Dictamnus Bark – 1 lb (454 g)

Dictamnus Bark, known in Chinese as 白鲜皮 (Báixiānpí) and scientifically as Cortex Dictamni, 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 Dictamnus Bark carefully sourced to preserve its therapeutic properties.

As a herbal supplement, Dictamnus Bark 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, Dictamnus Bark provides a safe, natural way to experience the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine.

Trusted for centuries, Dictamnus Bark 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 Dictamnus Bark, 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 Xianpi, Beixianpi, and Chougenpi. It is the root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz., a plant of the Rutaceae family. It is mainly produced in Liaoning, Hebei, Sichuan, and Jiangsu provinces. It is harvested in spring and autumn by digging up, washing off soil, removing fine roots and coarse bark, then splitting longitudinally while fresh to remove the woody core, and sun-dried.

[Properties] Bitter in taste, cold in nature. Enters the spleen, stomach, and bladder meridians.

[Actions] Clears heat and dries dampness, dispels wind and detoxifies.

[Applications]
1. Used for urticaria, eczema, and scabies. For urticaria due to exuberant wind-heat in the lung meridian, it can be combined with Erfengfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), Zhimu (Rhizoma Anemarrhenae), Huangqin (Radix Scutellariae), etc., as in Baixianpi San (白鲜皮散). For patients with a constitution of blood deficiency and wind-heat stagnating in the muscles causing skin itching, it can be combined with Sheng Dihuang (Radix Rehmanniae), Chishao (Radix Paeoniae Rubra), Danggui (Radix Angelicae Sinensis), Cicadae Periostracum, etc., as in Siwu Xiaofeng Yin (四物消风饮). For eczema with itching or erosive exudation, female vulvar damp itching, swelling and pain in the vulva, and abnormal vaginal discharge that is red and white, this herb can be combined with Cangzhu (Rhizoma Atractylodis), Huangbai (Cortex Phellodendri), Huangqin, Kushen (Radix Sophorae Flavescentis), Tufuling (Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae), and Difuzi (Fructus Kochiae) to treat heat-dampness. For scabies, it can be decocted with Kushen and Shechuangzi (Fructus Cnidii) for external washing.
2. Used for wind-damp-heat painful obstruction syndrome with joint redness, swelling, heat, and pain; can be combined with Cangzhu, Huangbai, and Yiyiren (Semen Coicis).
3. Used for damp-heat jaundice; can be combined with Yinchen (Herba Artemisiae Scopariae), Huangbai, Zhimu, and Shanzhi (Fructus Gardeniae), as in Baixianpi Tang (白鲜皮汤).

[Dosage and Administration] Internal use: decocted, 4.5–9 g; or used in pills or powders. External use: appropriate amount, decocted for washing or ground into powder for topical application.

[Cautions] Use with caution in cases of spleen and stomach deficiency cold syndrome.

[Modern Research]
1. Chemical constituents: The aerial parts contain psoralen, dictamnine, scopoletin, and quercetin; the roots contain dictamnine, fraxinellone, dictamnoside, trigonelline, choline, dictamnol, phellodendrone, berberine, limonin, β-sitosterol, campesterol, saponins, and others.
2. Pharmacological effects: Aqueous extracts of Dictamnus Cortex inhibit various pathogenic fungi such as Trichophyton violaceum and Trichophyton concentricum. Dictamnine shows significant antibacterial effects against Bacillus subtilis and certain fungi; it also has a certain cardiotonic effect, with small doses increasing myocardial tension, cardiac stroke volume, and cardiac output per minute. Water extracts inhibit both cellular and humoral immunity, mainly acting on the effector phase of delayed-type hypersensitivity; anti-inflammatory effects are part of its mechanism. Dictamnine also exhibits anticancer activity.
3. Clinical reports: For tuberculous empyema, after routine thoracic drainage, the pus cavity is first rinsed with saline, then injected with sterile 20% Dictamnus Cortex extract 50–100 ml, and the drainage tube is clamped. After 8 hours, negative pressure suction is applied to aspirate the drug and pus. This is done once daily or every other day. Concurrently, Dictamnus Cortex powder 2 g is taken orally three times daily. In a total of 25 cases treated, 13 were cured, 10 markedly effective, 1 effective, and 1 ineffective, with a total effective rate of 96%. [Liaoning Medical Journal, 1997, (3):25]