bubble_chart Property

acrid, neutral, toxic.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Mainly treats cold-damage disease, alternating chills and fever, epigastric hardness, chest distension, cough, dizziness, sore throat, borborygmus, lowering qi, and stopping sweating.

bubble_chart Note

Chen Xiu-yuan said:

• Pinellia has a neutral qi, inheriting the dryness qi of autumn metal from heaven, and enters the hand taiyin; it has a pungent taste and is toxic, obtaining the intense flavor of the west from the earth, and enters the foot yangming. Pungent can open knots, and neutral can lower rebellions.
• Cold-damage disease with alternating chills and fever and epigastric hardness is due to evil knotting between the half-exterior and half-interior; it treats this because it is pungent and can open.
• Chest distension, cough, sore throat, dizziness, and lowering qi are due to evil rebelling at the top of the head and chest diaphragm; it treats this because it is neutral and can lower.
• Borborygmus is due to dampness in the large intestine, causing intestinal pain and gurgling sounds; it treats this because its pungent and neutral nature can dry dampness.
• It is also said to stop sweating, highlighting its astringent effect within its pungency. Zhang Zhongjing used it in Minor Bupleurum Decoction to treat alternating chills and fever, and in Heart-Draining Decoction to treat chest fullness and borborygmus. Shaoyin sore throat also uses it; Jingui dizziness also uses it. Moreover, vomiting must include this herb, greatly achieving its purpose of opening knots and lowering rebellion. The use of medicine fully follows Benjing, hence he is considered a sage among physicians.
• He also said: Nowadays, people use Pinellia specifically to expel phlegm, generally boiling it with alum, which often causes vomiting and heartburn, reducing appetite. This is a flawed method passed down through tradition.
• The ancients only washed it seven times with water to remove the slime, but modern people fear its numbing effect and dare not follow this method.
• I collect dozens of pounds of dried Pinellia each year, wash off the rough skin, soak it in ginger juice and licorice water for a day and night, wash it clean, then soak it in river water for three days, changing the water daily, filter and steam it, dry it in the sun, slice it, and use it after a year, with great effect.
• This herb is a major medicine for taiyin, yangming, and shaoyang, but expelling phlegm is not its specialty. Therefore, in Zhang Zhongjing's formulas, it is added for vomiting, and Poria is added for excessive phlegm; it is not heard of adding Pinellia for excessive phlegm.