What it is:
This herb consistsof the trunk bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. (family Eucom-miaceae), which is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hubei provinces. The bark is stripped off between April and June, dried in the sun after scraping off the cork, and cut to pieces for use or stir- baked till all rubber fibres are smashed and then stir-baked with saltwater for use.

Property:
Sweet in flavour, warmin property, acting on the liver and kidney channels.

Effects:
Nourishingthe liver and kidney, strengthening the bones and muscles andpreventing abortion.

Used for:
1. Insufficiencyof the liver and kidney manifested asaches in the loins and knees, lassitudeof the muscles, im-potence, frequent urination, etc. For aching loins and knees and muscle lassitude, it is often used along with psoralea fruit,as in Pill for Treating Kidney De-ficiency ( Qing'e wan); for impotence and frequent urination, it is used with dogwood fruit, dodder seed, preparedrehmannia root, etc.

2. Metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, or threatened abortion and vaginal bleedingdue to general weak-ness during pregnancy.It is often given with dipsacus root and the pulp of Chinese date, as in Eucommia Bolus (DuzhongWan). This one can also be used togetherwith other tonics and the herbs for curing metrorrhagia. Besides, in the treatment of hyper-tension with mani-festations of defi-ciency of the kidney,it is often used along with lorantus mulberry mistletoe, achyranthes root, prunella spike, etc.

Dosage and admi-nistration: 10-15g, decocted in water fro an oral dose. Stir-baked eucommia has better effects than the unprepared.

Precautions:
It should not be used in cases of hyperac-tivity of fire due to yin deficiency.