This product is the rhizome of the perennial vine Chinese Yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.) from the Chinese Yam family. It is mainly produced in Henan, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Hunan, and other regions. It is harvested after Frost's Descent (the 18th solar term). The coarse skin is scraped off, and it is dried in the sun or by baking, resulting in "hairy Chinese Yam"; after being softened by soaking and thoroughly steamed, it is rolled and pressed into a cylindrical shape, dried, and polished, becoming "smooth Chinese Yam". It is then moistened thoroughly, cut into thick slices, and used raw or stir-fried with bran.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Sweet, neutral. act on spleen, lung and kidney channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Tonifying qi, nourishing yin, strengthening the spleen, lungs, and kidneys, consolidating essence, and stopping leukorrhea.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for spleen-stomach weakness syndrome. Chinese Yam can tonify qi and yin, and has astringent properties, making it suitable for spleen deficiency with symptoms such as poor appetite, fatigue, loose stools, leukorrhea in women, and diarrhea due to indigestion in children. It is often combined with Ginseng (or Tangshen), White Atractylodes Rhizome, Poria, etc., such as in Ginseng, Poria and White Atractylodes Powder.
2. Used for lung and kidney deficiency syndrome. Chinese Yam not only tonifies the qi of the spleen and lungs but also nourishes the yin of the lungs and kidneys, and can astringe kidney essence.
   1. For treating lung deficiency with cough and asthma, or chronic cough and asthma due to lung and kidney deficiency, it is often combined with Ginseng, Ophiopogon Tuber, Schisandra Fruit, etc.
   2. For kidney deficiency with symptoms such as seminal emission and frequent urination, it is often combined with Prepared Rehmannia Root, Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit, Dodder Seed, Cherokee Rose Fruit, etc.
   3. For kidney deficiency with clear and continuous leukorrhea, it can be combined with Prepared Rehmannia Root, Asiatic Cornelian Cherry Fruit, Schisandra Fruit, etc.
3. Used for yin deficiency with internal heat, excessive thirst, and frequent urination in consumptive thirst syndrome. It has the effect of tonifying qi, enriching yin, and producing fluids to quench thirst. It is often combined with Astragalus Root, Unprocessed Rehmannia Root, Snakegourd Root, etc.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bencao Gangmu: "Benefits kidney qi, strengthens the spleen and stomach, stops diarrhea, resolves phlegm, and moisturizes the skin and hair."
2. Bencao Zheng: "Chinese Yam can strengthen the spleen, tonify deficiencies, nourish essence, stabilize the kidneys, treat various deficiencies and damages, and heal five strains and seven injuries. However, its energy is light and its nature is slow, so it cannot be solely relied upon. Therefore, to tonify the spleen and lungs, ginseng and atractylodes must be the main ingredients; to tonify kidney water, cornus and rehmannia must be the primary components; to astringe leukorrhea and turbidity, psoralea must be ground together; and to secure seminal emission, cuscuta must be used in combination."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take, 10-30g, large doses 60-250g. Take as powder, 6-10g each time.

For nourishing yin and promoting fluid production, use raw; for strengthening the spleen and stopping diarrhea, use stir-fried.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Chinese Yam contains Chinese Yam saponins, diosgenin, choline, phytic acid, abscisic acid, vitamins, and mannan. It has effects such as nourishing, aiding digestion, relieving cough, dispelling phlegm, desensitizing, and lowering blood sugar.