White Peony 白芍
White peony is a commonly used Chinese medicine. It was first published in the Divine Farmer’s Classic of the Materia Medica （神农本草经）, classified as a top grade, and named as “peony.” White peony and red peony would later be differentiated as different medicinal herbs.
Taste, Characteristic, and Meridian
Sweet, astringent, warm. It returns to the liver, spleen, and lung meridians.
Tonifying Blood, astringing Yin, calming the Liver and relieving pain.
Nourishing Blood, regulating menstruation, softening the Liver and relieving pain, restraining Yin and stopping sweating, calming Liver-Yang.
Value in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Known for its beautiful flowers, the root of this plant has been used in TCM since ancient times for its ability to “soften” the liver when the liver yang is overactive. As such it can nourish blood and regulate menstruation while also relieve pain, all according to chinese medicine problems that can arise from a overactive liver yang. It is also used for dispelling wind and dampness, detoxifying and as an antispasmodic. Used for rheumatism and bone pain, rubella and itching, epilepsy, rabid dog bite, poisonous snake bite.
