Xu Chang Qing
In honor of Ghost Month, Clinical mulch presents part 2 of a series on #GhostHerbs. Last week we posted on Tian Ma, Rhizoma Gastrodiae elatae, an herb known in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica) with the alternate name of Gui Du You, “Ghost Post Governor” (Yang 1997 translation) or “Demon Inspector” (Wilms 2021 translation). There is another herb listed in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as Gui Du You as well: Radix Cynanchi paniculati, more commonly known today as Xu Chang Qing.
Xu Chang Qing has been in use since ancient times, mentioned not only in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing but also in Qin Jian Yi Fang by Sun Simiao in the Tang period, and Ben Cao Gang Mu by Li Shizhen in the Ming (Chen et al., 2020). Even so, it is often excluded from the standard list of 300 most common herbs taught in U.S. acupuncture colleges and so not as well known here.
Modern TCM view
First, let’s look at the basic data found in the Bensky et al (2004) Materia Medica (pg. 364):
Category: Dispel Wind-Dampness
Pharmaceutical name: Cynanchi paniculati Radix
Flavor and nature: Acrid, warm
Channels entered: Liver, Stomach
Actions: Dispels wind, stops pain, invigorates the blood, reduces edema, alleviates itching
Dose: 3-12g, do not cook for prolonged time
Indications:
· Dispels wind, invigorates blood, stops pain: Wind-Damp bi, trauma
· Resolves toxicity, stops itching: eczema, snakebite
· Also said to treat bites from rabid dogs
Seems like a useful and versatile herb, especially for pain and/or toxins (make sure to moxa GB36 for the dog bites while you sip the Xu Chang Qing decoction on your way to the E.R.).
Ancient Lore
Let’s have a look at the entries from Sabine Wilms’ highly recommended translation of Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (which you can get here). The herb actually appears in two different sections, with minor differences; this likely reflects that the book was a compilation of previous oral and/or written traditions, so some heterogeneity is not unusual. Even so, the similarities between the entries are obvious.
The first entry is in the upper medicinals category, those which are “in charge of nurturing Destiny and thereby correspond to Heaven.” It reads (Wilms, 2020, pg. 103):
Xuchangqing
“staid leader of the stewards”
Alternate name: guiduyou “demon inspector”
Acrid flavor, warm, non-toxic
Treats demonic entities and the hundred sprites, Gu Toxin, epidemics, evil and malign qi, and warm malaria. Consumed over a long time, it gives strength and valiance and lightens the body. Grows in mountain valleys.
And later in the lower medicinal category, which are “in charge of treating illnesses and thereby correspond to Earth,” we find (Wilms, 2020, pg.350):
Shixiachangqing
“under the rock leader of the stewards” …
Alternate name: xuchangqing ‘staid leader of the stewards’
Salty flavor, balanced, toxic
Treats demonic infixation, spectral entities, and evil malign qi; kills the hundred specters, and [treats] Gu Toxin, old bogies, rabid kuang Mania with running around erratically and crying and wailing, and dazed absentmindedness after damaging grieving. Grows in ponds and marshes and in mountain valleys.
Okay, there’s a whole different look to this herb. Not just some ordinary pain reliever that doubles as a snakebite remedy, mind you. This is on another level. When it comes to ghost-slaughtering, sorcery-dispelling, demon-excising abilities, it is hard to find a more badass herb than Xu Chang Qing. If this plant were a teenage girl, she’d have her own Netflix series.
In the Five Element school, one of the blocks to treatment that comes up in clinic is possession – basically, ghost or demonic possession – that is treated by one of two acupuncture protocols, known as “exterior dragons” and “interior dragons”. The herb category that addresses exterior dragons is Dispel Wind-Damp – and here we have a great example of an herb from that category which had a strong reputation for treating possession back in the day. So, one for you, beloved 5E students.
Research
We looked last week at some research for Tian Ma (a phenolic glucoside), and from sources like Chen et al (2020) we learn that Xu Chang Qing contains mainly phenolic compounds, with some alkaloids, polysaccharides, and glycosides; it has been posited to have "analgesic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiallergic, and anticancer effects."
Many of its effects are linked to its paeonol content, a phenolic compound also (as its name implies) found in peony plants like Mu Dan Pi and Bai/Chi Shao Yao. A wide variety of anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, and antineoplastic benefits have been shown for paeonol, and the neuroprotective benefits of Xu Chang Qing have been attributed to paeonol as well. Mu Dan Pi as listed in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing is said to treat windstrike, fright seizures and tetany, but it is not ascribed any ghost-killing, anti-demon, or other paranormal effects. Shao Yao is mostly listed for abdominal pain and stagnation. So it would appear that paeonol, whatever its benefits, has pretty much no demonstrable effects on spectral entities.
Conclusion
In brief, Xu Chang Qing is an herb with some fascinating lore and a great deal of versatility, especially given its ancient indications which are almost never spoken of. We don’t see it used much, even in more esoteric formulas offered today for things like Gu syndrome. Given its modern anti-inflammatory actions as well as its anti-spectral/anti-demonic properties, it is an herb that we think should be more widely known among practitioners who treat both on a physical and metaphysical level.
Note: this newsletter is for information purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please seek the opinion of a health care professional for any specific medical issues you may have.
References
Bensky, D., Clavey, S., Stöger, E., & Gamble, A. (2004). Chinese herbal medicine: Materia medica (3rd ed.). Eastland Press.
Chen, J. X., Cheng, C. S., Chen, J., Lv, L. L., Chen, Z. J., Chen, C., & Zheng, L. (2020). Cynanchum paniculatum and its major active constituents for inflammatory-related diseases: A review of traditional use, multiple pathway modulations, and clinical applications. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2020, 7259686. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7259686
Wilms, S. (2017). Shen Nong ben cao jing: The divine farmer’s classic of materia medica. Happy Goat Productions.
Yang, S.-Z. (1997). The divine farmer’s materia medica: A translation of the Shen Nong ben cao jing. Blue Poppy Press.
“If this plant were a teenage girl, she’d have her own Netflix series.” 😂 Love it! Loved this post, thank you!