Chinese Herbalism
Morinda root
Morinda officinalis
Also known as medicinal Indian mulberry, ba ji tian, Indian mulberry (a name also used for noni, Morinda citrifolia, a different plant), bā jǐ tiān, bā jǐ ròu (cored root), yán bā jǐ tiān (salt-processed).
Ba ji tian is the fleshy root of a climbing shrub of the coffee family native to Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, cultivated and harvested after five or more years. The beaded, purplish root has its woody core pulled out before use. In Chinese medicine it is one of the milder kidney yang tonics: sweet, slightly warm and moistening, suited to prolonged use for sexual, reproductive and musculoskeletal weakness of a cold, deficient type. Botanists now place it in Gynochthodes, but the pharmacopoeia keeps Morinda officinalis.
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Indications what the tradition reached for it in
- Erectile dysfunction and low libido with kidney yang deficiency
- Male infertility with cold, thin semen
- Female infertility with a cold uterus
- Irregular or scanty menstruation with cold lower abdominal pain
- Chronic low back and knee weakness and cold pain
- Wind-damp joint pain in a cold, deficient patient
- Urinary frequency and nocturia from kidney yang deficiency
- Menopausal syndrome with cold, fatigue and low mood (in formula)
- Mild to moderate depression with fatigue and low drive
- Osteoporosis and age-related bone loss (supportive)
Specific indications
A middle-aged man with waning libido, cold lower back, nocturia and a pale, moist tongue, where a gentle daily yang tonic is wanted rather than a hot stimulant
A woman with delayed, scanty periods, cold lower abdomen, low mood and aching knees, in whom the picture is kidney yang deficiency rather than blood stasis
Safety
The record lists 6 contraindications; open the plate in the library to read them in full.
In practice
Reach for ba ji tian when the yang is low but the patient is easily overheated by hotter tonics such as rou gui or fu zi. It is the daily yang tonic for low libido, erectile weakness, cold infertility and a weak, cold lower back, and it pairs with rou cong rong, tu si zi and yin yang huo for reproductive weakness, with du zhong, xu duan and niu xi for the back and knees, and with yi zhi ren and sang piao xiao for nocturia and enuresis.
In Chinese medicine
Temperature: slightly warm. Taste: sweet, acrid. Channels: Kidney, Liver. Actions: Tonifies kidney yang and warms the lower burner without the harshness of the hotter yang tonics; Strengthens the sinews and bones in weakness of the lower back and knees; Dispels wind-damp and cold from the lower body, especially where damp painful obstruction sits on a deficient constitution; Warms the uterus in cold infertility and irregular menstruation.
Dosing as the sources wrote it
| Preparation | As written | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| Decoction | 3-10 g dried cored root daily | 3000-10000 mg |
| Powder or granules | 1-3 g daily in divided doses | 1000-3000 mg |
| Tincture (1:5, 45%) | 2-4 mL three times daily | 2-4 mL |
Doses are reproduced from the sources for practitioners and are not a recommendation for any person.
From the sources
Overview. Ba ji tian is the fleshy root of a climbing shrub of the coffee family native to Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, cultivated and harvested after five or more years. The beaded, purplish root has its woody core pulled out before use. In Chinese medicine it is one of the milder kidney yang tonics: sweet, slightly warm and moistening, suited to prolonged use for sexual, reproductive and musculoskeletal weakness of a cold, deficient type. Botanists now place it in Gynochthodes, but the pharmacopoeia keeps Morinda officinalis.
Clinical Notes. Reach for ba ji tian when the yang is low but the patient is easily overheated by hotter tonics such as rou gui or fu zi. It is the daily yang tonic for low libido, erectile weakness, cold infertility and a weak, cold lower back, and it pairs with rou cong rong, tu si zi and yin yang huo for reproductive weakness, with du zhong, xu duan and niu xi for the back and knees, and with yi zhi ren and sang piao xiao for nocturia and enuresis.
Chinese Medicine Profile. Temperature: slightly warm. Taste: sweet, acrid. Channels: Kidney, Liver. Actions: Tonifies kidney yang and warms the lower burner without the harshness of the hotter yang tonics; Strengthens the sinews and bones in weakness of the lower back and knees; Dispels wind-damp and cold from the lower body, especially where damp painful obstruction sits on a deficient constitution; Warms the uterus in cold infertility and irregular menstruation.
In formulas
Morinda root stands in 11 documented formulas in the library, among them wú bi shân yào wán, zàn yù dàn, dì huáng yin zi, èr xiān tāng.
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MotherwortLeonurus cardiaca
Mountain AshSorbus
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