Stephania Tetrandra Root

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Dispels wind-damp and alleviates painful obstruction ... authentic Fang Ji is especially valued for red, swollen, heavy, painful joints when damp-heat predominates.
• Promotes urination and reduces edema ... it is used for lower-body swelling, difficult urination, and damp accumulation in the lower burner.
• Clears damp-heat from the skin and limbs ... traditional use extends to eczema, damp sores, and painful swelling of the feet and legs.

Secondary Actions

• This page preserves the accepted species-name lane on authentic Fen Fang Ji and should not be confused with Guang Fang Ji or other unsafe substitutions.
• Recent taxonomy accepts the authentic source as `Botryodiscia tetrandra`, while much of the indexed literature remains under `Stephania tetrandra`; both point to the same authenticated medicinal lineage here.

Classic Formulas

• Fang Ji Huang Qi Tang ... classic edema and wind-damp formula in which Fang Ji promotes urination while relieving painful heaviness.
• Fang Ji Fu Ling Tang ... water-damp formula lineage that uses Fang Ji for edema and difficult urination.
• Xuan Bi Tang ... damp-heat bi formula that highlights Fang Ji for hot, swollen, painful joints.

Classical References

• Traditional herbology consistently places Fang Ji in both edema formulas and damp-heat painful-obstruction formulas, especially when swelling and heaviness are prominent.
• Identity is safety-critical because the Fang Ji name has historically been shared across multiple plant lineages, not all of them safe.