Witnessed by: TCM
Ligusticum (Ligusticum chuanxiong), of the Apiaceae family. Aromatic perennial umbellifer of cool mountain fields; native range: cultivated in the highlands of Sichuan, which gives it its name. Globally recognized as chuan xiong (川芎) in Chinese, and Sichuan lovage rhizome in English. The part used is rhizome. Knotty yellow-brown rhizome, dense and heavy, with a strong warm penetrating fragrance and an acrid, numbing bite.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
LIGUSTICUM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- ligusticum
- Scientific name
- Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.
- Family
- Apiaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Liver · Gallbladder · Pericardium
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- invigorates the blood, moves the qi, expels wind, stops pain
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in yin deficiency with heat, in rising Liver yang with headache, in heavy menstrual bleeding, and in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- large doses may cause vomiting or dizziness
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