What it is:
This herb is the root of Aucklandialappa Decne (family Compositae) which is produced chiefly in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of China and many parts of India. It is dug in autumn, and winter, removed of dirt and the rootlets are dried in sunlight, and used un-prepared or roasted in hot ash.

Property:
Flavour and channel tropism: pungent and bitter in flavour, warm in property, acting on the spleen, stomach, large intestine and gall bladder channels.

Effects:
Promoting the flow of qi, coordinating the functions of the spleen and stomach, and re-lieving pain.

Used for:
1. Abdominal distension and pain, anorexia, borborygmus, diarrhea and dysentery due to stagnation of qi in the spleen and stomach. It is often used with bitter orange, Sichuan Chinaberry and corydalis tuber. For the treatment of abdominal pain, diarrhea, dysentery with tenesmus due to stagnation of damp-heat in the stomach and intestines, and disturbance of the functional activities of qi, it is often used with coptis to make Pill of Aucklandia and Coptis (Xiang Lian Wan). For diarrhea and dysentery due to retention of indigested food, it is usually used with areca seed, immature bitter orange and rhubarb, as in Pill of Aucklandia and Areca Seed (MuxiangBinglang Wan).

2. Insufficiency of the spleen and hypofunction of the spleen in transporting and distributing nutrients manifested as epigastric and abdominal distension, anorexia etc. It is often used with dang-shen, white atractylodes rhizome and amomum fruit, as in Decoction of Aucklandia and Amomum with Six Noble Ingredients (Xiang Sha LiujunziTang). It is also used in conjunction with bupleurum root, curcuma root and bitter orange for treating distending pain in the hypo-chondrium, bitter taste in the mouth and yellow coating on the tongue due to stagnation of damp-heat and improper dispersion of the liver and gall bladder. Also, when tonics are used, small amount of aucklandia can be given to reduce the greasy and stagnant disadvantage of tonics and prevent such side effects as chest oppression, abdominal distension and anorexia.

Precautions:
Aucklandia should be cautiously used in cases of hyperactivity of fire due to yin deficiency.