By Eric Brand

Bai Zhi is a truly fascinating medicinal. Its use has been documented since ancient times, and it has remained irreplaceable up to the present day. Bai Zhi was first recorded in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (“The Divine Husbandman's Herbal Foundation Canon”), where it was listed as an acrid and warm, middle-grade medicinal. The photo above is a photograph of whole (Chuan) Bai Zhi, which I photographed at Chengdu’s herbal wholesale market.

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We now think of Bai Zhi as being an exterior-resolving agent that is suitable for wind-cold patterns, especially cases that are characterized by sinus congestion and headache. In truth, Bai Zhi’s actions are quite diverse, and it is an important medicinal for both internal and external applications (it relieves itching and is often featured in topical formulas for itching). Its actions of relieving headache and sinus congestion go far beyond the context of external contraction, which is often expressed by the action phrase “dispels wind and relieves pain.” It is indicated for yang ming channel headache, eyebrow bone pain, “head wind” headache, toothache, and deep-source nasal congestion.

Most practitioners remember Bai Zhi’s actions to resolve the exterior, treat headache, and open the nose. However, all too often practitioners forget that Bai Zhi disperses swelling and expels pus; here, it is used for painful swollen sores and welling-abscesses. To disperse swelling before the rupturing stage, combine it with heat-clearing toxin-resolving medicinals such as Jin Yin Hua (Lonicerae Flos) and Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthis Radix). After pus has formed, combine it with supplementing medicinals such as Ren Shen (Ginseng Radix), Huang Qi (Astragali Radix), and Dang Gui (Angelicae Sinensis Radix) to expel pus.

Bai Zhi is aromatic and reaches upward, so it is often used to treat disorders affecting the head (headache, sinus congestion, etc). However, it is also a key medicinal that should not be overlooked for treating vaginal discharge. Bai Zhi is acrid, warm, aromatic and drying, so it is particularly appropriate for cold-damp patterns of vaginal discharge. To treat copious white vaginal discharge due to cold-damp pouring downwards, combine it with medicinals to warm yang, dry dampness, and fortify the spleen, such as Lu Jiao Shuang (Cervi Cornu Degelatinatum), Bai Zhu (Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma), and Shan Yao (Dioscoreae Rhizoma). Although it is warm in nature, it can also be used for yellow or reddish vaginal discharge due to damp-heat when combined with medicinals such as Che Qian Zi (Plantaginis Semen) and Huang Bai (Phellodendri Cortex).

If we look at the indications and historical applications of Bai Zhi, it is obvious that it is an important medicinal that transcends many normal limits of use. It is warm and acrid, so we often combine it with other warm, acrid agents to treat cold patterns. However, we also use it in conjunction with cold herbs to treat hot conditions characterized by swelling and pus, as well as hot patterns of vaginal discharge. It is famous for conditions affecting the head and upper body, but it is also an important medicinal for vaginal discharge and intestinal wind in the lower body. Such paradoxical and wide-ranging indications are very interesting and unusual. If one searches the Chinese formula literature based on Bai Zhi, one will discover that a stunning number of formulas based on Bai Zhi exist (over 30 formulas share the name Bai Zhi San alone). These formulas span a wide range of internal and external conditions and really illustrate its profound spectrum of use.

Bai Zhi is differentiated into two primary sources: Angelica dahuricae (Fisch.) Benth. Et Hook. and Angelica dahurica var. formosana (Boiss.) Yuan et Shan. The latter, called Hang Bai Zhi, is characterized by the presence of square rings that can be seen upon the transverse cross section. The product pictured above is Chuan Bai Zhi, which only has round rings. Hang Bai Zhi has some round and some square rings, whereas Chuan Bai Zhi only has round rings. (Since the roots above are whole, we cannot see the rings that would be seen on the sliced cross section.) Hang is considered to be slightly superior but Chuan is more abundant on the market. Both are acceptable forms.