bisexual and unisexual, often on different plants; the bisexual flowers have many feathery long corolla lobes; the corolla is tubular, white, sometimes slightly reddish-purple, with 5 lobes at the tip, the lobes being linear; the stamens are separate; the ovary is inferior, long cylindrical, densely covered with white soft hairs, the style is long, and the stigma is bifid. The unisexual flowers are generally female, with 5 linear degenerate stamens, completely separate, slightly curved at the tip, while the rest is similar to the bisexual flowers. The achene is elongated, about 5 mm long, covered with brownish-yellow soft hairs. Flowering occurs from August to October, and fruiting from September to October.
It grows mostly in drier areas on hillsides. Distributed in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hebei, Shandong, and other regions.
② Běi Cāng Zhù, also known as Shān Cāng Zhù, Qiāng Tóu Cài, Shān Cì Cài.
Perennial herb, 30-50 cm tall. The rhizome is large and tuberous. Leaves are without petioles; the lower leaves are spoon-shaped, mostly 3-5 lobed with deep cuts, blunt at the tip, and wedge-shaped at the base, slightly clasping the stem; the upper leaves are ovate-lanceolate to elliptical, 3-5 shallowly lobed to unlobed, with hard spiny teeth on the margins. The head-like flower clusters are about 1 cm in diameter; the basal leaf-like bracts are lanceolate with long serrated edges; the involucral bracts are mostly 5-6 layers; the corolla is tubular, white, with 5 lobes at the tip, the lobes being ovate; the degenerate stamens are rounded at the tip and not curled. The achene is densely covered with upward-facing silver-white hairs. Flowering occurs from July to August, and fruiting from August to October.
It grows in shrub thickets on hillsides and drier areas. Distributed in Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, and other regions.
Characteristics① Nán Cāng Zhù
It is the dried rhizome of the plant Nán Cāng Zhù, cylindrical in shape, with a beaded appearance, has nodes, is curved and twisted, about 3-10 cm long and 1-1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is gray-brown, with root scars and short fibrous roots, and visible stem remnants. It is solid, with a flat fracture surface, yellow-white in color, with distinct reddish-brown oil glands scattered, commonly referred to as “zhū shā diǎn” (vermilion spots). If the exposed surface is left for a while, it may produce white mold-like fine needle-shaped crystals, with a fragrant aroma and a slightly sweet and bitter taste. The best quality is characterized by being large, solid, hairless, with vermilion spots, and a white frost appearance when cut open.
Mainly produced in Jiangsu, Hubei, and Henan. Additionally, Zhejiang, Anhui, and Jiangxi also produce it. The best quality comes from the Maoshan area in Jiangsu, hence called “Máo Zhù” or “Máo Shān Cāng Zhù”; those distributed in Nanjing are also called “Jīng Máo Zhù” or “Jīng Cāng Zhù”. The products from Hubei and Jiangxi are mostly distributed in Hankou, hence also called “Hàn Cāng Zhù”.
② Běi Cāng Zhù
It is the dried rhizome of the plant Běi Cāng Zhù, cylindrical in shape, often branched or in nodular lumps, irregularly curved, about 4-10 cm long and 1.5-3 cm in diameter. The cork layer is mostly removed, revealing many round stem bases or stem scars, or hairy buds attached, with small root remnants or short roots attached below. The surface is brownish-yellow and rough. It is light, easily broken, with a fibrous fracture surface that is very uneven. The fracture surface is yellow-white, with reddish-yellow or yellow oil glands scattered, and distinct woody fiber bundles. It has a fragrant aroma and a slightly bitter taste. The best quality is characterized by being large, solid, hairless, and aromatic. This species is lighter and less oily than Nán Cāng Zhù, with fewer oil glands, and does not produce white mold-like crystals when cut, with a weaker aroma. Its quality is inferior to that of Nán Cāng Zhù.
Mainly produced in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. Additionally, Shandong, Shaanxi, and Gansu also produce it. The products from Hebei are mostly distributed in Tianjin, hence called “Jīn Cāng Zhù”.
Chemical CompositionThe rhizome of Nán Cāng Zhù contains about 5-9% volatile oil. The main components of the oil are Cāng Zhù alcohol, Máo Zhù alcohol, β-eucalyptol, etc.
The rhizome of Běi Cāng Zhù contains 1.5% volatile oil, with the main components being Cāng Zhù alcohol, Cāng Zhù ketone, Máo Zhù alcohol, and eucalyptol, etc.
The rhizome of Dōng Cāng Zhù contains 1.5% volatile oil, with the main components being Cāng Zhù alcohol, Máo Zhù alcohol, β-eucalyptol, Cāng Zhù furan, and Cāng Zhù ketone.
Pharmacological Effects① Effect on Blood Sugar
Early reports indicated that the extract of Nán Cāng Zhù (equivalent to 6 g/kg of crude drug) could lower blood sugar in rabbits, which has not been confirmed. The decoction or alcohol extract at 8 g/kg administered orally or subcutaneously showed a slight tendency to increase blood sugar in normal rabbits. Administering a decoction at 10 g/kg also yielded similar results; however, the same dosage administered to alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits showed a slight increase in blood sugar followed by a decrease below the pre-treatment level, but the difference was not significant. After 10 days of daily administration, blood sugar continuously decreased, with significant differences (from 401 to 160 mg%). After stopping the medication, blood sugar did not rise to pre-treatment levels for 4-17 days.
② Other Effects
The decoction of Nán Cāng Zhù at 10-40 g/kg administered to rats showed no diuretic effect; however, it had a significant salt-excreting effect (sodium, potassium, chloride). The compound containing Cāng Zhù – Pái Qì Tāng (Cāng Zhù, Hòu Pò, Tái Wū, Chén Xiāng, Guǎng Mù Xiāng, Chǎo Mài Yá, and Guǎng Pí) showed no effect on isolated rabbit intestines, but stimulated intestinal peristalsis in situ in dogs, whether administered orally or intravenously, and was clinically effective for treating abdominal distension. The extract of Cāng Zhù administered in small amounts intravenously caused a slight increase in blood pressure in rabbits, while large amounts caused a decrease; it had an inhibitory effect on isolated toad hearts; it also inhibited isolated rabbit duodenum; and had a weak effect on toad hind limb blood vessels.
Fumigation with Cāng Zhù and Ài Yè (mugwort) (4 taels each in a 6 cubic meter laboratory, fumigated for 2 hours) showed significant sterilization effects against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, similar to formaldehyde, and superior to ultraviolet and lactic acid disinfection.
ProcessingCāng Shuǐ: Remove impurities, soak in water until 70-80% translucent, take out, cut into slices after moistening, and dry. Stir-fried Cāng Zhù: Take Cāng Zhù slices, moisten with rice wash water, and stir-fry in a pot over low heat until slightly yellow; or take cleaned Cāng Zhù, soak in rice wash water, then take out, steam until thoroughly cooked, cut into slices, and dry.
①《Gāng Mù》: “Cāng Zhù is dry in nature, hence soaked in glutinous rice wash to remove its oil, cut into slices, and dried for use; some also stir-fry with sesame oil to reduce its dryness.”
②《Běn Cǎo Shù Gōu Yuán》: “Cāng Zhù should be washed thoroughly with rice wash, scraped of skin, and steamed with black beans. It can also be steamed with honey wine or breast milk to moisten it and prevent it from being dry. During the three steaming processes, it must be thoroughly dried, and the aroma should be released.”
Meridian EntryEnters the Spleen and Stomach meridians.
①《Zhēn Zhū Náng》: “Enters the Foot Yangming and Taiyin.”
②《Gāng Mù》: “Enters the Foot Taiyin, Yangming, Hand Taiyin, and Taiyang meridians.”
③《Běn Cǎo Xīn Biān》: “Enters the Foot Yangming and Taiyang meridians.”
④《Běn Cǎo Zài Xīn》: “Enters the Spleen and Liver meridians.”
Properties and FlavorBitter, pungent, and warm.
①《Běn Cǎo Yǎn Yì》: “The flavor is pungent and strong.”
②《Zhēn Zhū Náng》: “Sweet and pungent.”
③《Jīng Huì Jīng Yào》: “Bitter and sweet in flavor, warm in nature, and non-toxic.”
PrecautionsContraindicated for those with Yin deficiency and internal heat, and those with Qi deficiency and excessive sweating.
①《Běn Cǎo Jīng Jí Zhù》: “Fáng Fēng and Dì Yú are used as assistants.”
②《Yào Xìng Lùn》: “Avoid peaches, plums, sparrow meat, cabbage, and green fish.”
③《Yī Xué Rù Mén》: “Use cautiously for those with blood deficiency and weakness, as it may consume Qi and blood, dry up body fluids, and exacerbate internal heat and fullness.”
④《Běn Cǎo Jīng Shū》: “For diseases related to Yin deficiency, blood deficiency, insufficient essence, internal heat, dry mouth, dry lips, cough with phlegm, hemoptysis, epistaxis, throat obstruction, constipation, and stagnation, it should be avoided. Those with liver and kidney Qi movement should not take it.”
⑤《Běn Cǎo Zhèng》: “Avoid for those with internal heat and Yin deficiency, and those with excessive sweating.”
Main Functions and IndicationsStrengthens the Spleen, dries dampness, resolves depression, and dispels filth. It is used for excessive dampness obstructing the Spleen, fatigue and lethargy, abdominal distension, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, malaria, phlegm retention, edema, seasonal colds, wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, foot weakness, and night blindness.
① Tao Hongjing: “Eliminates evil Qi.”
② Liu Wanshu: “Brightens the eyes and warms the water organs.”
③《Zhēn Zhū Náng》: “Can strengthen the stomach and calm the Spleen; it cannot eliminate all dampness and swelling without this herb.”
④ Li Gao: “Eliminates dampness and induces sweating, strengthens the stomach and calms the Spleen; it is a key herb for treating atrophy.”
⑤ Zhu Zhenheng: “Disperses wind and benefits Qi, resolves all forms of depression.”
⑥《Gāng Mù》: “Treats damp phlegm retention, or with blood stasis forming a mass, and Spleen dampness flowing down, turbid discharge, and diarrhea.”
⑦《Yù Qū Yào Jiě》: “Dries the earth and benefits water, eliminates phlegm, promotes blood circulation, resolves depression, removes obstructions, transforms dampness, eliminates masses, regulates acidity, and removes corruption, dispels miasma, and relieves weakness in the muscles and bones, and clarifies turbid urine.”
⑧《Běn Cǎo Qiú Yuán》: “Stops water diarrhea, food poisoning diarrhea, and Spleen dampness with blood.”
Dosage and AdministrationInternal use: decoction, 4.5-9 g; can be made into pills or powders.
Formulas① For Spleen and Stomach disharmony, loss of appetite, abdominal fullness and pain, bitter taste, nausea, and frequent diarrhea: Cāng Zhù (remove rough skin, soak in rice wash for two days) 5 jin, Hòu Pò (remove rough skin, process with ginger juice, stir-fry until fragrant), Chén Pí (remove white) 3 jin 2 liang each, and Gān Cǎo (stir-fried) 30 liang. Grind into a fine powder. Each dose is 6 g, boiled with 1 cup of water, add 2 slices of fresh ginger and 2 jujubes, simmer until 70% done, remove ginger and jujubes, and take warm before meals; adding a pinch of salt and boiling water is also acceptable. (《Jú Fāng》Píng Wèi Sǎn)
② For Taiyin Spleen meridian suffering from dampness, water retention, slight heaviness and fullness, weakness, loss of appetite, and severe diarrhea: Cāng Zhù 60 g, Sháo Yào 30 g, Huáng Qín 15 g. Grind together, each dose is 30 g, add a small amount of cinnamon, 1.5 cups of water, boil until 1 cup remains, and take warm. (《Sù Wèn Bìng Jī Bǎo Mìng Jí》Cāng Zhù Sháo Yào Táng)
③ For summer heat diarrhea, strengthening the Spleen and warming the Stomach, improving appetite, and treating food injuries, chest fullness: Shén Qū (stir-fried), Cāng Zhù (soaked in rice wash overnight, dried) equal parts powdered. Make into pills the size of a wutong seed. Each dose is 30 pills, taken with rice drink. (《Jú Fāng》Qū Zhù Wán)
④ For diarrhea: Cāng Zhù 60 g, Xiǎo Jiāo 30 g (remove seeds, stir-fry). Grind into a very fine powder, make into pills the size of a wutong seed. Each dose is 20-30 pills, taken with warm water before meals. For persistent dysentery, add cinnamon. (《Sù Wèn Bìng Jī Bǎo Mìng Jí》Jiāo Zhù Wán)
⑤ For water retention in the stomach, forming a mass: Cāng Zhù 500 g, remove skin, cut, grind, use 25 g of raw sesame oil, 2 cups of water, grind and filter to extract juice, 15 jujubes (remove skin and pits), grind, mix with sesame juice to form a thin paste, roll into pills the size of a wutong seed, dry. Take 50 pills on an empty stomach with salt water, increasing to 100 or 200 pills. Avoid peaches, plums, and sparrows. (《Běn Shì Fāng》)
⑥ For Spleen dampness, poor appetite, damp swelling, weakness in limbs, food injuries, excessive drinking, and labor: Fresh white Cāng Zhù 1 kg, soak to remove rough skin, wash and dry, grind, soak in rice wash overnight, wash, use 1 bucket of creek water, boil the medicine in a large pot over low heat until half dry, remove the dregs, then add 1.5 kg of stone heather leaves (remove red skin), 500 g of Huā Shí Zǐ, 250 g of Chuan Guī, and 200 g of Gān Cǎo, cut and grind, boil until yellow, filter out the dregs, and boil until it becomes a thin porridge, then add 1.5 kg of good white honey, boil into a paste. Each dose is 10-15 g, taken with good wine on an empty stomach, or with rice soup. For swelling, use white soup; for vomiting, use ginger soup. (《Huó Rén Xīn Tǒng》Cāng Zhù Gāo)
⑦ For damp heat with excessive sweating: Zhī Mǔ 180 g, Gān Cǎo (roasted) 60 g, Shí Gāo 500 g, Cāng Zhù 90 g, and Jīng Mǐ 90 g. Grind into small pieces. Each dose is 15 g, boil with 1.5 cups of water until 80-90% done, remove dregs to obtain 60% clear juice, take warm. (《Lèi Zhèng Huó Rén Shū》Bái Hǔ Jiā Cāng Zhù Tāng)
⑧ For seasonal epidemics, headache and neck stiffness, fever with chills, body aches, and colds, nasal congestion, heavy voice, cough, and dizziness: Cāng Zhù (soaked in rice wash overnight, cut, dried) 250 g, Gǎo Běn (remove soil), Xiāng Bái Zhǐ, Xì Xīn (remove leaves and soil), Qiāng Huó (remove reed), Chuān Xiōng, Gān Cǎo (roasted) 30 g each. Grind into a fine powder. Each dose is 9 g, boil with 1 cup of water, add 3 slices of fresh ginger and 3 inches of scallion, boil until 70% done, take warm, regardless of time. If feeling cold and congested, use scallion tea to adjust. (《Jú Fāng》Shén Zhù Sǎn)
⑨ For colds: Cāng Zhù 30 g, Xì Xīn 6 g, Cè Bǎi Yè 9 g. Grind into fine powder, take 4 times a day, each time 4.5 g, dissolve in hot water, using scallion as a guide, eat raw. (Inner Mongolia《Zhōng Cǎo Yào Xīn Yī Liáo Fǎ Zī Liào Xuǎn Biān》)
⑩ For body aches due to dampness: Cāng Zhù, soaked and cut, boiled in water, take the concentrated juice to make a paste, and take with white soup. (《Jiǎn Biàn Dān Fāng》)
⑾ For joint and bone pain due to damp heat: Huáng Bǎi (stir-fried), Cāng Zhù (stir-fried in rice wash). Grind these two ingredients into powder, mix with boiling water and ginger juice for administration. Both ingredients have strong properties; for those with strong exterior Qi, add a little wine to assist. (《Dān Qī Xīn Fǎ》Er Miào Sǎn, also《Shì Yī Dé Xiào Fāng》Cāng Zhù Sǎn)
⑿ To nourish deficiency, brighten the eyes, strengthen bones, and harmonize blood: Cāng Zhù (soaked in rice wash) 120 g, Shú Dì Huāng (roasted) 60 g. Grind into powder, make into pills the size of a wutong seed. Each dose is 30-50 pills, taken with warm wine, three times a day. (《Pǔ Jì Fāng》)
⒀ For gum swelling: Dà Cāng Zhù, cut into two pieces, make a hole in the middle, fill with salt, wrap in wet paper, burn until charred, grind finely, and apply to remove wind and phlegm, which will heal, and rinse with salt water. (《Pǔ Jì Fāng》Cāng Zhù Sǎn)
⒁ To control malaria symptoms or for prevention: Cāng Zhù, Bái Zhǐ, Chuān Xiōng, Guì Zhī equal parts powdered, each use 1 g, wrapped in four layers of gauze into a long shape, inserted into the nostrils 1-2 hours before a malaria attack, for 5 hours or 1 day. (《Shān Xī Zhōng Cǎo Yào》)
NoteAdditionally, there are several other related plants that are sometimes used as Cāng Zhù in certain regions. 1. Dōng Cāng Zhù, also known as Guān Cāng Zhù. Perennial herb, up to 70 cm tall. The rhizome is large and tuberous. Leaf stalks are 2.5-3 cm long; the lower leaves are 3-5 lobed, with side lobes being long oval, obovate, or elliptical, with short pointed tips, and the edges having flat or inwardly curved serrations, with the top lobe being larger; the upper leaves are 3-lobed to unlobed. The head-like flower clusters are 1-1.5 cm in diameter, with basal leaf-like bracts in 2 rows, deeply lobed; the involucral bracts are 7-8 layers, with purple tips; the corolla is tubular and white. The achene is elongated, densely covered with upward-facing silver-white hairs, with feathery crowns, gray-brown. Flowering occurs from July to August, and fruiting from August to September. Distributed in Northeast China. 2. Cháo Xiān Cāng Zhù, with leaves at the top of the stem exceeding the top flowers, and the bracts below the head-like flower clusters having serrated edges. Distributed in Northeast China. 3. Quán Yè Cāng Zhù, with undivided leaves, long oval, blunt-tipped, and entire margins. Distributed in North China and Northeast China. 4. Chì Fēng Cāng Zhù, with 5-7 lobed leaves, with sharp tips and irregular serrated edges. Distributed in Northeast Chifeng. 5. Liáo Dōng Cāng Zhù, with long oval leaves, slightly smaller, harder texture, and entire margins; the head-like flower clusters have many leaf-like bracts, densely packed. Distributed in the Liaodong Peninsula.
Excerpt from《Zhōng Yào Dà Cí Diǎn》
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