Raw Rhubarb Root … Classic Formulas
Da Huang · Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Primary Actions
- Drains heat and purges accumulation ... raw Da Huang is one of the classic offensive purgatives for constipation with heat, abdominal fullness, and fecal retention.
- Clears damp-heat and fire toxicity ... beyond bowel unblocking, it is used for jaundice, damp-heat dysentery, and heat-toxin patterns where internal accumulation must be opened rather than merely cooled.
- Invigorates blood and dispels stasis ... traditional use extends to fixed abdominal pain, traumatic injury, and menstrual disorders when stasis and heat or obstruction are intertwined.
Classic Formulas
- Da Cheng Qi Tang ... the canonical severe heat-accumulation bowel-opening formula.
- Tao He Cheng Qi Tang ... combines Da Huang with blood-stasis logic when accumulation and congealing blood overlap.
- Xie Xin Tang and related heat-draining formulas ... use Da Huang to descend and vent internal heat.
Classical Text References
- Materia medica tradition treats raw Da Huang as the strongest and most direct purgative member of the rhubarb family.
- Its scope is wider than constipation alone ... heat, damp-heat, toxin, and blood stasis all appear in the classical rationale.