Pharmaceutical Name:

Cortex Dictamni radicis

Botanical Name:

Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz.

Common Name:

Dittany bark
Fraxinella

Source of Earliest Record:

Shennong Bencao Jing

Part Used & Method for Pharmaceutical Preparations:

The roots are dug in spring or autumn.  After the fibrous roots have been removed, the bark is peeled off, cut into slices and dried in the sun.

Properties and Taste:

Bitter and cold

Meridian:

Spleen and stomach

Functions:

To clear heat and release toxins
To remove damp and stop itching

Indications and Combinations:

Boils and ulcers or itching of the skin. 

*Use with Flavescent sophora root (Kushen), Phellodendron bark (Huangbai) and Atractylodes rhizome (Cangzhu).

Dosage:

6-10 g