cang zhu

苍术·Rhizoma Atractylodis

Atractylodes Rhizome

About cang zhu

Cang Zhu (苍术) is the rhizome of atractylodes, a plant of the daisy family, recorded as Rhizoma Atractylodis. It is acrid, bitter and aromatic in flavour, warm in temperature, and enters the Spleen and Stomach channels. The catalogue files it among the aromatic herbs that transform Damp.

Names

Pinyincang zhu
Chinese苍术·蒼術
Latin NameRhizoma Atractylodis
English NameAtractylodes Rhizome
Japanesesojutsu
Koreanchangchul

Classification

Channels
Stomach, Spleen
Flavour
Acrid, Bitter, Aromatic
Temperature
Warm
Part used
Rhizome
Family
Asteraceae
Species
Atractylodes Lancea|Atractylodes Rhizome
Tags
Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Strongly dries Damp and strengthens the Spleen

  • Damp blocking the Middle Jiao and hampering the Spleen's transforming and transporting, with a thick greasy tongue coat, poor appetite, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea or loose stools, a distended and pressured epigastrium, tiredness and heaviness of the body

Induces sweating, releases the Exterior and expels Wind-Damp

  • Wind-Damp or Wind-Cold-Damp with chills, fever and no sweating, headache, body aches and a blocked nose
  • Painful limbs from Wind-Damp Bi

Dries Damp in the Lower Jiao

  • Downward-pouring Damp-Heat causing Leg Qi, vaginal discharge, swollen and aching joints, or certain atrophy disorders, together with Heat-clearing herbs

Improves vision

  • Night blindness, or failing vision with a gritty feeling in the eyes

Combinations

Dosage

AgeRawGranuleTinctureConcentrateFrequency
Any 3-10g; Tincture: 2-4ml3-10 g2-4 ml

Cautions

Interactions

Drug interactions

Prepared forms (1)

cang zhu Fu Chao

苍术·Rhizoma Atractylodis

Cang Zhu (Fu Chao) (苍术, 蒼術) is cang zhu fried with bran, the rhizome of atractylodes, recorded as Rhizoma Atractylodis. No category, channels or actions are recorded for it.

The catalogue records no separate actions, dose or cautions for this preparation. Unless noted above it follows cang zhu.