Properties: Pungent, warm
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver, Kidney, Spleen and Stomach
Extraordinary Vessels: Chong, Ren, Yin Wei
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Warms the Liver and Kidneys, expels Cold and alleviates pain
Cold in the Lower Jiao with lower abdominal pain
Cold Invading the Liver Channel with Cold bulging disorders
- Regulates Qi and harmonizes the Stomach
Stomach Cold with abdominal pain, indigestion, reduced appetite and vomiting
Suggested Daily Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.
Notable Constituents:
- Anethole
Antimicrobial, antifungal, insecticidal aromatic compound with oestrogenic and galactagogue effects. It contributes to a large part of the flavour and odour of anise and fennel and is also responsible for the cloudiness of many alcoholic beverages like ouzo and absinthe due to its ability to spontaneously form a microemulsion when added to water. It is also a precursor to the illicit amphetamine based drug PMA.
- Estragole
Phenylpropanoid with the odour of anise that has been identified as genotoxic and carcinogenic. target="_blank">European Medicines Agency recommends to limit safe exposure to 1 mg/person/day. It is insoluble in water so is primarily a concern in ground herbs or ethanol extracts. Fennel has approximately 0.3% estragole content.
Appears in 15 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
