Xia Tian Wu
English Name: decumbent corydalis rhizome
Literal Translation: “not in summer”
Pharmaceutical Name: Rhizoma Corydalis Decumbentis
Medica Category: Wind Damp Dispelling Herbs – Channel and Collateral Opening Herbs
Properties: Xia Tian Wu enters the Liver channel; it is acrid and bitter in nature and warm in temperature.
What is Xia Tian Wu?:
The Chinese Herb Xia Tian Wu is the dried rhizome of decumbent corydalis (Corydalis decumbens (Thunb.) Pers.), a small plant with little white flowers tinged with pinks and blues that crawls along forest floors, meadows and roadsides. Its range extends across large areas of lowlands across South and East China and Japan. The tubers are harvested in the winter or early spring then cleaned and dried for use as medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Xia Tian Wu:
Xia Tian Wu dispels wind-damp and clears the channels and collaterals to promote the flow of qi and relieve joint pain, numbness, and/or paralysis (i.e. indicated for bi zheng (painful obstruction syndrome) in the joints and post-stroke type complications).
Xia Tian Wu activates blood circulation to strongly relieve pain and stagnation in the case of traumatic injuries as well as epigastric/abdominal pain.