Paeonia lactiflora / BAI SHAO YAO / White Peony Root Cut

Description

Botanical Name – Paeonia lactiflora

Chinese Name – BAI SHAO YAO

English Name – White Peony Root

Paeonia lactiflora or Radix Paeoniae Alba is a perennial herbal plant in the Ranunculaceae family. White peony root is cultivated widely throughout China. The major production provinces are Zhejiang, Anhui and Sichuan

Difference between BAI SHAO and CHI SHAO

Bai Shao (White Peony Root) comes from one plant, Paeonia lactiflora, whereas official Chi Shao can come from two plants, P. lactiflora and P. veitchii.  The later only produces Chi Shao and is only found in the wild.  The former can produce either bai shao or chi shao and can be either cultivated or wild-crafted.  If it is cultivated and subjected to pao zhi (boiling and scraping off the root bark), it is bai shao.  If it is wild-crafted and used crude, it is chi shao.

In China, Bai Shao and Chi Shao are regarded as two separate medicinals.  Both use paeoniflorin content for quality control testing, but the standard minimum content of chi shao is higher than that of bai shao.

Medicinal Action and Uses

Antispasmodic – White peony root is often paired with liquorice root to relieve various muscular spasms, such as in the stomach, intestines, lower legs, face, diaphragm and internal organs.

Blood deficiency- White Peony is used to treat bloods issues, including irregular menstruation, abdominal cramps during menstruation, uterine bleeding, vaginal discharge.

Hepatic –  BAI SHAO is most widely used for its actions on the liver. Itsoftens the liver (by nourishing and astringing liver blood.) It is used for Liver Qi stagnation (liver attacking the spleen/stomach: flank, chest, epigastric, or abdominal pain.) Hyperactive liver yang leads to headache and dizziness, white peony root can work with other herbs like rehmannia root and achyranthes root to enrich blood and pacify the liver.

Packaging

Product is supplied in Resealable Foil Bags.

Packaging

This product is packaged in protective foil bags. These keep the contents fresh and protected from moisture and light. Look out for the QR code on the label - you can scan this with your smartphone to download the Certificate of Analysis document for this product.

Cut Herbs

Cut herbs are herbs which have been harvested and then cut into smaller pieces, suitable for further processing. Cut herbs like Paeonia lactiflora / BAI SHAO YAO / White Peony Root Cut can be used to produce tinctures or fluid extracts. They can also be used in herbal teas and infusions.