Definition:

In the Chinese Herbal Materia Medica, Chun Pi belongs to category of herbs that astringe (aka stabilize and bind).

Taste: bitter, astringent
Temperature: cold
Channels Entered: Large Intestine, Stomach

Actions:
(1) Clears heat, dries dampness, binds the Intestines.
(2) Kills parasites.

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See also: Introduction To Chinese Herbal Medicine

The following excerpt -- which offers an overview of the most common uses of this category of herbs -- is drawn from Bensky’s Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica:


“The herbs in this chapter are used primarily for treating disorders in which bodily substances are discharged abnormally, or structures within the body slip from their proper positions. Such disorders include diarrhea, urinary frequency, excessive sweating, vaginal discharge, miscarriage, and prolapse of the uterus or rectum. All of these can be viewed as forms of excess dispersion and require herbs that stabilize or bind. These types of disorders are usually associated with weakness due to chronic disease or old age, but can also arise from iatrogenic causes such as improper use of purgativs or dispersing substances. Not that a weakness of primal qi predisposes one to these problems, and is further injured by these types of leakage and slippage.

While most of the herbs in this category are sour and astringent, they serve diverse functions. Some are best used for stopping sweating, others for stopping diarrhea. Another group is used primarily for treating polyuria or abnormal discharges from the lower burner, including leukorrhea, and a fourth group is very effective at stopping coughs. Consistent with the idea that herbs which stabilize and bind are those which “keep fluids in,” some of the substances in this category are also used to control bleeding, particularly from the uterus.

It is important to bear in mind that herbs that stabilize and bind only treat the manifestations of a disorder. To be useful, they must be combined with other herbs that treat the root cause of the disorder, which is most often a form of deficiency.

Because it is the nature of these herbs to retain and bind, they are inappropriate for treating cases where an exterior disorder has not fully resolved, or where there is internal stagnation of dampness, or heat from constraint. The use of these herbs in such situations may prolong, and possibly aggravate, the underlying disorder.”

Also Known As:

Common Name: Tree Of Heaven Bark
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Ailanthi Altissimae
Botanical: Ailanthus

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