Cang Zhu (Atractylodes) – A Comprehensive Overview

Source

This product is the dried rhizome of the Asteraceae plant, Cang Zhu (Atractylodes lancea) or Bei Cang Zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala). It is harvested in spring and autumn, cleaned of soil, dried, and the fibrous roots are removed.

Related Names

Cang Zhu, Xian Zhu, Mao Zhu, Chi Zhu, Mao Cang Zhu, Guan Cang Zhu, Bei Cang Zhu, Gan Cang Zhu, Jiao Cang Zhu.

Production Areas

Mao Cang Zhu is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Hubei, and Henan provinces. Bei Cang Zhu is primarily found in North and Northwest China.

Identification Characteristics

Mao Cang Zhu

It appears irregularly bead-like or nodule-shaped, slightly curved, occasionally branched, measuring 3-10 cm in length and 1-2 cm in diameter.

The surface is gray-brown, with wrinkles, transverse grooves, and residual fibrous roots, and the top has stem scars or remnants of the stem base.

It is solid, with a cross-section that is yellow-white or gray-white, scattered with numerous orange-yellow or brown-red oil chambers, and upon exposure, may yield white needle-like crystals.

It has a distinctive aromatic scent, with a slightly sweet, spicy, and bitter taste.

Bei Cang Zhu

It appears as lump-like or nodule-shaped cylinders, measuring 4-9 cm in length and 1-2 cm in diameter. The surface is black-brown, turning yellow-brown when the outer skin is removed. It is relatively loose, with a cross-section scattered with yellow-brown oil chambers. The aroma is milder, with a spicy and bitter taste.

Properties and Channels

Spicy, bitter, warm. Enters the Spleen and Stomach channels.

Characteristics

This product disperses warmth and dryness, eliminates dampness, and enters the Spleen and Stomach channels. It is a key herb for treating damp obstruction in the middle jiao, especially suitable for those with cold dampness obstructing the Spleen; it also disperses wind, cold, and dampness, alleviating bi syndrome and exterior conditions with dampness.

Functions

Dries dampness, strengthens the Spleen, dispels wind-dampness, induces sweating, and brightens the eyes.

Indications

(1) Damp obstruction in the middle jiao, phlegm fluid, edema.

(2) Wind-cold-damp bi syndrome, exterior conditions with dampness.

(3) Excessive dampness causing beriberi, atrophy syndrome.

(4) Night blindness, blurred vision.

Compatibility

Cang Zhu with Hou Po (Magnolia Bark) and Chen Pi (Tangerine Peel)

Cang Zhu is warm in nature, functions to dry dampness and strengthen the Spleen; Hou Po is warm, functions to dry dampness, move qi, and reduce accumulation; Chen Pi is warm, functions to dry dampness, transform phlegm, and regulate the middle. The combination of these three herbs is powerful in warming and drying dampness, and is particularly suitable for those with cold damp obstruction and Spleen-Stomach qi stagnation.

Dosage and Administration

Internal use: decoction, 3-10 g; or in pills or powders.

External use: appropriate amount, for fumigation. Stir-frying reduces its drying properties.

Precautions

This product is spicy, bitter, warm, and drying, thus contraindicated for those with yin deficiency and internal heat, or qi deficiency with excessive sweating.

Story One

It is said that Li Shizhen discovered a tall and fragrant Cang Zhu on the cliffs of Mao Mountain, growing on a piece of crane beak stone, resembling a crane with a white neck and red crown. When he gently dug up the herb, a small stone jumped up and hit the crane’s crown, causing seven drops of fresh red blood to drip down. Li Shizhen was astonished, and the rock transformed into a crane that flew into the sky after three loud calls. Upon cutting open the Cang Zhu, he found seven bright red cinnabar dots inside. Since then, the Mao Mountain Cang Zhu with cinnabar dots has never faded, and its efficacy surpasses that of other regions.

Story Two

Once, a scholar returning home from an exam in the capital visited West Lake and encountered a beautiful woman. He wished to spend lavishly to return with her, but she declined, and he could not fulfill his desire. Five years later, he revisited the place and remembered her beauty with a sense of loss. Suddenly, he saw her familiar figure and joyfully invited her to enjoy the scenery of West Lake. They became inseparable and stayed together at an inn. After six months, he proposed to return together, but she sadly revealed, “After you left, I fell ill from missing you, and now I am a ghost! We have been together, and you have absorbed my yin energy, so you will surely suffer from severe diarrhea upon returning; you must take Ping Wei San to resolve it!” The scholar was shocked and saddened, and after a while, he asked, “Ping Wei San contains only mild and ordinary herbs; how can it cure my condition?” The woman replied, “Among them is Cang Zhu, which can dispel evil qi!” After returning home, he indeed suffered from diarrhea and had to take Ping Wei San as instructed, which gradually stopped the diarrhea.

In ancient times, it was believed that wild miasma or epidemic evil qi were closely related to “dampness,” and these evil energies were associated with ghostly tales, hence the transmission of such stories.

Story Three

Xu Xueshi is the respectful title for the renowned physician Xu Shuwei from the Song Dynasty. It is said that in his youth, he was exceptionally diligent, studying until late at night before going to bed. Xu Xueshi had a habit of drinking before sleep, perhaps believing the saying, “A sip of wine before bed can extend life to ninety-nine years.” Years later, he often felt gurgling in his stomach, pain in his side, reduced appetite, and would vomit bitter and sour gastric fluid every ten days or so. In summer, his left side would not sweat, while his right side would. What kind of strange illness was this? Xu Shuwei pondered deeply and sought treatment everywhere, but to no avail, which caused him great distress. He then abandoned the belief that “doctors cannot treat themselves” and began to save himself. He carefully analyzed his condition and believed it was mainly caused by “dampness obstructing the stomach.” Therefore, he selected Cang Zhu as the main herb, using one pound of Cang Zhu powder, fifteen jujubes, and half a tael of raw sesame oil to make small pills, taking fifty pills daily. He gradually increased the dosage to one hundred to two hundred pills per day. After several months of taking the medicine, his strange illness gradually improved until he was cured. Why did Cang Zhu have such efficacy and a unique therapeutic effect on Xu Shuwei’s strange illness? It turned out that Xu Shuwei loved drinking, which harmed his Spleen and Stomach. When the Spleen was deficient and unable to transport, water and dampness could not be transformed, leading to “dampness obstructing the stomach,” resulting in the gurgling sound in the stomach, lack of sweating on the left side, and vomiting gastric fluid as symptoms of internal dampness.