Witnessed by: TCM
Morinda (Morinda officinalis), of the Rubiaceae family. Twining evergreen vine; native range: southern China, especially Guangdong and Guangxi. Globally recognized as ba ji tian (巴戟天) in Chinese, and morinda root, Indian mulberry root in English. The part used is root. Beaded root with a thick purplish cortex over a woody core, the bark peeled and used, faintly sweet with an acrid warmth.
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.
MORINDA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- morinda
- Scientific name
- Morinda officinalis F.C.How
- Family
- Rubiaceae
Form
- Part used
- root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent · sweet
Temperature
- TCM
- warm (slightly)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Kidney · Liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- tonifies the Kidney yang, strengthens the sinews and bones, dispels wind-damp
Cautions
- Contraindications
- contraindicated in yin-deficient fire and in damp-heat patterns
- Toxicity
- no significant toxicity in normal use
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