赤芍 Chi shao / Red Peony Root / Radix Paeoniae Rubra / Chi Shao Yao

Description

【功 效】：行瘀，止痛，凉血，消肿。

【主 治】：治瘀滞经闭，疝瘕积聚，腹痛，胁痛，衄血，血痢，肠风下血，目赤，痈肿。

【临床应用】

1. 用于温热病，热入营血、发热、舌绛、身发斑疹，以及血热妄行等。配生地、牡丹皮等，

2. 用于经闭，跌扑损伤，疮痈肿毒等气血瘀滞证。配川芎、当归、桃仁、红花等，可用于经闭及跌扑损伤；配当归、金银花、甘草等，可用于疮痈肿毒

【性味归经】：酸、苦，凉。①《本经》：“味苦，平。”②《吴普本草》：“桐君：甘，无毒。歧伯：咸。李氏：小寒。雷公：酸。”③《别录》：“酸，平微寒，有小毒。”④《本草衍义》：“味涩苦。”入肝、脾经。①《珍珠囊》：“足太阴脾经。”②《汤液本草》：“入手足太阴经。”③《本草经疏》：“手足太阴引经药，入肝、脾血分。”④《药品化义》：“入肝、小肠二经。”⑤《本草经解》：“入心与小肠。”

【用法用量】：内服：煎汤，1.5～3钱；或入丸、散。

【用药忌宜】：血虚者慎服。①《本草经集注》：“须(一作‘雷’)丸为之使。恶石斛、芒硝。畏消石、鳖甲、小蓟，反藜芦。”②《本草衍义》：“血虚寒人，禁此一物。”③《本草经疏》：“赤芍药破血，故凡一切血虚病，及泄泻，产后恶露已行、少腹痛已止，痈疽已溃，并不宜服。”

【别 名】：木芍药(崔豹《古今注》)、红芍药(《圣济总录》)、赤芍(《药品化义》)、臭牡丹根(《青海药材》)。原植物①草芍药(崔豹《古今注》)又名：山芍药、卵叶芍药、参幌子、野芍药。 ②川赤芍又名：毛果赤芍

Chi Shao Yao and Bai Shao Yao come from similar plants. Both are cold in nature and enter the Blood and the Liver meridian. Because Chi Shao Yao is cold and bitter, it is able to reduce Liver-Heat as well as Heat in the Blood. It has a dispersing property, can invigorate the Blood and remove congealed Blood, and is therefore often used for treating pain due to Blood stagnation.

Compared with Chi Shao Yao, Bai Shao Yao is less cold but bitter, so it can clear Liver-Heat or Heat in the Blood, but its function is weaker than that of Chi Shao Yao. One difference is its sour taste, which results in an astringent property. Cold and sourness may generate and stabilize the Yin. As it enters the Liver meridian, it particularly nourishes the Liver-Yin and Blood. It is an appropriate herb when there is Yin deficiency with slight Empty-Heat in the Blood. In this situation, the main symptoms are dizziness, dry and burning eyes, irritability, hypochondriac pain and distension. Like Chi Shao Yao, Bai Shao Yao can also alleviate pain, but it alleviates pain caused by Liver-Yin and Blood deficiency, in which the muscles and tendons lose their nourishment. This pain is cramping in nature, such as in abdominal pain and cramp after diarrhea, menstruation, labor or cramp of the muscles of the limbs. Moreover, as Bai Shao Yao has a sour taste, it may stabilize the Yin and Body Fluids and inhibit sweating, so is used for spontaneous sweating and night sweating.