Jiang Xiang – Rosewood – Lignum Dalbergiae Odoriferae

Jiang Xiang

English Name: dalbergia, rosewood

Literal Translation: “descending fragrance”

Pharmaceutical Name: Lignum Dalbergiae Odoriferae

Medica Category: Blood-Invigorating and Stasis-Removing Herbs

Properties: Jiang Xiang enters the Liver, Spleen, and Heart channels; it is acrid in nature and warm in temperature.

What is Jiang Xiang?:

The Chinese Herb Jiang Xiang is dried wood from the fragrant (or Chinese) rosewood tree (Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen). It is native to China and grows naturally in a few of the Southeastern provinces. For centuries it has been valued as a source of wood from which to make high-quality furniture, and for use as medicine the inner wood (or “heart wood”) of the tree is used.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Jiang Xiang:

Jiang Xiang both activates blood circulation and stops bleeding and is commonly used to relieve pain when both bleeding and blood stasis are present. Clinical examples of this might be chest and/or epigastric pain with internal bleeding or traumatic sports injuries with internal bleeding and/or bruising and pain. It can also be used topically in powdered form to stop bleeding from cuts.

Jiang Xiang harmonizes the middle to address nausea and vomiting caused by the accumulation of dampness and turbidity (possibly caused by overeating the same kinds of fatty, greasy/oily food at a holiday dinner (acute) or long-term dampness and turbidity accumulation from years of poor diet (chronic)).

—(student/practitioner) safety notes:

Contraindicated in cases of bleeding from blood heat.

Contraindicated in cases of yin-deficient fire.

Contraindicated in the absence of blood stasis.