Five Famous Herbs of Pan’an

Five Famous Herbs of Pan’an

The Five Famous Herbs of Pan’an is a geographical indication certification trademark.

　　A collective term for five traditional Chinese medicinal herbs produced in Pan’an, Zhejiang: Atractylodes macrocephala, Corydalis yanhusuo, Paeonia lactiflora, Fritillaria thunbergii, and Scrophularia ningpoensis.

　　Atractylodes macrocephala is a perennial herb that prefers a cool climate. Its rhizome is used medicinally and has multiple therapeutic effects. Functions: invigorates the spleen and benefits qi, dries dampness and promotes urination, suppresses sweating, and calms the fetus. It is used for spleen deficiency with reduced food intake, abdominal bloating and diarrhea, phlegm retention with dizziness and palpitations, edema, spontaneous sweating, and restless fetus.

　　Corydalis yanhusuo, which is warm in nature and acrid-bitter in flavor, enters the heart, spleen, liver, and lung meridians. It is an excellent herb for activating blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis and regulating qi to relieve pain, especially renowned for its analgesic effect. Li Shizhen summarized in the Compendium of Materia Medica that Corydalis yanhusuo has four main functions: “activating blood, regulating qi, relieving pain, and promoting urination.” He also praised it as being specialized in treating all kinds of pain throughout the body because “it moves stagnant qi within the blood and stagnant blood within the qi.”

　　Paeonia lactiflora is not only a famous flower but also has roots that can be used medicinally. The roots are crisp, juicy, and medicinal, with red peony (Chi Shao) and white peony (Bai Shao) resulting from different processing methods. Analysis shows that peony roots contain paeoniflorin and benzoic acid, and their uses vary according to the species. In traditional Chinese medicine, Bai Shao mainly refers to the root of the peony plant, functioning as an antispasmodic, analgesic, and menstruation-regulating agent. It is effective against women’s abdominal pain, gastric spasms, dizziness, gout, and diuresis. Cultivated peony roots—thicker and straighter—are typically used for Bai Shao, yielding higher-quality processed products. Wild peony roots, being thinner, are sold only as Chi Shao. In TCM, Chi Shao comes from the root of Paeonia veitchii, and has effects such as dispersing blood stasis, activating blood circulation, relieving pain, and purging liver fire. It is used to treat menstrual disorders, stagnation-induced abdominal pain, joint swelling and pain, chest pain, and rib pain.

　　Fritillaria is a perennial herbaceous plant, and its bulb is used medicinally for relieving coughs, resolving phlegm, clearing heat, and dissipating nodules. The Fritillaria “family” can be divided into three main types based on origin and variety: Chuanbeimu (Sichuan Fritillaria), Zhebeimu (Zhejiang Fritillaria), and Tubibeimu (Wild Fritillaria).

　　Scrophularia ningpoensis: Indications include: febrile diseases with heat invading the Ying and Blood levels, fever, thirst, dark purple tongue, maculopapular rashes, consumptive cough due to bone steaming, vexing fever and restlessness with sleeplessness, fluid damage with constipation, dry and blurred vision, sore throat and swollen tonsils, scrofula and phlegm nodules, boils and abscesses, and sores with toxicity.