Benzoinum
Aliases：Zhuō Bèi Luó Xiāng (Benzoin), Yě Mò Lì (Wild Jasmine).
Ān Xī Xiāng (Benzoin) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the resin of Styrax benzoin Dryand or Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hartw. [also known as S. macrothyrsus Perk.; S. hypoglaucus Perk.], plants belonging to the genus Styrax of the family Styracaceae. The product appears as irregular small pieces, slightly flattened, often sticking together in lumps. The surface is orange-yellow with a waxy luster (naturally exuded resin); or irregularly cylindrical or flat-lumpy, with a greyish-white to pale yellowish-white surface (artificially tapped resin). It is brittle and easily broken, with a flat, white fracture surface. It gradually turns from pale yellowish-brown to reddish-brown upon standing. It softens and melts when heated. Benzoin was first recorded in the Tang Dynasty Xinxiu Bencao (Newly Revised Materia Medica).
Efficacy & Actions
Opens the orifices and refreshes the spirit; promotes Qi flow and activates blood circulation; relieves pain.
Indications
Indicated for apoplexy with phlegm syncope, sudden collapse due to Qi depression, coma due to pestilential pathogens, heart and abdominal pain, postpartum fainting, and infantile convulsions. Tang Bencao (Tang Materia Medica) records that it “treats pestilential Qi in the heart and abdomen”; Haiyao Bencao records that it “treats spermatorrhea in men, warms the Kidneys, and dispels pestilential Qi”.
Modern Pharmacology
Expectorant effect: Directly stimulates the respiratory mucosa to increase secretion and promote expectoration. The tincture acts as a stimulant expectorant; inhaling its steam in hot water can treat bronchitis. Anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects: Exhibits anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities. Antitumor effects: Exhibits inhibitory activity against tumor proliferation. Blood-brain barrier protection: Exhibits protective effects on the blood-brain barrier; it can open the blood-brain barrier under physiological conditions, which may be one of the pharmacological bases for its orifice-opening and spirit-refreshing effects. Antiseptic effect: Used externally as a local antiseptic, promoting the healing of ulcers and wounds. Antibacterial effects: Exhibits antibacterial activity.
Ingredients
Benzoic acid esters: Benzoic acid, vanillic acid, vanillin, coniferyl benzoate, and others. Others: Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, 1-O-methyl-guaiacylglycerol, Threo-5-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyphenylpropane-8,9-diol, and others. Also contains cinnamoyl sumaresinolic ester or benzoyl tonkinesinolic ester, styracin, coniferyl benzoate, and others.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: grind into powder, 0.6–1.5 g, mostly taken in pills or powders. Some sources document 0.3–1.5 g. Not used in decoctions. For external use: apply an appropriate amount, grind into powder and mix for topical application; or burn for fumigation.
Contraindications
Use with caution in patients with Qi deficiency and Yin deficiency with fire excess. Bencao Fengyuan records: “Those with Qi deficiency, poor appetite, and Yin deficiency with excessive fire should not use it.” Use with caution in pregnant women and those with weak stomachs. Avoid spicy and irritating foods during the medication period; avoid concomitant use with strongly acidic drugs. Overdose may cause nausea, dizziness, and other benzoic acid poisoning reactions.
Selected Formulas
For chronic cold abdominal pain with persistent attack (Shengji Zonglu, Anxixiang Wan) Take 30g each of Anxixiang (Benzoin, ground) and Buguzhi (Psoralea fruit, stir-fried), and 6g of Awei (Asafoetida, ground). Grind together into fine powder, mix with vinegar-moistened rice paste to form pills the size of small beans. Take 10 pills each time on an empty stomach with porridge water. For wind-cold pain and cold bi in the lower back and legs with limb weakness (Sheng Hui Fang, Anxixiang San) Take 60g each of Anxixiang, Fuzi (Aconite root, processed and peeled), and Hu jinggu (tiger bone, roasted with butter until yellow). Grind into powder. Take 3g before meals with warm wine. For postpartum dizziness due to blood stasis, blood distension, and trismus in critical condition (Fangmai Zhengzong) Take 3g of Anxixiang and 15g of Wulingzhi (Trogopterus dung, ground and water‑refined). Mix evenly. Take 3g each time with stir‑fried ginger decoction. For sudden heart pain or frequent recurring episodes over years (Shiyi Dexiao Fang) Take Anxixiang, grind into powder. Take 1.5g with boiling water. For infantile fright (empirical formula) Take a piece of Anxixiang about the size of a bean, burn it to dispel the condition.
Medicinal Parts
Dried resin.
Selection & Storage
Store in a dry container in a cool, dry place, protected from light in a sealed container, and protected from heat.
