Asarum ，Medically Chinese wild ginger plant, also known as Xi Xin in Pinyin, is a rather controversial Chinese herb. This is a good herb of expelling pathogenic cold, expelling wind to alleviate pain, and harmonizing seven orifices. But the mentioned is just come of its common medicinal properties。

It contains volatile oil, which mainly includes methyl eugenol, asarone, safrole and other ingredients. In addition, it still contains N-isobutyldodecatetraenamide, higenamine, sitosterol, stigmasterol and so on.

 Clinically it is commonly used as diuretic and a drug for relieving exterior disorder. Its Chinese name can be literally translated as “small pungent” since it has small root and strong aroma, and pungent taste. It will definitely leave you a lifetime impression if you ever experience its hot and scurrying flavor. It is such a good medicine that can expel wind-cold externally while getting rid of the stagnation of yin-cold internally. Meanwhile, it can relieve pain and prevent cough. Though it is with good cold-expelling property, it is not generally used as the main drug in normal superficies-relieving formulas since it has a weak sweating function.

Up to now it has more than 2,000 years of history of using as medicine. And the earliest extant record is from the “Sheng Nong’s herbal classic.” However, it is the “The Shang Han Lun” (On Cold Damage) that later found and achieved its full potential to treat wind-cold exterior pattern, all kinds of pain, various blocked orifices, cough and asthma due to pulmonary cold, and the like. Today, its therapeutic range has been greatly extended and it is widely used in the treatment of recurrent oral ulcers, impotence, aphasia caused by stroke, bradycardia, epilepsy, Meniere’s disease, anejaculation, testicular pain, female infertility, urticaria, and more. In addition, it is often used for dental anesthesia too.

Modern pharmacological actions of Asarum

1) Its volatile oil, water and alcohol extract are antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, sedative, and anticonvulsant. And they are used as local anaesthetic too;

2) Large doses of its volatile oil can excite and then suppress the central nervous system, showing some toxic and side effect;

3) In vitro tests show that it inhibits hemolytic streptococcus, Shigella and aflatoxin;

4) The alcohol infusion of Asarum sieboldii Miq. can resist morphine-induced respiratory depression. The higenamine contained can strengthen the heart, dilate blood vessels, relax smooth muscle, enhance lipid metabolism, elevate blood sugar, and so on;

5) The safrole contained is a toxic carcinogen, which can be easily damaged by high heat.

Related Forms: Cut, powder, extract