What are the precautions for harvesting white peony root

White peony root (Paeonia lactiflora) is one of the most common traditional Chinese medicines in our country, and it has very good effects on many human diseases. Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine has thousands of years of culture and history in our country, and the reason it has continued to this day is indeed its unique efficacy and effects.

What to note when harvesting white peony root

Paeonia lactiflora is best harvested in August of the third to fourth year. When harvesting, choose a sunny day, cut off the stems and leaves, dig out the roots, cut the thick roots from where they grow on the peony head, and leave the pen-holder-thick roots on the peony head for division propagation. Then cut off the lateral roots on the thick roots, remove the heads and tails, and according to the natural growth of the peony roots, cut them into peony strips 9-12 cm long with similar thickness at both ends. Grade them by size, place them indoors for 2-3 days, and turn the pile once each day.

Medicinal effects of white peony root  

1. Used for irregular menstruation, flooding and spotting, and other patterns due to blood deficiency or yin deficiency with heat. It has the effect of nourishing blood and regulating menstruation, and is often used with Angelica sinensis and Rehmannia glutinosa preparata. If there is yin deficiency with heat, early menstruation, heavy flow, or continuous flooding and spotting, it can be used with donkey-hide gelatin and Lycium chinense root bark.  

2. Used for headache, dizziness, hypochondriac pain, and cramping pain in the epigastrium, abdomen, and limbs due to insufficient liver yin, unsmooth liver qi, or hyperactivity of liver yang. It has the effect of nourishing liver yin, regulating liver qi, calming liver yang, and relieving acute pain.  

3. Used for yin deficiency night sweats and spontaneous sweating due to exterior deficiency with disharmony between the nutritive and defensive qi. It can astringe yin, harmonize the nutritive qi, and stop sweating. For disharmony between the nutritive and defensive qi and spontaneous sweating due to exterior deficiency, it is often combined with cassia twig. For yin deficiency night sweats, it can be combined with Rehmannia glutinosa, oyster shell, light wheat, and others.

Efficacy and effects of white peony root  

[Nature and flavor] Sweet, sour, and bitter in flavor; slightly cold in nature; non-toxic.  

[Meridian entry] Liver and spleen meridians.  

[Efficacy] Calms the liver and relieves pain, nourishes blood and regulates menstruation, astringes yin and stops sweating. Used for headache and dizziness, hypochondriac pain, abdominal pain, cramping pain of the limbs, blood deficiency with sallow complexion, irregular menstruation, spontaneous sweating and night sweats, and other conditions.  

1. Effects on the cardiovascular system: dilates coronary arteries and lowers blood pressure.  

2. Liver-protective effect: has a clear protective effect against liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride, aflatoxin B1, and D-galactosamine.  

3. Antispasmodic effect: has an inhibitory effect on intestinal movement and in situ gastric movement, and significantly counteracts uterine contractions caused by oxytocin.  

4. Analgesic effect: can inhibit writhing, squeaking, and hot-plate responses in mice, has a synergistic effect with morphine in inhibiting writhing responses, and can counteract convulsions caused by pentylenetetrazol.

Medicinal contraindications of white peony root  

1. White peony root has a sour, cold, astringent action, so in cases of externally contracted wind-cold, internal injury from raw and cold foods, spleen-stomach deficiency cold, and kidney yang decline, it should not be used in large doses or alone.  

2. In cases of irregular menstruation or profuse and thin leukorrhea, bearing-down sensation in the lower abdomen, and soreness and heaviness in the waist and abdomen belonging to deficiency cold, it should not be used in large doses or alone.  

3. White peony root is sour, cold, and astringent, so it is contraindicated in cold damage with yang binding in the upper jiao and in rashes. For pregnant women and postpartum women, it should not be used in large doses or alone.  

4. White peony root has a sedative effect, so it is contraindicated in comatose patients. Infants, young children, and the elderly should not take it long-term or in excessive doses.  

5. White peony root can antagonize the diaphoretic effects of medicinal materials such as cassia twig and Ligusticum chuanxiong, is incompatible with mirabilite and Dendrobium, is restrained by turtle shell and small thistle, and reverses Veratrum nigrum.

Although white peony root has many efficacy and effects, its effects only appear when used according to the pattern. Therefore, in daily life, do not consume white peony root blindly; it is better to take it under a doctor's guidance.