Da Huang (Rhubarb)

Submitted by yyh_staff on Thu, 2008-06-12 13:35.
Chinese Name: 
Da Huang
English Name: 
Rhubarb
Functions and Usage: 
  • Drains heat and purges accumulations - high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, yellow tongue coating, full pulse which indicates intestinal heat excess or yang ming stage illness.
  • Drains heat from the blood - blood in the stool from bleeding hemorrhoids or heat in the intestine; vomting blood or nosebleed accompanied by constipation; painful eyes or fire toxin sores due to heat in the blood level.
  • Drains damp-heat via the stool - jaundice, dysentery, lin syndrome.
  • Invigorates the blood and dispels blood stasis - amenorrhea, abdominal masses, fixed pain due to blood stasis (recent and long-term blood stasis).
  • Clears heat and reduces fire toxicity - for burns, hot skin.
Functional Groupings (Click for Summary/Study Notes): 
Dosage and Preparation Notes: 
  • Dosage: 3-12g
  • Raw has a more purging effect
  • Wine/Vinegar mix has a more blood invigorating effect
  • Charred will treat bleeding disorders
Channels Influenced: 
Temperature and Taste Properties: 
Contraindications: 
  • Avoid During Pregnancy and During Nursing
  • Avoid in exterior disorders and deficiency of qi and/or blood
Notes: 

There are no additional notes for this herb.

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  • Jin, Yan Ping: New England School of Acupuncture, CHM Pharmacopoeia I and II, Formulas I and II Lecture Notes

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