Red peony (Chishao)
Paeonia lactiflora Pall (Fam. Ranunculaceae)
Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Paeoniae
Alba
Botanical Name: 1. Paeonia lactiflora Pall.; 2. Paeonia
veitchii Lynch (Fam.
Ranunculaceae)
Common Name: Red peony root
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong
Bencao Jing.
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations: The roots are dug in autumn. After the fibrous roots and
rough bark have been removed, the roots are dried in the sun, soaked in water
and cut into slices.
Properties & Taste: Bitter and
slightly cold.
Meridians: Liver.
Functions: 1. To clear heat and cool
blood; 2. To remove stagnant blood and reduce swelling.
Indications & Combinations:
1. For irregular menstruation, it is used with Radix Angelicae Sinensis (Dang Gui),
Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong (Chuan Xiong), and Radix Rehmanniae Preparata (Shu
Di Huang) in “The Decoction of Four Ingredients” (Si Wu Tang). For
dysmenorrhea, Rhizoma Cyperi (Xiang Fu) and Radix Curcumae Yanhusuo (Yan Hu
Suo) are added. For spontaneous sweating due to Wind Cold, it is used with
Ramulus Cinnamomi (Gui Zhi), Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (Gan Cao), Rhizoma
Zingiberis Recens (Sheng Jiang), and Fructus Zizyphi Jujubae (Da Zao) in “The
Ramulus Cinnamomi Decoction” (Gui Zhi Tang). For night sweats, it is used with Concha
Ostreae (Mu Li) and Semen Platycladi (Bai Zi Ren).
2. For hypochondria pain due to Blood Deficiency and Stagnation of
Liver Qi, it is used with Radix Angelicae
Sinensis (Dang Gui) and Radix Saposhnikoviae Radix Bupleuri (Chai Hu). For
abdominal spasm and pain due to Liver and Spleen Disharmony, and spasm and pain
in the extremities due to Blood Deficiency,
it is used with Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis (Gan Cao) in “The Decoction of
Radix Paeoniae Alba and Radix Glycyrrhizae” (Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang). For
abdominal pain and diarrhea, it is used with Radix Saposhnikoviae (Fang Feng) and
Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (Bai Zhu) in “The Important Prescription for
Diarrhea with Pain” (Tong Xie Yao Fang). For dysenteric abdominal pain, it is
used with Semen Arecae (Bing Lang), Rhizoma Coptidis (Huang Lian), and Radix
Aucklandiae (Mu Xiang) in “The Decoction of Radix Paeoniae Alba” (Shao Yao
Tang).
3. For Excess Liver Yang with headache and
dizziness, it is used with Radix
Rehmanniae (Sheng Di Huang) and Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae (Niu Xi).
Dosage: 5–10 g, or 10–30 g, for a large dosage, decocted in water, and taken internally.
Cautions & Contraindications: This
herb should not be used alone in patients with Yang exhaustion with Cold
manifestations of the Deficiency type. It is
incompatible with Radix et Rhizoma Veratri (Li Lu).
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