About chen xiang

Chen Xiang (沉香) is the resin-laden wood of aquilaria, known in English as aloeswood and recorded as Lignum Aquilariae Resinatum. It is acrid, bitter and aromatic in flavour, warm in temperature, and enters the Kidney, Spleen and Stomach channels. The catalogue files it among the herbs that regulate Qi.

Pinyin

chen xiang

Chinese

沉香

Latin Name

Aquilariae Lingum Resinatum·Lignum Aquilariae Resinatum

English Name

aloeswood·Aquilaria Wood·aquilaria wood; aloeswood

Japanese

jinko

Korean

chimhyang

Actions and indications

Moves Qi and relieves pain

Qi stagnation with distension, pain or pressure in the chest, epigastrium or abdomen, particularly of a Cold, deficient type or with Blood stasis

Directs rebellious Qi downward, warms the Middle Jiao and the Spleen and Stomach, dispels Cold and stops vomiting

Wheezing from rebellious Qi, whether Excess or deficient, including wheezing with a Cold, deficient element
Chronic nausea, vomiting, belching or hiccups from Deficiency Cold of the Spleen and Stomach

Warms the Kidneys and helps them grasp Qi

Asthma and wheezing when the Kidneys fail to grasp Qi, with breathing in harder than breathing out
A cold, sore and weak lower back and knees
Spermatorrhea in men

Combinations

wu yao

Lower abdominal pain, particularly with cold and tightness there; poor appetite, distention and wheezing with oppression in the chest and diaphragm

rou gui

Deficiency Cold of the Spleen and Stomach with cold pain in the epigastrium, abdomen and hypochondrium

xiao hui xiang

Cold hernial disorders.

zhi fu zi + ding xiang

Diminished Ming Men Fire with very cold limbs

mu xiang

Relieves pain; difficult urination from urinary retention or long-suppressed sexual activity, particularly where diuretics have failed; rebellious Middle Jiao Qi with belching, hiccups, nausea, vomiting, distention of the epigastrium and abdomen, epigastric oppression and diarrhea

mu xiang + bing lang + zhi shi + da huang

Liver Qi Stagnation with constipation

zi su ye

Stomach Cold or Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold with vomiting and hiccups; nausea and discomfort of morning sickness

lai fu zi

Wheezing and rebellious Qi, from either Qi obstructed in the Lungs or Kidneys unable to grasp Qi

bu gu zhi + zhi fu zi

Lower Jiao Deficiency Cold with wheezing

zi su zi + qian hu + hou po + chen pi + zhi ban xia

Wheezing with Excess Phlegm above and Deficiency below

bu gu zhi + zhi fu zi + yang qi shi

Cold Jing with premature ejaculation