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TCM Treasures - Bai Shu 白术
By Zhang Qian |
July 1, 2012, Sunday
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Print Edition
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BAI shu, white atractylodes rhizome, is a reinforcing herb that especially recommended by the Taoist school as "a magic herb for longevity."
A traditional tale links the discovery of bai shu to the Emperor Wu in the Han Dynasty. One day, Wu saw an old man in farmland surrounded by a dazzling halo radiating good health. The emperor asked the old man the secret of his vitality. The old man told him that his hair had turned white and he had lost all his teeth at the age of 85. A Taoist told him a secret recipe for longevity - eat no food, instead taking only bai shu and water.
"Within days, my hair turned black, I got new teeth soon and could walk 300 miles every day," the old man told the emperor. "Now I am 180 years old."
Bai shu, as a reinforcing herb in TCM, is a "warm" herb that travels through the stomach meridian. It helps the digestive system, dispel pathogenic dampness, and restores energy balance. It is used to treat night sweating, edema, poor appetite, diarrhea, and to prevent miscarriages.
It is often prescribed together with "dangshen" (codonopsis pilosula ) and liquorice to strengthen the digestive system and relieving fatigue and diarrhea. Prescriptions & Usage:
Herbal congee
Cook a decoction of 12g bai shu, 15g fu ling (Poria cocos), 3g dried orange peel, 1g ginger peel, and 3g sha ren (fructus amomi).
Filter the decoction and cook with 100g rice into congee.
Divide the congee into two portions and eat one in the morning and one at night.
Benefits: helps benefit the digestive system and water metabolism.
Bai shu, black beans and fish soup
Wash the carp (800g) and put in a pan with 50g of beans, 60g bai shu and water.
Simmer the soup until the fish and beans are soft.
Remove the bai shu and eat the soup.
Benefits: help regulate energy circulation and benefits the spleen and stomach.
A traditional tale links the discovery of bai shu to the Emperor Wu in the Han Dynasty. One day, Wu saw an old man in farmland surrounded by a dazzling halo radiating good health. The emperor asked the old man the secret of his vitality. The old man told him that his hair had turned white and he had lost all his teeth at the age of 85. A Taoist told him a secret recipe for longevity - eat no food, instead taking only bai shu and water.
"Within days, my hair turned black, I got new teeth soon and could walk 300 miles every day," the old man told the emperor. "Now I am 180 years old."
Bai shu, as a reinforcing herb in TCM, is a "warm" herb that travels through the stomach meridian. It helps the digestive system, dispel pathogenic dampness, and restores energy balance. It is used to treat night sweating, edema, poor appetite, diarrhea, and to prevent miscarriages.
It is often prescribed together with "dangshen" (codonopsis pilosula ) and liquorice to strengthen the digestive system and relieving fatigue and diarrhea. Prescriptions & Usage:
Herbal congee
Cook a decoction of 12g bai shu, 15g fu ling (Poria cocos), 3g dried orange peel, 1g ginger peel, and 3g sha ren (fructus amomi).
Filter the decoction and cook with 100g rice into congee.
Divide the congee into two portions and eat one in the morning and one at night.
Benefits: helps benefit the digestive system and water metabolism.
Bai shu, black beans and fish soup
Wash the carp (800g) and put in a pan with 50g of beans, 60g bai shu and water.
Simmer the soup until the fish and beans are soft.
Remove the bai shu and eat the soup.
Benefits: help regulate energy circulation and benefits the spleen and stomach.
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