Rhizome of Gaint Knotweed … Classic Formulas

Hu Zhang · Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati

Primary Actions

  • Invigorates blood and dispels stasis ... Hu Zhang is used for traumatic injury, amenorrhea, fixed pain, and mass-like stasis patterns.
  • Clears heat and resolves toxicity ... traditional use extends to damp-heat jaundice, hot sores, and inflammatory lesions.
  • Transforms phlegm and stops cough ... it is chosen when Lung heat and thick phlegm produce productive cough or wheezing.
  • Unblocks the bowels and drains dampness ... older use includes constipation and damp-heat obstruction when heat and stasis bind together.

Classic Formulas

  • Trauma and blood-stasis combinations with Ru Xiang, Mo Yao, or Yan Hu Suo ... common strategy for bruising and fixed pain.
  • Damp-heat and jaundice pairings with Yin Chen or Zhi Zi ... classical logic when heat and dampness lodge in the Liver-Gallbladder system.
  • Cough and phlegm combinations ... Hu Zhang can be added when productive cough carries an inflammatory heat component.

Classical Text References

  • Traditional materia medica describes Hu Zhang as bitter and slightly cold, entering the Liver, Gallbladder, and Lung to move blood, clear heat, transform phlegm, and stop cough.
  • Its blood-moving and heat-clearing combination helps explain why the herb bridges traumatology, hepatitis-jaundice, and productive-cough use.