Dictamni Cortex
Aliases：Běi Xiān Pí (Northern Fresh Bark); Bā Gǔ Niú (Eight-Thread Ox); Shān Mǔ Dān (Mountain Peony); Yáng Xiān Cǎo (Goat Fresh Herb); Xiān Pí (Fresh Bark); Yě Huā Jiāo Gēn Pí (Wild Pepper Root Bark); Chòu Gēn Pí (Smelly Root Bark); Bái Shān Pí (White Goat Bark); Bái Yáng Xiān (White Goat Fresh); Dì Yáng Xiān (Ground Goat Fresh); Jīn Què Er Jiāo (Golden Sparrow Pepper).
Bái Xiān Pí (Densefruit Pittany Root-bark) is a Chinese medicinal herb. It is the dried root bark of Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz., a plant of the Rutaceae family. The herb appears as rolled cylindrical pieces with a grayish-white or pale grayish-yellow outer surface, a goat-like odor, and a slightly bitter taste. Bái Xiān Pí was first recorded in the Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica) and is regarded as a “key herb for treating jaundice and wind-dampness bi syndrome.”
Efficacy & Actions
Clears heat, dries dampness, dispels wind, and detoxifies.
Indications
Used for damp-heat sores with purulent discharge, eczema, urticaria (hives), scabies and tinea, rheumatic heat bi syndrome (joint pain with heat symptoms), jaundice with dark urine. In addition, it may be used for conditions in Western medicine such as herpes simplex, herpes zoster, tinea (including tinea of the hands and feet and tinea corporis), and rheumatoid arthritis, when they present with damp-heat or rheumatic heat obstruction patterns.
Modern Pharmacology
Anti-allergic effect. Antifungal effect: Shows inhibitory effects against various pathogenic fungi to varying degrees. Anti-inflammatory effect. Antioxidant effect. Antitumor effect: Its volatile oil has shown anticancer activity in vitro. Hemostatic effect. Neuroprotective effect. Hepatoprotective effect. Cardiovascular protective effect.
Ingredients
Alkaloids: Dictamnine, skimmianine, γ-fagarine, dasycarine, etc. Limonoids: Obacunone, limonin, etc. Sesquiterpenoids: Fraxinellone, etc. Others: β-sitosterol, wogonin, rutin, quercetin, etc.
Usage & Dosage
Oral Administration: Decoction, the standard dosage is 5–10g. In clinical practice, the decoction dosage often ranges from 5–30g. Topical Application: Appropriate amount, decocted in water for washing, or ground into powder for external application.
Contraindications
Use with caution in patients with spleen-stomach deficiency-cold. Contraindicated in patients with deficiency-cold patterns. Oral use of this herb may cause liver damage. Caution should be exercised, and rational use is advised. Dictamnine, fraxinellone, and limonoid compounds are considered potential hepatotoxic components.
Selected Formulas
For jaundice (Shenshi Zunsheng Shu, Baixianpi Tang) Take equal parts of Baixianpi (Dictamnus root bark) and Yinchenhao (Artemisia capillaris). Decoct in water and drink twice daily. For postpartum stroke (Xiaopin Fang, Yiwu Baixian Tang) Take 3 liang of Baixianpi, add 3 sheng of water, decoct to 1 sheng, and take in divided doses. For scrofula with suppuration and purulent discharge (Buque Zhouhou Fang) Take Baixianpi, decoct in water and drink 1 sheng. For acute hepatitis (empirical formula) Take 9g of Baixianpi, 15g of Yinchenhao, 9g of Zhizi (Gardenia), and 9g of Dahuang (Rhubarb). Decoct in water and drink. For lung wind-heat with skin itching (Shengji Zonglu) Take Baixianpi, Fangfeng (Saposhnikovia), Renshen (Ginseng), Zhimu (Anemarrhena), Shashen (Glehnia), etc. Grind into powder, decoct in water and drink.
Daily Consumption
Bái Xiān Pí and Mung Bean Soup: Take 5–10g of Bái Xiān Pí (Densefruit Pittany Root-bark) and an appropriate amount of mung beans. Cook them together into a soup. It helps clear heat, detoxify, and promote diuresis. Bái Xiān Pí and Coix Seed Congee: Take 10g of Bái Xiān Pí, 50g of Coix Seed (Yì Yǐ Rén), and an appropriate amount of rice. Cook into a congee. It helps clear heat, promote diuresis, strengthen the spleen, and stop diarrhea. Bái Xiān Pí Stewed with Lean Meat: Take 10g of Bái Xiān Pí, 200g of lean pork, and 3 slices of ginger. Stew into a soup. It helps dispel wind-dampness and strengthen sinews and bones. Bái Xiān Pí Tea: Take 5–10g of Bái Xiān Pí, decoct in water, and drink as a tea. It is suitable for skin pruritus and eczema caused by damp-heat.
Medicinal Parts
Dried root bark.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well-ventilated, dry place.
