- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- Sichuan, China
Asia · Herb · № 644
Ligusticum chuanxiong (syn. L. striatum)
Herb · Asia
Szechuan lovage (chuan xiong)
Ligusticum chuanxiong (syn. L. striatum)
Traditionally attributed effects: promotes circulation, helps with menstrual complaints and as a restorative tonic after childbirth, and is said to lower high blood pressure; warming.
Safety notes
Not during pregnancy or with heavy menstruation; caution with blood thinners. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (2)
- Chinese food therapy: Not during pregnancy.
- Chinese materia medica: Not with headache from yin deficiency or rising liver yang, with abnormal bleeding or during pregnancy. Not in high doses: the strongly moving action can exhaust blood and qi. A difficult labour or retained placenta is a medical emergency.
Preparation
Dried rhizome in thin slices, as a decoction or in soup.
Use in traditions
A classic blood-moving herb from Sichuan; roasted with wine its action becomes stronger. Related to oshá.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Chinese food therapy
Attributed effects
With shellfish, ginger and spring onion a warming winter soup that supports circulation.
Caution: Not during pregnancy.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, warm
- Meridians
- liver, gallbladder, pericardium
Attributed effects
Lets the blood flow in menstrual pain, absent menstruation, a difficult labour and a retained placenta, and in pain in chest and flanks from blood stagnation. Relieves pain and headache from wind cold, lets qi flow in the upper body and is used for skin complaints from wind.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 3–9 g a day, usually in a decoction. Often combined with dang gui.
Combinations
- With red peony, xiang fu and motherwort for irregular menstruation
- With chrysanthemum and gypsum for headache from wind heat
- With qiang huo, gao ben and fang feng for headache from wind, cold and dampness
- With bai zhi and xi xin for wind cold
Caution: Not with headache from yin deficiency or rising liver yang, with abnormal bleeding or during pregnancy. Not in high doses: the strongly moving action can exhaust blood and qi. A difficult labour or retained placenta is a medical emergency.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- DecoctionPowder and kitchen
- Formulas
- Ba zhen tangChai hu shu gan sanChuan xiong cha tiao sanDang gui shao yao sanDu huo ji sheng tangFang feng tong sheng sanGe xia zhu yu tangHai zao yu hu tangJiao ai tangJing fang bai du sanJing jie lian qiao tangJiu wei qiang huo tangShi quan da bu tangShi wei bai du tangShu jin sanShu jing huo xue tangSi wu tangSuan zao ren tangTai shan pan shi sanWen jing tangWu yao shun qi sanXiang sheng po di wanXue fu zhu yu tangYi gan sanYue ju wan