- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- China
Asia · Herb · № 727
Magnolia officinalis
Herb · Asia
Magnolia bark (hou po)
Magnolia officinalis
Traditionally attributed effects: makes qi descend, dries dampness and resolves food stagnation and phlegm.
Safety notes
Not during pregnancy or with stomach or spleen deficiency. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Preparation
Bark. Usually as a decoction, together with other herbs.
Use in traditions
Described in the classical Chinese materia medica, in the group 'aromatic herbs that transform dampness'. Hou po makes the qi descend in a bloated abdomen, constipation and tightness in the chest; it is part of Ban Xia Hou Po Tang (Japanese: Hangekobokuto) for a 'lump in the throat' due to tension. The bark contains magnolol and honokiol.
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 materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, bitter, warm, aromatic
- Meridians
- spleen, lung, stomach, large intestine
Attributed effects
For nausea, a distended abdomen, poor appetite, diarrhoea or constipation from dampness and food stagnation, cough and asthma from much phlegm, and a lump feeling in the throat.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 3–9 g a day, usually in a decoction.
Combinations
- With cang zhu and tangerine peel in ping wei san
- With apricot kernel for cough and asthma
- With rhubarb and bitter orange for constipation
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Decoction