Pulsatilla root (Baitouweng)
Pulsatilla chinensis (Bge.) Regel (Fam. Ranunculaceae)
Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Pulsatillae Chinensis
Common Name: Pulsatilla root, Anemone, Chinese pulsatilla root, Chinese anemone root.
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao Jing
Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations: The roots are dug in spring or late autumn, cleaned and dried in the sun.
Properties & Taste: Bitter and cold.
Meridian: Large intestine.
Functions: 1. To clear heat and release toxins; 2. To cool the blood and stop dysentery.
Indications & Combinations:
1. It is one of the most important herbs for both bacterial and amoebic dysentery due to Heat or Damp Heat with fever, abdominal pain, and bloody stools. It is used with Rhizoma Coptidis (Huang Lian), Cortex Phellodendri (Huang Bai), and Cortex Fraxini (Qin Pi) in “The Pulsatillae Decoction” (Bai Tou Weng Tang).
2. It is used with Radix Sophorae Flavescentis (Ku Shen), prepared as a lotion for the treatment of pudendal itching due to trichomonas vaginitis.
Dosage: 6-15 g, decocted in water for an oral dose, or used in pills and powder.
