Bai Zhu / 白术 [白朮] ((White) Atractylodes Rhizome, Ovate Atractylodes)

Atractylodes Macrocephalae Rhizoma

Tonifying Herbs

Warm

Bitter

Sweet

Spleen

Stomach

The box label has two names: Bai Zhu / 白术 and Liu An / 六安. Liu An could be the name of a formula, Liu An Jiang / 六安煎, which mixes six different herbs.

The herb content could possibly be Bai Zhu. According to the museum description, presumably these contents would have been the original contents that were gathered together in a plastic bag post-1970.

Dr. Ger identified this herb as Aristolochia Recurvilabra (Tian Xian Teng / 天仙藤, which is the stem part of the same plant as Ma Dou Ling / 马兜铃).

Final confirmation if this is Bai Zhu or Tian Xian Teng has not been made.

Bensky, D., Clavey, S. & Stöger, E. (2004). Chinese herbal medicine: Materia medica (3rd ed.). Seattle: Eastland Press. p. 726 -- "There are three herbs known as Atractylodes (zhu / 朮). One is Atractylodis Rhizoma (Cang Zhu / 蒼朮), literally 'dark atractylodes.' The other two are types of Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma (Bai Zhu / 白朮): 'white atractylodes' (regular white atractylodes) and Dong Zhu / 冬朮 'winter white atractylodes.' " pg. 728

PhysicalObject

image/jpeg

Photograph courtesy of Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site

State of Oregon

Kam Wah Chung Collection

KWC2007.1.256