Witnessed by: TCM
Xin yi (Magnolia biondii), of the Magnoliaceae family. Deciduous tree of hill forest, flowering on bare wood before the leaves come; native range: the mountains of central and northern China — Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei and Sichuan. Globally recognized as xin yi (辛夷); xin yi ren (辛夷仁); wang chun hua (望春花) in Chinese, and Biond's magnolia bud, xin yi in English. The part used is unopened flower bud. Short brush-shaped buds sheathed in dense silvery-grey hairs, aromatic when broken, the taste warm, acrid and slightly bitter.
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.
XIN YI
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- xin yi
- Scientific name
- Magnolia biondii Pamp.
- Family
- Magnoliaceae
Form
- Part used
- unopened flower bud
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
- Lung · Stomach
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dispels wind-cold from the exterior, unblocks the nasal orifices, releases the head and eases sinus headache
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in yin deficiency with heat and in qi deficiency
- Toxicity
- the dense bud-hairs irritate the throat if the decoction is not strained or the bud not wrapped
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