Its source is from the dried rhizomes and roots of the perennial herbaceous plant, Rhizome of Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H.T. Chang or the Rhizome and root of N. forbesii Boiss, family Umbelliferae. The producing areas are mainly in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan, etc.. The medicinal material is collected in the early stage of spring and autumn, dried and cut into pieces for being used in crude form. Medicinal Properties Pungent and bitter in flavor, warm in nature, and attributive to the bladder and kidney meridians. Actions Expel wind and dampness, dispel cold to relieve pain. Application 1. It is used for the syndrome of exogenous wind-cold with dampness marked by aversion to cold with fever, painful head and nape, sore and heavy feelings of extremities with pain. It is often used together with Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae ) , Duhuo ( Radix Angelicae Pubescentis) and so on, such as Duhuo Shengshi Tang (Decoction). 2. It is used for headache of wind-damp type, and Bi-syndrome of wind-cold-dampness type. For the former involving the nape and back, it is often used together with Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae), Chuanxiong (Rhizoma Chuanxiong), etc.; for the latter or arthralgia, especially in the upper part of the body, usually used together with Fangfeng ( Radix Saposhnikoviae ), Jianghuang ( Rhizoma Curcumae Longae) and Danggui ( Radix Angelicae Sinensis ). Usage and Dosage 3 -10 g is used in decoction for oral use. Notes Contraindicated in the patient with yin-deficiency or in-sufficiency of blood due to its warm and dryness in nature. Explanation Either Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae ) or Qianghuo (Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii ) is the medicinal herb for expelling wind and eliminating dampness. Since it is pungent and bitter in flavor, warm and dry in nature, and has stronger actions of expelling wind, cold and dampness, Qianghuo (Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii) is especially used for headache involving the nape and back or limbs due to wind-cold or wind-dampness, while Fangfeng (Radix Saposhnikoviae) is pungent with sweet flavor and has nourishing property and is good at expelling wind, therefore, it is often used for the syndrome caused by pathogenic wind whether the wind is exterior or interior, and it can also relieve convulsion and diarrhea.
