Cāng zhú (Atractylodes macrocephala)
Cāng zhú is irregularly shaped, resembling a string of beads or nodules, slightly curved, occasionally branched, measuring 3 to 10 cm in length and 1 to 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 in texture, with a cross-section that is yellow-white or gray-white, scattered with numerous orange-yellow or reddish-brown oil chambers. When exposed for a while, it can yield white needle-like crystals. It has a distinctive aromatic scent and a slightly sweet, spicy, and bitter taste.
Medicinal Properties of Cāng zhú
It is warm in nature, with a spicy and bitter flavor. It belongs to the Spleen (Pí) channel, Stomach (Wèi) channel, and Liver (Gān) channel.It dries dampness, strengthens the Spleen, dispels wind and cold, and improves vision. It is classified as a dampness-transforming herb.
It is used to treat abdominal distension, diarrhea, edema, beriberi, rheumatic pain, wind-cold common cold, and night blindness.
1. For body pain due to dampness: Cāng zhú, soaked in rice wash, cut, and decocted to extract a concentrated juice. Take with warm water. (From “Simple Prescriptions”)
2. For joint pain due to damp-heat: Huáng bǎi (Phellodendron, roasted) and Cāng zhú (roasted after soaking in rice wash). Grind these two herbs into a fine powder, and mix with ginger juice in boiling water for consumption. Both herbs have a strong energy, and for those with a solid exterior, add a little wine as an adjunct.
3. For food stagnation and diarrhea: 60 grams of Cāng zhú and 30 grams of small pepper (remove seeds and roast). Grind into a very fine powder, mix with vinegar to form pills the size of a wutong seed. Take thirty pills with warm water before meals. (From “Prescriptions for Life” – Jiāo zhú pills)
4. For summer heat diarrhea, to strengthen the Spleen and warm the Stomach, and to treat dietary injuries causing chest and abdominal fullness: Shén qū (roasted) and Cāng zhú (soaked in rice wash overnight and dried) in equal parts, ground into powder. Form into pills the size of a wutong seed. Take thirty pills at any time, swallowed with rice drink. (From “Formulas of the Bureau” – Qū zhú pills)
5. To tonify deficiency, improve vision, strengthen bones, and nourish blood: Cāng zhú (soaked) 120 grams and Shú dì huáng (Rehmannia, roasted) 60 grams. Grind into powder, form into pills the size of a wutong seed. Take three to fifty pills with warm wine, three times a day. (From “Universal Prescriptions”)
Applications of Cāng zhú
The dosage is 3 to 10 grams, decocted in water for consumption.It is important to note that it should not be taken in excess. Avoid taking with sour foods. Not recommended for pregnant women.
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