Notopterygium Rhizome and Root – 1 lb (454 g)

Notopterygium Rhizome and Root, known in Chinese as 羌活 (Qiānghuó) and scientifically as Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii, is a valued herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This TCM herb has been traditionally used to support natural wellness, maintain vitality, and encourage holistic balance. At TCMforyou.com, we provide premium-quality Notopterygium Rhizome and Root carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Notopterygium Rhizome and Root helps promote overall well-being and supports natural energy, immunity, and balance. Integrating this herb into your wellness routine offers a gentle, time-tested approach to enhancing daily health. Whether brewed as tea, added to herbal remedies, or taken as part of a TCM formula, Notopterygium Rhizome and Root provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Notopterygium Rhizome and Root has been used in TCM to harmonize the body and encourage optimal functioning of key systems. At TCMforyou, we prioritize authenticity and quality. Each batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure purity and potency, delivering an herbal product aligned with traditional practices.

Experience the natural support of Notopterygium Rhizome and Root, promoting immune health, vitality, and holistic well-being. Embrace the wisdom of TCM and incorporate this gentle, effective herbal remedy into your daily wellness journey.

[Overview] This herb is also known as Qiangqing, Qianghua, and Hei Yao. It is the rhizome and root of Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H.T.Chang or Notopterygium forbesii Boiss., plants of the Apiaceae family. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai, and Gansu provinces. Harvested in spring and autumn, the herb is dug up, with fibrous roots and dirt removed, then cut into sections and dried in the sun or by baking.

[Properties] The taste is pungent and bitter; the nature is warm. It enters the Bladder and Kidney meridians.

[Actions] Releases the exterior and disperses cold, expels wind and overcomes dampness, relieves pain.

[Applications]
1. Used for exterior syndromes of wind-cold with dampness, symptoms include aversion to cold with fever, headache as if wrapped, stiffness and pain in the neck, spine and back, heaviness of the limbs, soreness and pain in the bones and joints. Commonly combined with Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), Baizhi (Radix Angelicae Dahuricae), Duhuo (Radix Angelicae Pubescentis), etc., as in the formula Jiuwei Qianghuo Tang (Nine-Herb Notopterygium Decoction). When used with Dandelion and Banlangen (Radix Isatidis), it can also treat wind-heat common cold. For yang-deficient patients with exterior wind-cold, alternating chills and fever, headache, and inability to sweat, it may be combined with Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), Renshen (Radix Ginseng), Huangqi (Radix Astragali), Baizhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae), etc.
2. Used for wind-cold-damp painful obstruction syndrome, especially when pain is located in the upper body. If wind predominates, it is combined with Guizhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi), Fangfeng, Weilingxian (Radix Clematidis), Jianghuang (Rhizoma Curcumae Longae), etc. If cold predominates, it is combined with Fuzi (Radix Aconiti Lateralis Preparata), Xixin (Herba Asari), Zhigancao (Radix Glycyrrhizae Praeparata), etc. If damp predominates, it is combined with Yiyiren (Semen Coicis), Cangzhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis), Fangji (Radix Stephaniae Tetrandrae), etc.
3. Used for yang edema with generalized swelling and urinary difficulty, often combined with Shanglu (Radix Phytolaccae), Binglang (Semen Arecae), Zexie (Rhizoma Alismatis), etc.
4. Used for early-stage sores and ulcers with wind-cold exterior syndrome, alternating chills and fever without sweating, often combined with Jingjie (Herba Schizonepetae), Fangfeng, as in Jingfang Baidu San (Schizonepeta and Ledebouriella Powder to Overcome Pathogenic Influences).

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decoction, 3–9 g; or incorporated into pills or powders.

[Cautions] This herb is pungent, warm, drying, and dispersing. It is contraindicated in blood deficiency with painful obstruction.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: The rhizome and root of Notopterygium incisum contain volatile oils, including α-thujene, α- and β-pinene, β-bourbonene, γ-terpinene, limonene, 4-terpineol, bornyl acetate, and parsley camphor. It also contains coumarin compounds such as isoimperatorin, 8-methoxyisoimperatorin, 5′-hydroxybergapten, and bergapten. Additionally, it contains various fatty acids, 19 amino acids, and sugars. Notopterygium forbesii contains volatile oils with main components α-pinene (36.30%), β-pinene (21.04%), limonene (14.42%), among 20 identified compounds, as well as coumarins including bergapten, isoimperatorin, 8-methoxyisoimperatorin, 5′-hydroxybergapten, bergapten, and perilloxin glycosides.
2. Pharmacological effects: The volatile oil of Qianghuo has significant antipyretic effects in febrile rabbits and rats; it significantly increases pain threshold in mice and reduces acetic acid-induced writhing, with 5′-hydroxybergapten identified as the analgesic active component. The oil shows marked inhibitory effects on dysentery bacillus, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; the decoction also inhibits Proteus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus to some extent. The volatile oil dilates coronary arteries, increases coronary blood flow, and improves myocardial ischemia. The water extract has antiarrhythmic effects; the decoction inhibits platelet aggregation, platelet thrombus formation, and fibrin thrombus formation in vitro. The extract powder inhibits human cervical cancer cells in vitro. Additional effects include anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antioxidant, and anticonvulsant activities.
3. Clinical reports: Premature contractions—Qianghuo extract prepared as Maiqi liquid (1 ml equivalent to 1 g raw herb) taken orally at 60–150 ml daily in 3–4 doses for 7–14 days. In 74 cases of various premature contractions, the total effective rate was 58.1%. [Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine, 1988, 27(7):452]