Acanthopanax root bark

Cold, stiff, aching knees and low back in an older person whose legs feel weak and heavy and who improves with warmth and a little wine

A patient with damp-type ankle swelling and joint ache after prolonged standing, where a warming diuretic that also strengthens the legs is wanted

Overview. Wu jia pi is the root bark of a thorny, five-leaflet shrub of the ginseng family that grows on hillsides and along streams across central and southern China. The bark is stripped in summer and autumn and dried into short quills that are nearly odorless and faintly bitter. It is an old warming remedy for damp, cold joint pain, weak legs and swelling, and wu jia pi wine is a household tonic for the elderly. Botanists now place the species under Eleutherococcus nodiflorus, but the pharmacopoeia keeps the name Acanthopanax gracilistylus.

Clinical Notes. This is a mild, dependable herb for the cold, damp, weak-legged patient. Combine it with du zhong, niu xi and mu gua for weak lower limbs, with du huo, qin jiao and sang ji sheng for wind-damp bi, and with fu ling pi, da fu pi and sheng jiang pi for damp edema.

Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: warm. Taste: acrid, bitter. Channels: Liver, Kidney. Actions: Dispels wind-dampness and relieves painful obstruction, especially cold damp pain in the lower body; Tonifies the liver and kidney and strengthens the sinews and bones, the basis for its use in weak legs and slow walking in children; Promotes urination and reduces swelling in damp edema and heavy, swollen legs; Warms and moves in the manner of a gentle tonic wine, its most traditional vehicle.