Pharmaceutical name           

Radix Paeoniae Alba

English name                         

White peony root; Peony

Property and taste                 

Slightly cold; bitter & sour

Channels entered                  

Liver & spleen

Actions                                   

Nourishes blood, regulates menstruation, calms liver, relieves pain, astringes yin, and stops sweating.

Dosage                                    

5-15g (decoction; large dosage: 15-30g)

Cautions & contraindications

It is contraindicated for those with deficient cold due to yang deficiency and incompatible with Rhizoma et Radix Veratri Nigri (li lu/lí lú).

Indications

• For deficient liver blood, presenting as pale complexion, dizziness, palpitation, irregular menstruation, and uterine bleeding, as in Four-Substance Decoction (si wu tang/sì wù tāng);
• For blood deficiency, presenting as fever and irregular menstruation, as in Preserving Yin Decoction (bao yin jian/bǎo yīn jiān);
• For uterine bleeding, it is used with Colla Corii Asini (e jiao/ē jiāo) and Folium Artemisiae Argyi (ai ye/ài yè).
• For blood deficiency and liver depression with hypochondriac pain, as in Rambling Powder (xiao yao san/xiāo yáo sǎn);
• For disharmony between liver and spleen, it is used with Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae (bai zhu/bái zhú), Radix Saposhnikoviae (fang feng/fáng fēng), and Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae (chen pi/chén pí);
• For spleen deficiency and liver hyperactivity with abdominal pain and diarrhea, as in Important Formula for Painful Diarrhea (tong xie yao fang/tong xiè yào fāng);
• For dysentery and abdominal pain, as in Peony Decoction (shao yao tang/sháo yào tāng);
• For blood deficiency and malnourishment of tendons, presenting as convulsion and pain of limbs, as in Peony and Licorice Decoction (shao yao gan cao tang/sháo yào gān cǎo tāng).
• Liver yang hyperactivity with headache and dizziniss, as in Sedate the Liver and Extinguish Wind Decoction (zhen gan xi feng tang/ zhèn gān xī fēng tāng) and in Construct Roof Tiles Decoction (jian ling tang/jiàn líng tāng)
• For externally contracted wind-cold causing disharmony between nutritive qi and defensive qi, presented as sweating, aversion to wind, as in Cinnamon Twig Decoction (gui zhi tang/guì zhī tāng).