Fupian from An County

Fupian from An County

　　　Fupian is the lateral tuberous root of Aconitum carmichaelii, a plant in the Ranunculaceae family. It is propagated through tubers and thrives in warm, moist, and sunny environments. The seeds are sown in December of the previous year and cultivated in deep, fertile, loose, and well-drained soil. The whole plant is harvested in July of the following year. Fupian has an acrid, sweet taste and a hot nature, and is toxic. It is known for its efficacy in restoring yang, invigorating collapse, dispelling cold, and removing dampness, treating conditions such as excessive yin repelling yang, collapse due to profuse sweating, vomiting and diarrhea with cold limbs, cold pain in the heart and abdomen, spleen diarrhea and cold dysentery, beriberi edema, slow fright in children, wind-cold-damp arthralgia, spasm and contracture, yin sores and fistulas, and all chronic cold-related disorders.

　　Fupian can be categorized by processing into white Fupian (white-grade slices), black Fupian (black-grade slices), salted Fupian, yellow Fupian, hung Fupian, black middle slices, black scraped slices, and processed Tianxiong. Fupian is mainly produced in Sichuan and Hanzhong. Within Sichuan, production is concentrated in Jiangyou and An County, with An County’s white slices being the finest, while Jiangyou produces the largest quantity, hence the term “Sichuan Fupian.”