This product is the root of the perennial herbaceous plant Peony Root (Paeonia lactiflora Pall.) from the Japanese Buttercup Herb family. It is primarily produced in Zhejiang, Anhui, and Sichuan. The roots are harvested in summer and autumn, washed, and the ends and fine roots are removed. They are then boiled in water to remove the outer skin, or the skin is peeled off before boiling until there is no hard core. Afterward, they are dried in the sun. The roots are sliced thinly and used raw, stir-fried, or stir-fried with wine.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Bitter, sour and sweet, slightly cold. act on liver and spleen channels.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, soothing the liver to relieve pain, astringing yin to secure the external.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for menstrual irregularities, menorrhagia, and metrostaxis due to blood deficiency or yin deficiency with heat. It has the effect of nourishing blood and regulating menstruation. It is often combined with Chinese Angelica, Prepared Rehmannia Root, etc.; if there is yin deficiency with heat, advanced menstruation, heavy flow, or continuous menorrhagia and metrostaxis, Donkey-hide Gelatin, Chinese Wolfberry Root-bark, etc. can be added.
2. Used for headache, vertigo, pain in the hypochondriac region, and spasmodic pain in the epigastrium and limbs due to liver yin deficiency, constrained liver qi, or hyperactivity of liver yang. It has the effect of nourishing liver yin, regulating liver qi, calming liver yang, and relieving pain. For headache and vertigo due to ascendant hyperactivity of liver yang, it is often combined with Unprocessed Rehmannia Root, Achyranthes Root, Abalone Shell, etc.; for pain in the hypochondriac region due to liver depression, it is often combined with Chinese Angelica, White Atractylodes Rhizome, Bupleurum, etc.; for spasmodic pain in the epigastrium and limbs, it is often combined with Liquorice Root; for abdominal pain and diarrhea due to disharmony between the liver and spleen, it is often combined with Saposhnikovia Root, White Atractylodes Rhizome.
3. Used for night sweats due to yin deficiency, and spontaneous sweating due to disharmony between nutrient and defensive qi. It can astringe yin, harmonize the nutrient aspect, and stop sweating. For spontaneous sweating due to disharmony between nutrient and defensive qi, it is often combined with Cinnamon Twig to harmonize nutrient and defensive aspects and stop sweating; for night sweats due to yin deficiency, it can be combined with Unprocessed Rehmannia Root, oyster shell, light wheat, etc., to astringe yin and stop sweating.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bencao Beiyao: "Tonifying blood, purging the liver, benefiting the spleen, and astringing liver yin."
2. Bencao Qiuzhen: "The red peony root and peony root have similar main treatments. However, the white one has the power to astringe yin and benefit the nutrient aspect, while the red one only has the intention to disperse pathogens and move blood; the white one can purge wood from earth, while the red one can activate stagnation in the blood."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 10-15g; for larger doses, 15-30g. For calming the liver and astringing yin, it is often used raw; for nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, it is often stir-fried or stir-fried with wine.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Anti false hellebore.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

This product contains paeoniflorin, hydroxyl paeoniflorin, paeonilactone glycosides, benzoyl paeoniflorin, as well as benzoic acid, tannins, volatile oils, fatty oils, resins, sugars, mucilage, proteins, β-sitosterol, calcium oxalate, peony root alkaloids, paeonol, and triterpenoids, among others.

• The paeoniflorin contained in it has a significant antispasmodic effect, showing inhibitory effects on the smooth muscles of the stomach, intestines, and uterus in rats; it also has certain sedative, analgesic, anticonvulsant, hypotensive, and vasodilatory effects.
• When used with Liquorice Root, Peony Root can treat central or peripheral muscle spasms and pain caused by spasms, such as abdominal pain and calf muscle pain.
• The total glycosides of Peony Root have a regulatory effect on the immune response in mice and can enhance myocardial nutritional blood flow;
• The alcohol extract of Peony Root has significant inhibitory effects on several inflammatory models in rats, including egg white-induced and formaldehyde-induced acute inflammation, as well as cotton pellet granuloma.
• Peony Root decoction has inhibitory effects on certain bacteria and pathogenic fungi.