What it is:
This herb is theroot tuber of Curcumaaromatica Salisb. or Curcuma zedoaria Rosc., or Curcuma longa L. (family Zingiberaceae) whichis produced mainly in Sichuan, Zhejiang,Guangdong and Guangxiprovinces. It is dugin winter, washed clean after the removal of the hairyrootlets, boiled thoroughly, dried inthe sun and then sliced for use.

Property:
Pungent and bitter in flavour, cold in property, acting on the heart, liver andgallbladder channels.

Effects:
Relievingpain by promoting blood circulation, soothing depressed liver by invigoratingthe flow of qi,clearing away heat in the blood and heart, and normali-zing the gallbladderto treat jaundice.

Used for:
1. Various kindsof pain and masses in the abdomen due to stagnation of theliver-qi and retentionof blood stasis in the interior. For distending pain in the chest, hypochon-drium, stomach and abdomen, it can be used with red sage root,bupleurum root,cyperus tuber and bitter orange; for dysmenorrhea and distending pain in the breasts, it can be prescribed with bupleurum root , cyperus tuber,Chineseangelica root and white peony root ; for masses in the abdomen with disten-sion and pain, it can be given with red sage root, turtleshell, bugle weed and green tangerine peel.

2. Damp- warm syndrome manifested as feeling of stuffi-ness and fullness inthe chest and upper abdomen and uncon-sciousness due to obstruction of the upper orifices or sense organs of the head, or manifested as restlessness, melancholia,epilepsyand madness due to retention of phlegm-heat in the interior.For the former, it is often prescribed with Grassleaved Sweetflag rhizome, capejasmine fruit and bamboo juice, asin Decoction of grassleaved sweetflagrhizome and Gurcuma(Changpu Yujin Tang),and for the latter,it is often given with alum, as in Pill of Alum and Curcuma (Baijin Wan).

3. For syndromesof intense heat in the blood complicatedby blood stasis with manifestations of hematemesis,epistaxis,hematuria and epis-taxis during menstru-ation, it can be prescribed dried rehmannia root,moutanbark, capejasmine fruit and achyranthesroot.

4. For jaundice due to damp-heat, itis often given withOriental Wormwood and capejasmine fruit.

Dosage and admi-nistration: 6- 12g, decocted in water for an oral dose. Precautions: It is incompatible withclove.