Xu Chang Qing – Paniculate Swallowwort Root – Radix Cynanchi Paniculati

Xu Chang Qing

English Name: paniculate swallowwort root

Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Cynanchi Paniculati

Medica Category: Wind Damp Dispelling Herbs – Pain Relieving Herbs

Properties: Xu Chang Qing enters the Liver and Stomach channels; it is acrid in nature and warm in temperature.

What is Xu Chang Qing?:

The Chinese Herb Xu Chang Qing is the dried roots of the paniculate cynanchum (Cynanchum paniculatum (Bge.) Kitag.), a type of Asian milkweed that grows on sunny mountainsides from Mongolia and China, across Korea and into Japan. The roots are dug up and gathered in autumn after the flowers have bloomed and withered. They are then cleaned, dried in the shade, and cut into slices for use as medicine.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Xu Chang Qing:

Xu Chang Qing dispels wind and dampness to treat wind-damp obstruction syndrome (bi zheng) presenting as rheumatic joint pain, lower back pain, abdominal pain, toothache, and pain due to external injuries (trauma).

Xu Chang Qing dispels wind to relieve itching from eczema and other wind rashes. It also eliminates toxins and can be used for snakebites, sores, and carbuncles.