Xie Bai
English Name: bakeri, long-stemmed onion bulb
Pharmaceutical Name: Bulbus Allii Macrostemonis
Medica Category: Qi-Regulating Herbs
Properties: Xie Bai enters the Large Intestine, Stomach, and Lung channels; it is acrid and bitter in nature and warm in temperature.
What is Xie Bai?:
The Chinese Herb Xie Bai is the dried bulb of long-stamened onions (or bakeri—Allium macrostemon Bge.).
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Xie Bai:
Xie Bai helps break up xiong bi (painful obstruction of the chest) and opens yang qi in cases where the accumulation of phlegm and cold in the chest creates obstructions of the collaterals and channels that inhibit its smooth flow. This condition may manifest clinically as chest congestion (“feelings of pain or oppression”), shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing.
Xie Bai goes to the Large Intestine channel to relieve qi stagnation that manifests as diarrhea or dysentery with rectal tenesmus.
**safety note—Xie Bai has an antiplatelet action and should be used with care/under supervision of trained healthcare practitioners with patients who are taking anticoagulant drugs (such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and enoxaparin (Lovenox)) or antiplatelets (such as aspirin, dipyridamole (Persantine), and clopidogrel (Plavix)).