What it is:
This herb is theroot tuber of Poly-gonum multiflorum Thunb.(family Poly-gonaceae), whichis produced in all parts of China. Its root tuber is dug inautumn, washed clean,sliced and dried. This is called unpre-pared fleece- flower root. The unpreparedfleece-flower root mixed with black soybean milk is steamed and dried alternately and repeatedly till the root becomes black, and prepared fleece-flower root is ob-tained.

Property:
Bitter, sweet and as-tringent in flavour,slightly warm in pro-perty, acting on theliver and kidney channels.

Effects:
Repleni-shing the vital es-sence and blood, curing malaria, clea-ring away toxins, moistening the intes-tines and relieving constipation.

Used for:
1. Dizziness, blurred vision, pre-mature grey hair,lassitude of the loins and legs, se-minal emission andspermatorrhea due to deficiency of thevital essence and blood. It is often prescribed with chinese angelica root,wolfberry fruit and dodder seed, as in Hair Beauty Pill of Seven Precious herbs (Qibao Meiran Dan).For deficiency of theliver-yin and kidney-yin accompanied with hyperactivity of the liver-yang with manifestations of dizziness, blurred vision and numbness of the extremities, it can be used together with glossyprivet fruit, loran-thus mulberry mistle-toe, white peony root,siegebeckia, etc.

2. To treat chronic malaria due to deficiency of both qi and blood, it is often used with ginseng, chineseangelica root, tange-rine peel, etc., as in Decoction of Fleece- flower and Ginseng (He Ren Yin).

3.Sores,swellingsand scrofula. For treating sores and swellings, it can beused with flavescentsophora, peppermint and dandelion; for scrofula, it can be used with prunella spike, Zhejiang fritillary bulb and scrophularia root ; to treat scabies, tinea and pruritus, it can be decocted together with argyi leaf into lotion forexternal use.

4. For consti-pation due to defi-ciency of the blood and dryness of the bowels, it is often used with chinese angelica root, hemp seed, etc.

Dosage and admi-nistration:10-30g,decocted in water for an oral dose. Prepared fleece-flower root should be used for repleni-shing the vital essence and blood; for treating malaria,clearing away toxinsand moistening the bowels, the unpre-pared is preferred; fresh fleece- flower root is the best for clearing away toxin and moistening the bowels.

Precautions:
In cases of loose stoolor profuse damp phlegm, it shuld notbe prescribed.