The efficacy and function of Ligusticum chuanxiong

Ligusticum chuanxiong is a very common Chinese medicine in our daily life and is also very important in our daily life. However, some people don’t know much about the efficacy and functions of Ligusticum chuanxiong, so let us learn about it in detail below.

【English name】 RHIZOMA LIGUSTICI

【Other name】 Ligusticum chuanxiong

[Source] This product is the dried rhizome and root of Ligusticum sinense Oliv. or Ligusticum jeholense Nakai et Kitag. of the Apiaceae family . Dig up when the stems and leaves wither in autumn or when seedlings emerge in the next spring, remove the mud and sand, and dry in the sun or in an oven.

[Properties] Ligusticum chuanxiong: The rhizome is irregularly nodular and cylindrical, slightly twisted, branched, 3 to 10 cm long and 1 to 2 cm in diameter. The surface is brown or dark brown, rough, with longitudinal wrinkles, with several sunken round stem bases remaining on the upper side and many dot-like protruding root marks and residual roots on the lower side. It is light, hard, easy to break, and has a yellow or yellowish-white, fibrous cross-section. It has a strong aroma and tastes spicy, bitter and slightly numb.

[Identification] Take 1g of the powder of this product, add 10ml of ether, soak in cold water for 1 hour, then ultrasonically treat for 20 minutes, filter and concentrate the filtrate to 1ml as the test solution. Take another 1g of Ligusticum chuanxiong reference medicinal material and prepare the reference medicinal material solution in the same way. According to the thin layer chromatography method (Appendix Ⅵ B), 1 μl of each of the above two solutions were taken and spotted on the same silica gel G thin layer plate. Petroleum ether (60-90°C)-acetone (95:5) was used as the developing agent. The plate was developed with a development distance of 10 cm. The plate was taken out, dried, and examined under ultraviolet light (365 nm). In the chromatogram of the test sample, a main fluorescent spot of the same color appears at the corresponding position in the chromatogram of the control medicinal material.

[Processing] Remove impurities, wash, soak thoroughly, cut into thick slices, and dry in the sun.

【Nature and flavor】 Spicy, warm.

[return through meridians] Return to the bladder meridian.

【Functions and indications】 Dispel wind, dispel cold, remove dampness and relieve pain. Used for colds, pain at the top of the head, and rheumatic pain in the joints.

【Usage and Dosage】 3～9g.

[Storage] Store in a cool and dry place, away from moisture and insects.

[Remarks] (1) This product is pungent, warm and dispersing. It is good at reaching the top of the head and has an analgesic effect. Therefore, it is suitable for headaches caused by colds, vertex headaches, and migraines. It is often used in combination with Chuanxiong, Angelica dahurica, etc. In addition, it is often used in combination with Atractylodes lancea and Notopterygium wilfordii for rheumatic pain and joint pain caused by wind, cold and dampness.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Pharmacopoeia

[Source] "Ben Jing"

The above content is an introduction to the Chinese medicine Ligusticum chuanxiong. We should learn more about Ligusticum chuanxiong in our daily lives so that we can use it more reasonably and better realize its value.