Notopterygium, Qiang Huo 羌活
Qiang Huo (TCM)Spru nag (Tibetan)
Botanical name:
Notopterygium incisum (syn. Hansenia weberbaueriana), N. forbesii
Parts used:
Root
Temperature & Taste:
Warm, dry. Bitter, Pungent
Classification:
A. Clear Exterior Wind-Cold
Uses:
1. Clears Wind-Cold, Clears the Exterior:
-Fever with Chills, Cold, Flu
-Occipital Headache
-acute Body aches and pains from Wind-Cold-Damp
-also for Dizziness
2. Clears Wind-Damp, Eases Pain:
-muscular and arthritic pain from cold-wind-damp, especially in upper limbs and back
-Rheumatism
3. Guiding Medicine:
-guides other herbs to Governing Vessel (Du Mai)
Dose:
Decoction: 3–9 grams
Main Combinations:
1. Cold and Flu from Wind-Cold:
i. Influenza, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Isatis Radix Ban Lan Gen
ii. Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Atractylodes Cang Zhu, Angelica Bai Zhi, Levisticum Gao Ben
iii. Cold, Fever, Tonsillitis, Notopterygium Qiang Huo, Isatis Ban Lan Gen, Dandelion (Pu Gong Ying) (Shanghai College of TCM)
2. Headache:
i. or body pain from common cold or painful obstruction, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Ligusticum Chuan Xiong
ii. from Wind-Damp, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Ligusticum sinense Gao Ben, Asarum Xi Xin
iii. Supra-orbital pain, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Angelica dahurica Bai Zhi, Scutellaria Huang Qin
iv. Temple Headache, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Ligusticum Chuan Xiong, Vitex Man Jing Zi
v. Cold Headache, cold toothachew with cold hands, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Aconitum Fu Zi, dry Ginger (Yi Xue Xin Wu)
vi. Severe Eyebrow pain, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, wine-fried Scutellaria Huang Qin
3. Pain from acute Wind-Cold, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Saposhnikovia Fang Feng
4. Toothache from Wind-Cold, Notopterygium Qiang Huo, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Atractylodes Cang Zhu, Angelica Bai Zhi, Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang, Scutellaria Huang Qin, Licorice
5. Dizziness, Ligusticum Chuan Xiong, Notopterygium Qiang Huo, Vitex Man Jing Zi, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Angelica Bai Zhi, Ligusticum Gao Ben, Gypsum (Shi Gao), equal parts (Yi Xue Qi Meng)
6. Arthritic pain from Wind Damp:
i. Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Angelica Du Huo
ii. Severe moving Arthralgia from Wind-Damp, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Akebia Mu Tong, Dang Gui, Safflower (Hong Hua), Saposhnikovia Fang Feng
iii. Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Gentiana macrophylla Qin Jiao with Gastrodia Tian Ma, Dang Gui, Ligusticum Chuan Xiong (as in Qin Jiao Tian Ma Tang)
iv. Arthritis or Rheumatism with Cold, Notopterygium Qiang Huo, Aconitum Fu Zi, Atractylodes Bai Zhu, Licorice (Ji Sheng Fang)
7. Shoulder or Back pain from Wind-Cold, Notopterygium Qiang Huo, Angelica Du Huo, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Ligusticum Chuan Xiong, Fried Licorice (Nei Wai Shang Bian)
8. Lower Back and Knee pain and weakness, barely able to walk, Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Cyathula Niu Xi, Cinnamon, Acanthopanax Wu Jia Pi, Eucommia Du Zhong, Ginger Root. (as in Ba Ji Wan)
9. Eczema from Damp: Notopterygium Qiang Huo with Paeonia Bai Shao, Poria Fu Ling, Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, Tribulus seed (Ci Ji Li),
Major Formulas:
Ba Ji Wan
Chai Ge Jie Tang
Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San
Da Qin Jiao Tang
Dang Gui Nian Tong Tang
Jiu Wei Qiang Huo Tang
Juan Bi Tang
Qiang Huo Sheng Shi Tang
Qin Jiao Tian Ma Tang
Ren Shen Bai Du San
Run Chang Wan
Shang Zhong Xia Tong Yong Tong Feng Wan
Shen Tong Zhu Yu Tang
Shu Jing Huo Xue Tang
Xin Yi San
Yu Zhen San
Zai Zao San
Great Yellow Compound (Sman ser chen mo) (Tibetan)
Notopterygium 29 Pills (Spru nag nyer dgu)
Cautions:
1. Not used in Blood deficiency (pale face and tongue, deficiency, feels the cold)
2. Overdose (over 30 grams) may cause nausea and vomiting.