Biond's magnolia

A blocked, stuffy nose with frontal headache and clear or white discharge, worse in cold wind

Chronic sinus congestion with loss of smell and a heavy head in someone who catches cold easily

Overview. Xin yi is the dried unopened flower bud of Magnolia biondii, a deciduous magnolia of the mountains of central China, harvested in late winter before the silky, furry buds swell; the buds of Magnolia denudata and Magnolia sprengeri are accepted alternative sources. The bud looks like a small paintbrush and smells sharply of eucalyptus and camphor. In Chinese medicine it is the principal herb for opening the nose: a warm, acrid, aromatic remedy for congestion, sinus headache and lost smell, used since the earliest materia medica and still the backbone of modern rhinitis formulas.

Clinical Notes. Xin yi is the herb to reach for when the nose is blocked. It suits wind-cold congestion with clear discharge and frontal headache, and by combination it serves almost every nasal pattern: with cang er zi, bai zhi and bo he (Cang Er Zi San) for sinus headache and thick discharge; with huang qin, shi gao and zhi zi when the discharge is yellow and heat is present; with huang qi, bai zhu and fang feng for the allergic patient who sneezes at every draught; and with xi xin and gui zhi for cold-type rhinitis with watery discharge.

Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: warm. Taste: acrid. Channels: Lung, Stomach. Actions: Disperses wind-cold from the head and face; Opens and unblocks the nasal orifices; Relieves sinus headache and restores the sense of smell.