Chuan Xiong

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Pinyin Name: Chuan Xiong

English Name: Radix Ligustici Chuanxiong

Other Names: Szechuan Lovage Root, Qiong Xiong

Tastes: Acrid, Warm

Origin: Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Shaanxi provinces in China

Benefits of Chuan Xiong:

Chuan Xiong is the root of lovage plant, which is a tall perennial plant, 40 to 60 cm high. Well-developed root forms irregular nodular fist-shaped clumps, with a strong aroma. Stems are erect, cylindrical, with longitudinal stripes, and with multiple branches in the upper part and swollen discoid internodes in the lower part. Lovage leaves at the lower stem are petiolate, about 3 to 10 cm long, and with a sheath-like base. Leaves at the upper stem gradually simplify. The inflorescence is a compound umbel, apical or lateral. Fruitlets are flat on both sides, 2 to 3 mm long, and about 1 mm wide. Flowers appear in July through August and young fruits begin in September through October.

Chuan Xiong is widely used in Chinese herbal formulas. 1) Si Wu Tang is the most common formula for nourishing blood, as well as the basic one for regulating menstruation. It has four ingredient herbs include Chuan Xiong, Bai Shao, Dang Gui and Shu Di Huang. 2) Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San can cure upward invasion syndromes by various winds, vertigo, headache, stuffy and running nose, hoarse voice, strong fever in cold, body ache, profuse sputum. Its ingredient herbs include Chuan Xiong, Bo He, Jing Jie, Xiang Fu, Fang Feng and more. 3) Sheng Hua Tang is used for postpartum retention of lochia and abdominal pain due to blood stasis. Its ingredient herbs include Chuan Xiong, Dang Gui, Tao Ren, Pao Jiang and Zhi Gan Cao.

Common herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine

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