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Hua Jiao (花椒), Sichuan pepper husk, warms the middle burner and disperses cold to relieve abdominal pain, and kills intestinal parasites (especially roundworm).
Latin / Pharmaceutical Name
Zanthoxylum bungeanum (Pericarpium Zanthoxyli)
Common English Name
Sichuan pepper
Taste
Acrid
Temperature
Hot
Channels Entered
Spleen, Stomach, Kidney
Actions & Functions
- Warms the middle and relieves abdominal pain (cold)
- Kills parasites (roundworm)
- (External) relieves damp itching
Indications
Cold of the middle burner with abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea; roundworm with abdominal pain; and damp, itchy skin (topical).
Dosage
3-6 g in decoction.
Common Combinations
With Gan Jiang and Ren Shen (Da Jian Zhong Tang) for severe middle cold; with Wu Mei for roundworm.
Cautions & Contraindications
Hot and drying; contraindicated in yin deficiency with heat and used with caution in pregnancy.
