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<record type="herb" updated="2026-09-18T16:37:09.517706+00:00">
  <source>Bencao Index</source>
  <source-url>https://bencaoindex.com/</source-url>
  <canonical>https://bencaoindex.com/herbs/bai-zhu/</canonical>
  <licence>Free to use and republish with visible attribution and a link back to the source page. The catalogue is a reference work and is knowingly incomplete; nothing in it is medical advice.</licence>
  <attribution-html>&lt;a href=&quot;https://bencaoindex.com/herbs/bai-zhu/&quot;&gt;Bencao Index&lt;/a&gt;</attribution-html>
  <names>
    <name type="pinyin">bai zhu</name>
    <name type="chinese">白术</name>
    <name type="latin">Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae</name>
    <name type="english">ovate atractylodes rhizome</name>
    <name type="japanese">byakujutsu</name>
    <name type="korean">baekchul</name>
  </names>
  <category>Tonify Qi</category>
  <channels>
    <channel>Stomach</channel>
    <channel>Spleen</channel>
  </channels>
  <actions>
    <action>
      <summary>Tonifies the Spleen and augments Qi</summary>
      <indication>Deficient Qi of the Spleen and Stomach, with loose stools or diarrhea, tiredness, shortness of breath, a sallow face and poor appetite</indication>
      <indication>Spleen Yang failing to rise</indication>
    </action>
    <action>
      <summary>Dries Damp and promotes water metabolism</summary>
      <indication>Damp in the Spleen, or accumulated fluids disturbing digestion</indication>
      <indication>Edema with scanty urine when a deficient Spleen cannot transform and transport fluids</indication>
      <indication>Tan Yin (Phlegm-fluids), masses and swelling</indication>
      <indication>Damp painful obstruction, as a supporting herb</indication>
    </action>
    <action>
      <summary>Secures the Exterior and stops sweating</summary>
      <indication>Spontaneous sweating from Qi deficiency, with weak Wei Qi</indication>
      <indication>Other kinds of sweating, when combined with suitable herbs</indication>
    </action>
    <action>
      <summary>Calms the fetus</summary>
      <indication>Restless fetus when weak Spleen Qi fails to nourish it</indication>
      <indication>Other restless fetus patterns, with suitable herbs</indication>
    </action>
  </actions>
</record>
