PAEONIAE RADIX ALBA
Alias
Shaoyao, Bai Shao, Bai Shao Yao, Bo Shao, Bo Bai Shao, Hang Shao, Hang Bai Shao, Chao Bai Shao, Jiao Bai Shao, Jiu Bai Shao, Hua Hou, Guan Fang, Yan You, Yu Rong, He Li, Yu Dou, Fu Ding, Fu Wang, Yu Kui, Tian Kui
Production areas are mainly in Zhejiang, Anhui, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shandong, and other provinces, all cultivated. Harvesting and processing are done in summer and autumn by digging, washing, removing the heads and tails and fine roots, boiling in water, removing the outer skin or peeling before boiling, and then drying.
IdentificationHerb
Cylindrical, straight or slightly curved, with flat ends, 5-18 cm long and 1-2.5 cm in diameter. The surface is whitish or light brownish-red, smooth or with longitudinal wrinkles and fine root marks, occasionally with remnants of brownish outer skin. The texture is solid, not easily broken, with a relatively flat cross-section, whitish or slightly brownish-red, with distinct growth rings and radiating rays. The aroma is faint, with a slightly bitter and sour taste.
White Peony Slices
Thin, round slices. The surface is light brownish-red or whitish, smooth. The cut surface is whitish or slightly brownish-red, with distinct growth rings, and slightly raised vein patterns arranged radially.
Fried White Peony
Similar in shape to white peony slices. The surface is slightly yellowish or light brownish-yellow, with occasional scorch marks. The aroma is faintly fragrant.
Wine White Peony
Similar in shape to white peony slices, with a slightly yellowish or light brownish-yellow surface, with occasional scorch marks. It has a faint wine aroma.
Processing methods and prescription names include Bai Shao, Chao Bai Shao, Sa Bai Shao, Cu Bai Shao, and Tu Chao Bai Shao.
① Bai Shao: Take the original herb, remove impurities, separate into large and small pieces, wash, soak until semi-transparent, take out and moisten until transparent, cut into thin slices, and dry. Sift out fragments.
② Wine White Peony: Take white peony slices, add a specified amount of yellow wine, mix well, slightly moisten, wait until the wine is absorbed, place in a frying container, heat gently, fry until dry, take out and cool. Sift out fragments. For every 100 kg of white peony slices, use 10 kg of yellow wine.
③ Fried White Peony: Take white peony slices, place in a frying container, heat gently, fry until the surface is slightly yellow, take out and cool. Sift out fragments.
④ Vinegar White Peony: Take white peony slices, add a specified amount of rice vinegar, mix well, slightly moisten, wait until the vinegar is absorbed, place in a frying container, heat gently, fry until dry, take out and cool, sift out fragments. For every 100 kg of white peony slices, use 15 kg of rice vinegar.
⑤ Tu Chao Bai Shao: Take a specified amount of stove heart soil (Fu Long Gan) fine powder, place in a frying container, heat over medium heat until the soil is flexible, add white peony slices, fry until the surface is coated with soil color and slightly scorched yellow, take out, sift out soil powder, and spread out to cool. For every 100 kg of white peony slices, use 20 kg of stove heart soil powder.
Processing effects: Bai Shao is bitter, sour, and slightly cold. It enters the liver and spleen meridians. It has the functions of draining liver fire, calming liver yang, nourishing yin, and alleviating irritability. It is often used for liver yang rising, headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, yin deficiency with heat, and irritability.
① Fried White Peony has a milder cold nature, primarily nourishing blood and regulating the menstrual cycle, and is used for blood deficiency, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and spontaneous sweating.
② Wine White Peony reduces the cold and sour nature that attacks the liver, enters the blood aspect, is good at regulating menstruation and stopping bleeding, and is used for liver qi stagnation with blood deficiency, flank pain, abdominal pain, irregular menstruation, and limb cramping pain.
③ Vinegar White Peony has the strongest effect of guiding the medicine into the liver, nourishing blood, and soothing the liver to relieve depression.
④ Tu Chao Bai Shao can utilize the earth energy to enter the spleen, enhancing blood nourishment and stopping diarrhea, suitable for liver excess with spleen deficiency, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Properties and flavor: sour, sweet, bitter, slightly cold. It enters the liver and spleen meridians. Characteristics: This product is sweet, nourishing, sour, astringent, bitter, and slightly cold, entering the liver and spleen meridians. It nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, softens the liver to relieve pain, astringes yin to stop sweating, calms liver yang, and slightly clears heat, mainly treating yin and blood deficiency, liver excess, and yang hyperactivity, and also treating body weakness with excessive sweating.
Efficacy: Nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, astringes yin, stops sweating, softens the liver, and relieves pain. Main indications
(1) Blood deficiency with pale complexion, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, and excessive bleeding.
(2) Yin deficiency with night sweats and spontaneous sweating.
(3) Chest, flank, and abdominal pain due to disharmony between liver and spleen, or cramping pain in the limbs.
(4) Headaches and dizziness due to liver yang hyperactivity.
Dosage: Oral administration: decoction, 5-15 g; or in pills or powders. For nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, it is often used fried; for calming the liver and astringing yin, it is often used raw.
Precautions: Avoid Li Lu. Pharmacology: This product has effects on regulating immune function, sedation, analgesia, relieving spasms, inhibiting platelet aggregation, dilating coronary arteries, lowering blood pressure, anti-inflammatory, and liver protection.
The story of Peony
It is said that the famous physician Hua Tuo from the Three Kingdoms period had his yard filled with medicinal herbs. He had a deep understanding of these herbs. One day, he planted a peony given by a friend outside his window and studied it for several days, but found no medicinal value, so he ignored it. One night, as Hua Tuo was dozing off, he heard someone crying outside his window. He opened his eyes and saw a woman in red standing outside in the moonlight. He quickly got up to check, but there was no one there, only the red-flowered peony swaying gently in the wind. He was puzzled and went back inside to wake his wife to tell her what happened. His wife laughed and said, “The Peony girl is showing her spirit. She is unhappy with your indifference.” Hua Tuo replied, “Peony really has little use.” His wife said, “Sister Zheng at the village head uses peony root to treat menstrual disorders; many women secretly go to her.” Hua Tuo said, “Gynecological diseases are my weak point. I will go find Sister Zheng tomorrow to ask for advice.”
After consulting Sister Zheng, Hua Tuo learned that different processing methods could turn peony root into Bai Shao and Chi Shao. Bai Shao can treat excessive menstruation and dangerous bleeding, while Chi Shao can treat amenorrhea and injuries. The dosage for both Bai Shao and Chi Shao is three qian per dose, decocted for consumption. The dosage should generally not be increased to avoid overburdening the liver. Afterward, Hua Tuo conducted in-depth research on Bai Shao and discovered that Bai Shao treats bleeding by nourishing blood. He believed that bleeding is not simply a matter of uncontrolled bleeding, but that there is a “pathogenic factor” in the blood causing it to “run amok” abnormally, so the blood must first be nourished well, and then the menstrual blood will return to normal; one cannot simply use hemostatic drugs to stop the bleeding. Bai Shao possesses excellent blood-nourishing functions in gynecology.
Later, Hua Tuo was killed by Cao Cao, and the medical books he wrote were lost. However, some content, including the processing methods and effects of Bai Shao and Chi Shao, was passed down through his students. (Source: Internet)
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