Figwort Root Xuan Shen: A Traditional Herb for Cooling Heat and Soothing Throat
- Health Lab
- Jun 18
- 5 min read
Figwort Root, also known as Xuan Shen or Black Figwort, is the dried root of Scrophularia ningpoensis from the Scrophulariaceae family.
Valued for its ability to nourish yin, reduce internal heat, and clear toxins, it is widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat late-stage fevers, yin deficiency with heat, and toxic swellings. This article explains its properties, uses, and modern applications in a simple and clear way.
A Historical Staple in Chinese Medicine
Figwort Root has been documented in ancient Chinese medical texts for centuries. The Shennong Bencao Jing (Shennong’s Classic of Materia Medica) lists it as a top-grade herb, noting it "treats abdominal heat and cold accumulations, clears postpartum blood stasis, and promotes renewal." The Mingyi Bielu further describes it as effective for "sudden stroke, fever from colds, recurrent fever, dissolving scrofula and tumors, reducing swelling, relieving pain, and soothing the throat."
Ancient healers highly valued Figwort Root for its cooling and detoxifying effects, making it a key remedy for fever, throat issues, and swellings caused by heat toxins.
Insights from Historical Texts
Bencao Gangmu: Li Shizhen described Figwort Root’s appearance, origin, and effects in detail. He noted it grows in shady, moist mountainous areas across China, with square stems, glossy leaves resembling hemp, and black, finger-sized roots with textured surfaces. He emphasized its role in "nourishing yin, reducing fire, detoxifying, soothing the throat, treating heat-related yin damage, throat pain, scrofula, and red, swollen eyes."
Yaoxing Fu: This text concisely summarizes its effects as "nourishing yin, reducing fire, soothing the throat, and reducing swelling."
Characteristics of Figwort Root
Taste and Properties
Figwort Root is bitter, sweet, and slightly salty, with a cold nature. In TCM, it is associated with the lung, kidney, and stomach meridians, making it effective for heat-related and yin-deficient conditions.
Origin and Harvesting
It is grown across China, with higher yields in Zhejiang, Sichuan, and Hubei. The roots are harvested in winter when the stems and leaves wither, cleaned of soil, partially dried, stacked for 2–3 days with regular turning, and then fully dried.
Appearance
Figwort Root is long, cylindrical, or irregularly shaped, 6–20 cm long and 1–3 cm in diameter. Its surface is grayish-brown or black-brown with longitudinal grooves and lenticel-like marks. It is hard, difficult to break, with a black, slightly glossy cross-section. It has a distinct odor and a sweet, slightly bitter taste.
Preparation
Figwort Root is used raw, wine-fried, or steamed:
Raw: Strongest for clearing heat and toxins.
Wine-fried: Directs effects upward to clear upper body heat.
Steamed: Enhances yin nourishment and moistening.
Clinical Uses: Cooling Heat and Relieving Swellings
Figwort Root is used to treat conditions caused by yin deficiency, internal heat, or toxic accumulations. Its main applications include:
Late-Stage Febrile Diseases: Symptoms like worsening fever at night, dry mouth, dry tongue with little coating, and a rapid, thin pulse due to heat damaging yin.
Yin Deficiency with Heat: Symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, irritability, dry throat, dizziness, tinnitus, red tongue with little coating, and a rapid, thin pulse.
Sore Throat: Red, swollen, painful throat with difficulty swallowing or hoarseness due to heat toxins or yin-deficient heat.
Scrofula and Nodules: Movable, painless or slightly painful lumps in the neck or armpits due to phlegm-fire accumulation.
Red, Swollen Eyes: Eye redness, swelling, pain, light sensitivity, or tearing due to liver fire or heat toxins.
Constipation: Hard stools due to heat accumulation.
Key Benefits
Nourishes Yin and Reduces Heat: Compounds like scrophularin nourish yin and cool internal heat, relieving hot flashes and dry mouth.
Clears Toxins and Soothes Throat: Reduces heat toxins, easing throat pain and hoarseness.
Disperses Nodules and Swellings: Breaks up phlegm and reduces lumps, soothing scrofula and eye swelling.
Moistens Intestines: Helps relieve constipation caused by heat.
Herbal Combinations for Enhanced Effects
Figwort Root is often combined with other herbs in TCM formulas to boost its effectiveness. Common prescriptions include:
Qingying Decoction: Combines Figwort Root, water buffalo horn (replacing rhinoceros horn), rehmannia, ophiopogon, salvia, coptis, honeysuckle, forsythia, and bamboo leaf to clear heat and nourish yin, used for heat in the blood during febrile diseases.
Zengye Decoction: Includes Figwort Root, ophiopogon, and rehmannia to moisten dryness and nourish fluids, used for dry mouth and constipation from yin deficiency.
Liuwei Dihuang Pills: Nourishes kidney and liver yin for dizziness, tinnitus, and hot flashes; Figwort Root enhances yin nourishment.
Niuhuang Jiedu Tablets: Clears heat and toxins for sores, throat pain, and red eyes.
Comparing Figwort Root with Similar Herbs
Other herbs with yin-nourishing and heat-clearing effects include rehmannia, ophiopogon, and anemarrhena, each with distinct traits:
Rehmannia (Sheng Di Huang): Clears heat, cools blood, and nourishes yin, ideal for bleeding from blood heat.
Ophiopogon (Mai Dong): Nourishes yin, moistens lungs, and calms the heart, best for dry cough and insomnia.
Anemarrhena (Zhi Mu): Clears heat, reduces fire, and moistens dryness, effective for fever and thirst from intense heat.
Figwort Root excels at nourishing yin, reducing fire, and clearing throat and nodular swellings; rehmannia focuses on blood cooling; ophiopogon targets lung yin; anemarrhena clears strong heat.
Modern Research and Applications
Modern studies show Figwort Root contains scrophularin, alkaloids, and flavonoids with several benefits:
Anti-Inflammatory: Reduces inflammation and tissue damage.
Blood Pressure Reduction: May lower blood pressure.
Antibacterial: Inhibits certain bacteria.
Anti-Tumor Potential: Shows promise in suppressing tumor cells in lab studies.
Immune Regulation: Supports immune system function.
Modern Uses
Endocrine Disorders: Used for hyperthyroidism.
Skin Conditions: Treats eczema and dermatitis.
Tumor Support: Used as an adjunct in cancer treatment.
Precautions
Figwort Root should be used cautiously:
Weak Spleen/Stomach: Avoid in those with loose stools or weak digestion, as its cold nature may harm spleen yang.
Pregnant Women: Use cautiously due to its slippery nature.
Avoid with Veratrum: TCM prohibits combining Figwort Root with veratrum due to potential adverse effects.
Conclusion
Figwort Root is a valued TCM herb, celebrated for its ability to nourish yin, reduce internal heat, and clear toxins. From ancient texts to modern research, its role in treating late-stage fevers, throat pain, and swellings is well-established. With careful use, avoiding overuse in those with weak digestion or pregnancy, Figwort Root remains a powerful remedy for health and vitality.
Chinese Name | 玄參 |
Chinese Pinyin | Xuanshen |
English Name | Figwort Root |
Latin Pharmaceutical Name | Scrophulariae Radix |
Category | Roots and rhizomes |
Origin | The dried root of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hensl.(Scrophulariaceae) |
Production Regions | Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Hubei, Jiangxi. |
Macroscopic Features | Sub-cylindrical, middle is slightly thick or thick at the top and thin at the bottom, sometimes slightly curved, 6~20cm long, 1~3cm diameter. Externally grayish-yellow or grayish-brown, with irregular longitudinal grooves, horizontal lenticels and loose horizontal cracks and rootlet scars. Firm texture, hard to break, black fractured surface is slightly lustrous. Distinctively caramel-like odor, sweet, slightly bitter, salty taste. |
Quality Requirements | Superior medicinal material is thick and strong, firm, with black fractured surface. |
Properties | Sweet, bitter, salty, slightly cold. |
Functions | Clears heat, cools blood, drains fire, resolves toxin, nourishes yin. Apply to damp evil entering construction and the pericardium, warm toxin inducing eruptions, heat disease damaging yin, dark red tongue and vexation, damage of fluid and constipation, bone steaming and over-strained cough, red eye, throat pain, scrofula, diphtheritic, swelling abscess and sore toxin. |
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