Bai Shao (White Peony)
[Ingredients] Bai Shao contains volatile oil, benzoic acid, tannins, resin-like substances, fatty oil, paeoniflorin, paeonol, and paeonine.
[Pharmacology] (1) Antibacterial effects: The decoction of Bai Shao shows significant antibacterial activity against Shigella, hemolytic streptococcus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella. (2) Effects on smooth muscle: Paeoniflorin inhibits the contractions induced by oxytocin in the uterus of rats. Bai Shao has a spasmolytic effect on bronchial smooth muscle during experimental asthma attacks. (3) Other effects: Modern pharmacological studies indicate that Bai Shao has spasmolytic, antihypertensive, analgesic, sedative, anticonvulsant, anti-ulcer, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antipyretic properties.
[Taste and Properties] Bitter, sour, slightly cold. It enters the liver meridian.
[Traditional Functions] Nourishes blood, astringes yin, softens the liver, and alleviates pain. It is used for headaches, dizziness, flank pain, low back pain, spasms and pain in the hands and feet, as well as menstrual irregularities, low back pain during menstruation, metrorrhagia, spontaneous sweating, and night sweats.
[Dosage and Administration] Oral: 5-10g, decocted in water.
[Contraindications] Use with caution in cases of abdominal pain and diarrhea due to deficiency and cold.
[Indications] (1) Asthma: Take 30g of Bai Shao and 15g of licorice, grind into a fine powder. Each time, add 30g to 100-150ml of boiling water (or boil for another 3-5 minutes), clarify and take warm. In a study of 35 asthma patients treated with this formula, 8 showed significant improvement, 23 were effective, and 4 were ineffective after more than 2 hours. The total effective rate was 88.57%. No adverse reactions were observed during treatment. (2) Cervical spondylosis: 240g of Bai Shao, 90g of licorice, 90g of stretching muscle grass, 60g each of kudzu root, frankincense, myrrh, peach kernel, and safflower, made into fine powder and compressed into tablets, each tablet 0.58g. Take 5 tablets/day, divided into 3 doses. One month is one treatment course, generally 1-2 courses are used. Treatment results: 232 patients with nerve root type cervical spondylosis were treated primarily with Bai Shao, with 83 cases (35.8%) rated as excellent, 71 cases (30.6%) as good, 61 cases (26.3%) as effective, and 17 cases (7.3%) as ineffective. The total effective rate was 92.7%. (3) Urinary stones: Use 20g of Bai Shao as the main ingredient, with 10g of roasted licorice, and 20g each of winter melon seed, talc, and plantago seed. Decoction for oral administration, 200ml twice daily; for severe pain, can take 3 times a day. In a study of 30 patients with urinary stones treated with Bai Shao and licorice decoction, 19 were cured (symptoms eliminated, stones expelled, abdominal X-ray shadows disappeared, kidney function normalized); 10 were effective (stones moved down more than 2cm but still had mild pain); 1 was ineffective. The total effective rate was 96.67%. A total of 24 stones were expelled, the largest being 18mm x 7mm, and one case expelled a large amount of sandy stones. 18 out of 30 patients with typical colicky pain experienced relief after taking 1-2 doses. (4) Gastric and duodenal ulcers: Take 200g of Bai Shao, 150g of licorice, 15g of borneol, and 20g of white pepper, grind into fine powder. Take 5g/day, divided into 3 doses, half an hour before meals. After 2 months of continuous treatment, those who were not cured continued to the second course. In a study of 105 cases, 86 were cured, 15 showed significant improvement, and 4 were ineffective, with a total effective rate of 96.2%. (5) Cholecystitis: 60-90g of Bai Shao, 15-30g of licorice; for those with cold and fever, add gentian, scutellaria, and bupleurum; for constipation, add rhubarb, raw rehmannia, and codonopsis; for severe pain, add curcuma, toosendan, and cyathula; for bitter mouth and dry throat, add tianhua fen and moutan; for poor appetite, add malt and mountain plant; for nausea and vomiting, add agastache, bamboo shavings, and pinellia; for abdominal distension, add magnolia bark and bitter orange; for gallbladder roundworm, add black plum pill; for jaundice, add yinchen and wisteria. Take one dose daily, decocted in water. 5 doses make one treatment course. In a study of 36 cases, 26 were cured, 8 improved, and 2 were ineffective. (6) Impotence: Use 30g of Bai Shao, with 20g each of red peony and licorice, 10g of bupleurum, 15g of epimedium, and 1 dried centipede (ground into powder). Take one dose daily, decocted in water. 10 days is one treatment course. During treatment, avoid sexual activity and masturbation, and combine with psychological therapy. In a study of 26 cases, 15 were cured, 7 showed significant improvement, and 4 were ineffective, with a total effective rate of 84.6%. Gao Wenxin treated 62 patients with impotence primarily with Bai Shao, and after one treatment course, 45 were cured, 13 improved, and 4 were ineffective, with a total effective rate of 93.55%. Treatment method: Take 3 parts of Bai Shao, angelica, and licorice, and 1 part each of live centipede, live gecko, and epimedium. Grind into fine powder and pass through a 120-mesh sieve. Store in a sealed bottle. When using, take 6g of the powder, twice daily on an empty stomach with white wine or yellow rice wine. One month is one treatment course. Avoid raw and cold foods, and avoid anger. (7) Constipation: Use 20-40g of raw Bai Shao and 10-15g of raw licorice, decocted in water. Liu Hongming treated 60 patients with habitual constipation with this formula, achieving rapid efficacy. No additional herbs are needed. Generally, 2-4 doses can produce soft stools without the risk of rebound constipation. Raw Bai Shao can also be used alone at 24-45g to treat habitual constipation due to dryness-heat, qi stagnation, and blood deficiency, also achieving good results.
(8) Heel pain: Use 120g of raw Bai Shao and 30g of raw licorice, add 1500ml of water, decoct to obtain 500ml of juice, divided into 3 doses for internal use. The dregs can be boiled with 3000ml of water, first steaming the affected foot, then soaking until the water cools, taking one dose daily. According to reports, Zhang Yonghua treated 300 cases of heel pain with this formula, with 165 cured after 3 doses, 108 cured after 6 doses, and 21 cured after more than 7 doses, while 6 cases showed no effect due to other complications.
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