Wei Xiangfu

Last updated 2026-11-16 — Wei Xiangfu is produced in Huaxian County, Henan Province. It can be harvested in spring, summer, or autumn. The fibrous roots and scale leaves are scorched off with fire, then briefly immersed in boiling water or thoroughly steamed in a steamer before being taken out to dry. Next, it is polished in a bamboo basket; any remaining ash, dust, and fine hairs are removed using a bamboo sieve, resulting in smooth-surfaced Xiangfu. If not scorched with fire, it is dried to about 70–80% and then the fuzz and outer skin are removed using a stone mill—this product is called Xiangfu rice. The dried rhizomes are mostly spindle-shaped, some slightly curved, with a brownish or dark brown surface marked by longitudinal wrinkles and several raised nodes. The nodes bear brownish hairs and remnants of root scars. The texture is hard, and after steaming, the broken cross-section has a glossy, purplish-red appearance. When directly sun-dried, the outer skin and central core are distinctly layered, with the center slightly darker and scattered with black, dot-like vascular bundles. It is characterized by large size, brownish color, firm texture, thick flesh, strong aroma, and potent medicinal efficacy, with the core located centrally—distinguishing it from the more common off-center-core Xiangfu. The processed Xiangfu rice is reddish-yellow, semi-transparent, and ice-block-like. It is known for its functions of regulating qi, relieving depression, easing pain, and harmonizing menstruation. It is primarily used to treat disharmony between the liver and stomach, stagnant qi, chest and rib-side distension and pain, hernia pain, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, and breast swelling and pain.