Witnessed by: TCM
Pinellia (Pinellia ternata), of the Araceae family. Small tuberous aroid of fields and field-margins with a slender spathe; native range: China, Japan and Korea. Globally recognized as ban xia (半夏) in Chinese, and crow-dipper in English. The part used is tuber. Round pale tuber, acrid and intensely numbing-irritant when raw, mild once cured.
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.
PINELLIA
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- pinellia
- Scientific name
- Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino
- Family
- Araceae
Form
- Part used
- tuber
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
- Spleen · Stomach · Lung
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dries dampness and transforms phlegm, directs rebellious qi downward and stops vomiting, dissipates phlegm nodules and glomus
Cautions
- Contraindications
- caution in pregnancy; avoid in dry cough from Yin deficiency and in bleeding conditions; classically incompatible with aconite (the Eighteen Incompatibilities)
- Toxicity
- raw tuber is toxic and strongly irritant to mucosa; use only the cured forms
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