Description

Aromatic perennial growing to 8 ft (2.5 m). Has a hollow stem, large 3-branched leaves, and umbels bearing many white flower heads.

Habitat & Cultivation

Grows wild in thickets in China, Japan, Korea, and Russia. Cultivated mainly in central and eastern regions of China.

Part Used

Root.

Constituents

Bai zhi contains a volatile oil and the coumarins imperatorin, marmesin, and phellopterin.

History & Folklore

Bai zhi is first mentioned in Chinese herbal medicine in the Divine Husbandman’s Classic (Shen’nong Bencaojing) of the 1st century CE. The famous military physician Zhang Congzheng (1150–1228) classified bai zhi as a sweat-inducing herb able to counter harmful external influences on the skin, such as cold, heat, dampness, and dryness.

Medicinal Actions & Uses

The pungent, bitter bai zhi is used for headaches and aching eyes, nasal congestion, and toothache. Like its cousins angelica (A. archangelica) and dong quai (A. sinensis), it is warming and tonic, and it is still given for problems attributed to “damp and cold” conditions, such as sores, boils, and ulcers affecting the skin. Bai zhi also appears to be valuable in treating the facial pain of trigeminal neuralgia.

Caution

Do not take during pregnancy.