Moutan Cortex Mu Dan Pi: Cooling Blood and Boosting Circulation in Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Health Lab
- May 30
- 4 min read
Moutan Cortex Mu Dan Pi, also known as Danpi or Fen Danpi, is the dried root bark of the peony plant (Paeonia suffruticosa), a valued herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Known for its unique medicinal properties, it has been a staple in Chinese herbal remedies for centuries.
A Historical Perspective of Mu Dan Pi
Moutan Cortex has a rich history in TCM. As early as the Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), it was classified as a middle-grade herb. Ancient texts describe it as having a "pungent and cold" nature, used to treat conditions like fever, muscle spasms, convulsions, and stagnant blood in the digestive system.
Over time, renowned herbalists like Li Shizhen in the Ming Dynasty expanded on its uses in Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), noting its ability to "harmonize, generate, cool, and clear blood." Later texts, such as Bencao Beiyao and Bencao Zhengyi, further refined its applications, making it a versatile remedy in clinical practice.
Properties of Moutan Cortex Mu Dan Pi
Nature and Meridian Affinity
Taste: Bitter, pungent
Nature: Slightly cold
Meridians: Heart, Liver, Kidney
Key Components
Moutan Cortex contains active compounds like paeonol and paeoniflorin, which contribute to its pharmacological effects.
Main Functions
Clears heat and cools blood: Effective for conditions involving excessive heat in the body.
Promotes blood circulation and removes stasis: Helps address blood stagnation issues.
Other effects: Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, sedative, and blood pressure-lowering properties.
Clinical Applications of Mu Dan Pi
Moutan Cortex is widely used in TCM to treat various conditions:
Clearing Heat and Cooling Blood: Its cooling properties make it ideal for feverish conditions, especially those worsening at night, accompanied by dry mouth, thirst, or rapid pulse.
Promoting Blood Circulation: It helps with blood stagnation issues like irregular menstruation, painful periods, or injuries from trauma.
Reducing Deficiency Heat: It alleviates symptoms of yin deficiency, such as night sweats, hot flashes, or seminal emission.
Stopping Bleeding Caused by Heat: It treats bleeding disorders like nosebleeds, vomiting blood, or blood in urine/stool due to excessive heat in the blood.
Moutan Cortex in Classic TCM Formulas
Moutan Cortex is often combined with other herbs in TCM formulas to enhance its effects. Here are a few examples:
Qingying Tang (Clear the Nutritive Level Decoction): Contains water buffalo horn (substitute for rhinoceros horn), Rehmannia root, and others. It clears heat and nourishes yin, with Moutan Cortex cooling the blood and detoxifying. Used for severe febrile diseases.
Liu wei Di huang Wan (Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill): Includes Rehmannia, Cornus fruit, and others. It nourishes kidney yin, with Moutan Cortex clearing internal heat. Used for symptoms like lower back pain, dizziness, or night sweats.
Xue fu Zhu yu Tang (Drive Out Stasis in the Mansion of Blood Decoction): Combines peach kernel, safflower, and others to promote blood flow and relieve pain. Moutan Cortex enhances blood circulation, treating chest pain, headaches, or insomnia due to blood stasis.
Comparison with Similar Herbs
Moutan Cortex shares some functions with other TCM herbs, but each has unique strengths:
Rehmannia Root (Sheng Di Huang): Stronger at cooling blood and nourishing yin but less focused on blood circulation.
Red Peony Root (Chi Shao): More effective for pain relief and blood circulation than Moutan Cortex.
Lithospermum (Zi Cao): Focuses on cooling blood and relieving skin conditions like rashes, differing from Moutan Cortex’s broader applications.
Modern Applications and Research
Modern studies have validated many traditional uses of Moutan Cortex:
Antibacterial: Paeonol inhibits various bacteria and fungi.
Anti-inflammatory: Reduces inflammation by suppressing inflammatory mediators.
Fever-reducing: Lowers body temperature in feverish conditions.
Sedative: Calms the central nervous system, aiding relaxation and sleep.
Blood Pressure Regulation: Dilates blood vessels to lower blood pressure.
Beyond TCM, Moutan Cortex is used in modern medicine for conditions like infections, inflammatory diseases, menopausal symptoms, hypertension, and diabetes, showing its versatility.
Precautions for Use
Dosage: Typically 6–12 grams, adjusted based on the condition and doctor’s advice.
Contraindications: Pregnant women and those with cold-deficiency conditions should use it cautiously.
Incompatibilities: Avoid combining with spicy foods like garlic or onions.
Conclusion
Moutan Cortex is a powerful herb in TCM, prized for its ability to cool blood, promote circulation, and address a range of health issues. Its applications, backed by centuries of use and modern research, make it a valuable tool in both traditional and contemporary medicine. Always consult a qualified practitioner to ensure safe and effective use, considering its properties, indications, and precautions. With ongoing research, Moutan Cortex’s potential continues to grow, promising even broader applications in the future.
Chinese Name | 牡丹皮 |
Chinese Pinyin | Mudanpi |
English Name | Tree Peony Root - bark |
Latin Pharmaceutical Name | Moutan Cortex |
Category | Tree barks and root barks |
Origin | The dried root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.(Ranunculaceae) |
Production Regions | Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Anhui, Henan, Shandong. |
Macroscopic Features | Tube-shaped or partially tube-shaped, with a longitudinally cut open fissure, slightly curled inward or opened, 5~20cm long, 0.5~1.2cm diameter, 0.1~0.4cm thick. Yuan dan pi is externally grayish-brown or yellowish-brown, with numerous horizontal lenticels and thin root scars; pink where the cork has fallen off; gua dan pi (fen dan pi) is pink-red or pale red. Inner surface is pale grayish-yellow or pale brown, with obvious thin longitudinal lines, often with shiny crystals (needle-like or column-like crystals of paeonol). Hard and brittle texture, easily broken. Fractured surface is relatively flat, pale pink-red, powdery, indistinct pattern. Aromatic odor, slightly bitter and astringent taste, numbing to the tongue. |
Quality Requirements | Superior medicinal material is thick, long, with thick skin, without woody center, pink-white fractured surface, powdery, numerous ‘bright silver star’, with potent aroma. |
Properties | Bitter, acrid, slightly cold. |
Functions | Clears heat, cools blood, invigorates blood, disperses stasis. Apply to Heat entering into blood circulation, eruptions, non-traumatic hemorrhage and hemafecia, fever due to heat hidden in yin of later stage of febrile diseases, yin deficiency and bone steaming and hot flash, blood stagnation and abdominal mass, dysmenorrheal, abscess and sore swelling pain, injuries due to falls and toil, wind-damp heat impediment. |
Technical Terms | ‘Bright silver star’: some medicinal material have constituents that often crystallize on the surface, and can be seen glittering under bright light. The crystals on the inner surface of mu dan pi are formed from paeonol. |
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