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Costus root (Muxiang)
Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Aucklandiae seu
Vladimiriae
Botanical Name: 1. Aucklandia lappa Decne.;
2. Vladimiria souliei (Franch.) Ling
Common Name: Aucklandia root, Costus root
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao
Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical
Preparations: The roots are dug in October
and can be used raw or baked.
Properties & Taste: Pungent, bitter
and warm
Meridians: Spleen, stomach, large intestine
and gall bladder
Functions:
1. To regulate qi in the spleen and stomach;
2. To stop pain
Indications & Combinations:
1. Qi stagnation in the spleen and stomach
manifested as poor appetite, epigastric and
abdominal distension and pain, borborygmus
and diarrhea. Costus root (Muxiang) is used
with Poria (Fuling), Bitter orange (Zhiqiao)
and Tangerine peel (Chenpi).
2. Damp-heat dysentery manifested as tenesmus
and abdominal pain. Costus root (Muxiang)
is used with Rhubarb (Dahuang) and Areca seed
(Binglang) in the formula Muxiang Binglang
Wan.
Dosage: 3-10 g
Cautions & Contraindications: The raw
herb is used for qi stagnation, and the baked
herb is used for diarrhea. |
