- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- Central and East Asia: China, Mongolia and Siberia. Paeonia lactiflora
Asia · Herb · № 132
Paeonia lactiflora en P. suffruticosa
Herb · Asia
Chinese peony (bai shao)
Paeonia lactiflora en P. suffruticosa
The peeled root (bai shao, white peony) is used in Chinese medicine for cramps, period pain and muscle pain. There are studies of combination formulas but few of peony alone.
Safety notes
Use caution with blood thinners. Avoid in pregnancy without expert advice.
Cautions by tradition (2)
- Herbal medicine worldwide: Not in pregnancy.
- Chinese materia medica: White root not for diarrhoea from spleen deficiency; red root not with blood deficiency; root bark not during pregnancy or heavy menstruation. Do not combine with Veratrum.
Preparation
The root as decoction in herbal formulas. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
In China the peony is the 'king of flowers' and has been both an ornamental and a medicinal plant for over two thousand years. The name comes from Paeon, the Greek physician of the gods. Ody describes white and red peony root as separate herbs.
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.
Herbal medicine worldwide
Attributed effects
Antibacterial, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, calming, lowers blood pressure; P. suffruticosa also promotes circulation.
Preparation and amount
Red peony root (chi shao yao, 10–15 g per dose) in combinations for overheated blood such as eczema, skin inflammation and nosebleeds; white peony root (bai shao yao) for menstrual disorders, among others in the 'Four Things' formula for anaemia; as a tonic 20 g bai shao yao with 5 g liquorice.
Caution: Not in pregnancy.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- sour, bitter, slightly cold (white and red root); pungent, bitter, slightly cold (root bark)
- Meridians
- liver, spleen (root); heart, liver, kidney (bark)
Attributed effects
The white, cultivated root (bai shao) nourishes blood and yin, regulates menstruation, keeps sweating in check and relaxes liver and muscles in cramp and pain in abdomen and flanks. The red, wild root (chi shao) cools and moves the blood in pain, swelling, injury, fever with rash and red eyes. The root bark of the tree peony (mu dan pi) cools the blood in bleeding and fever, cools heat from yin deficiency and resolves blood stagnation in menstrual complaints and lumps.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 3–12 g a day, usually in a decoction.
Combinations
- White root with licorice for cramp
- White root with chai hu and dang gui in xiao yao san
- Bark with peach kernel, cinnamon twig and fu ling in gui zhi fu ling wan for menstrual pain
Caution: White root not for diarrhoea from spleen deficiency; red root not with blood deficiency; root bark not during pregnancy or heavy menstruation. Do not combine with Veratrum.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Decoction
- Formulas
- Ba wei di huang wan (jin gui shen qi wan)Ba zhen tangBai he gu jin tangChai hu gui zhi tangChai hu shu gan sanDa chai hu tangDa ding feng zhuDa huang mu dan pi tangDang gui shao yao sanDang gui si ni tangDu huo ji sheng tangFang feng tong sheng sanGe gen tangGe xia zhu yu tangGui zhi fu ling wanGui zhi long gu mu li tangGui zhi shao yao zhi mu tangGui zhi tangJia wei xiao yao sanJiao ai tangJing jie lian qiao tangJuan bi tangLing yang gou teng tangLiu wei di huang wanMa zi ren wanQi ju di huang wanQing hao bie jia tangQing wei sanShi quan da bu tangShu jing huo xue tangSi ni sanSi wu tangTai shan pan shi sanWen jing tangWu lin sanXi jiao di huang tangXiao feng sanXiao jian zhong tangXiao qing long tangXiao yao sanXue fu zhu yu tangYi yi ren tangZhen wu tangZhi bai di huang wan