This product is the rhizome of the perennial herbaceous plant Cimicifuga heracleifolia (Cimicifuga heracleifolia Kom.), Cimicifuga dahurica (Northern Cimicifuga Rhizome) (Cimicifuga dahurica (Turcz.)), or Cimicifuga foetida (Cimicifuga foetida L.) of the Ranunculaceae family. It is primarily produced in Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Hunan, and Shanxi. The rhizomes are harvested in summer and autumn, dried, and sliced. They can be used raw or processed with honey.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid and sweet, slightly cold. Act on lung, spleen, stomach and large intestine meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Promoting eruption, clearing heat and removing toxins, and elevating yang qi.

bubble_chart Indications

1. is used for wind-heat headache and measles that fail to erupt. This herb is pungent, sweet, and slightly cold in nature, with the ability to disperse and ascend, and has the function of promoting eruption. It is used to treat wind-heat attacking upwards, Yangming headache, and can be combined with raw Gypsum, Skullcap Root, Dahurian Angelica, etc. For thunder-headache caused by external contraction of wind-heat with dampness, it should be combined with Atractylodes Rhizome, Mentha, fineleaf nepeta spike, etc., such as in Zhen-Clearing Decoction. This herb disperses and promotes eruption, and is used to treat measles that fail to erupt properly, often combined with Pueraria Root, Peony Root, Liquorice Root, etc., such as in Cimicifuga and Pueraria Decoction.
2. It is used for toothache, aphtha, and sore throat. This herb is sweet and cold, clearing heat and removing toxins, and can be used to treat various fire toxin syndromes, especially effective in resolving Yangming heat toxin. Therefore, it is commonly used to treat stomach fire attacking upwards, headache, swollen and painful gums, mouth and tongue sores, etc., often combined with Gypsum, Coptis Rhizome, and moutan bark, such as in Stomach-Clearing Powder. For sore throat, mumps, and erysipelas, it can be combined with Skullcap Root, Coptis Rhizome, Scrophularia Root, etc., such as in Universal Relief Decoction for Eliminating Toxin. For external contraction pestilence, yang toxin eruptions, sore throat, and red eyes, it can be combined with turtle carapace, Chinese Angelica, Realgar, etc., such as in Cimicifuga and Turtle Carapace Decoction. For warm toxin disease, it can be combined with Gypsum, Dyers Woad, Arnebia, etc.
3. It is used for qi deficiency sinking, chronic diarrhea, prolapse of the rectum, and menorrhagia and metrostaxis. This herb enters the spleen and stomach meridians, and is good at lifting clear yang and is an important herb for raising yang and elevating the drooping. Therefore, it is commonly used to treat qi deficiency sinking, chronic diarrhea, prolapse of the rectum, stomach and uterus prolapse, etc., often combined with Ginseng, Astragalus Root, Bupleurum, etc., such as in Middle-Tonifying Qi-Replenishing Decoction. For sinking of the great qi in the chest, shortness of breath, it is often combined with Bupleurum, Astragalus Root, Platycodon Root, etc., such as in Raising the Sinking Decoction. For qi deficiency menorrhagia and metrostaxis, it is combined with Ginseng, Astragalus Root, White Atractylodes Rhizome, etc., such as in Original-Qi Lifting Decoction.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bielu: "The main attack of noxious factor abdominal pain, seasonal epidemic toxic pestilent qi, headache cold and heat, wind swelling various toxins, sore throat aphtha."
2. Bencao Gangmu: "Eliminates macula and papule, promotes static blood, treats yang collapse vertigo, chest and hypochondrium deficiency pain, chronic diarrhea, dysentery with tenesmus, turbid discharge, leukorrhea menorrhagia."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-10g. For promoting eruption and removing toxin, use it raw. For raising yang and elevating the drooping, use it processed.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

This product is contraindicated for measles that have already erupted, as well as for yin deficiency with effulgent fire, ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang, and upper excess and lower deficiency.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains Cimicifuga Rhizome alkaloids, salicylic acid, coffee bean acid, Ferula acid, tannins, etc.; Xing'an Cimicifuga Rhizome contains Cimicifuga Rhizome bitter principles, Cimicifuga Rhizome jiol, Cimicifuga Rhizome jiol xyloside, Bei Cimicifuga Rhizome alcohol, iso-Ferula acid, visnagin, visnaginol, Cimicifuga Rhizome saponins.

1. Cimicifuga Rhizome has grade II antibacterial effects against subcutaneous node bacillus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus albus, and Catarrhalis coccus.
2. Bei Cimicifuga Rhizome extract has antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects.
3. Cimicifuga Rhizome has a suppressive effect on the central nervous system. Cimicifuga Rhizome and single-spike Cimicifuga Rhizome extracts can reduce animal activity and lower normal body temperature in rats, have antipyretic effects on fever caused by cold-damage disease and mixed cold-damage disease vaccines in rats, and have analgesic effects on mice. Cimicifuga Rhizome extract can counteract convulsions caused by camphor or strychnine.
4. Cimicifuga Rhizome has a certain inhibitory effect on intestinal spasms caused by acetylcholine chloride, histamine, and barium chloride, and also has effects on inhibiting the heart, slowing heart rate, and lowering blood pressure.
5. Cimicifuga Rhizome has liver-protective effects; the methanol extract of Cimicifuga Rhizome and Cimicifuga Rhizome alcohol xyloside can inhibit liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in animals, reduce liver cell degeneration, necrosis, and the increase of alanine aminotransferase.
6. Cimicifuga Rhizome has both anticoagulant and hemostatic effects. Cimicifuga Rhizome extract can prolong the time of bovine thrombin agglutinating human fibrinogen in vitro, showing strong anticoagulant effects. Cimicifuga Rhizome can shorten bleeding time both before and after stir-frying to scorch, and to some extent can also shorten clotting time, showing significant hemostatic effects.