Witnessed by: TCM
Notopterygium (Notopterygium incisum), of the Apiaceae family. Stout aromatic perennial of alpine meadow and forest; native range: high cold mountains of western China (Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai). Globally recognized as qiang huo (羌活) in Chinese, and notopterygium root, incised notopterygium in English. The part used is rhizome and root. Ringed knotty rhizome, brown and resinous, intensely aromatic with a warm acrid-bitter pungency.
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.
NOTOPTERYGIUM
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- notopterygium
- Scientific name
- Notopterygium incisum C.C.Ting ex H.T.Chang
- Family
- Apiaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome and root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent · bitter
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Bladder · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- releases the exterior, dispels wind-cold, dispels wind-damp, alleviates pain especially of the upper body and nape
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in blood and yin deficiency; not for headache from deficiency
- Toxicity
- large doses may cause nausea or vomiting in the sensitive
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