HerbBlueMap
Shennong Bencao Jing
032 / 032
Chuanxiong (Sichuan Lovage Rhizome) — classical plate
Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. · Chuanxiong Rhizome Plate 032
Chuanxiong Rhizoma
川芎 Chuanxiong
Sichuan Lovage Rhizome
Rhizoma Ligustici Chuanxiong
Nature & FlavorPungent; warm
ChannelsLiver, Gallbladder, Pericardium
Actions
Moves bloodMoves qiDispels windRelieves pain
Six ChannelsJueyin blood stasis — a key herb for headache
The Classic The original text

「味辛温。主中风入脑头痛，寒痹，筋挛缓急，金创，妇人血闭无子。」

Pungent in flavor, warm. It treats wind stroke entering the brain with headache, cold blockage, sinews cramped or slack, wounds from metal, and in women blocked menstruation and infertility.

RootBro's note — 'Headache entering the brain' is chuanxiong's most precise indication — and the most stable clinical pointer of the last two thousand years. Headaches are sorted by channel: Taiyang takes qianghuo, Yangming baizhi, Shaoyang chaihu, Jueyin chuanxiong and wuzhuyu. Chuanxiong enters the Jueyin liver channel specifically, and is a core herb for vascular headache (migraine).
PhD Insight A systems-biology reading
Its key constituent Z-ligustilide makes up over 50% of the volatile oil, alongside tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) — one of the most deeply studied natural calcium-channel blockers, with highly selective dilating action on cerebral blood vessels.
Tetramethylpyrazine · 川芎嗪（TMP）
Ca²⁺ channel blockade → cerebral vascular smooth muscle relaxes → cerebral blood flow ↑ (migraine relief). Also inhibits platelet aggregation (TXA2 ↓) → better microcirculation, and suppresses NF-κB → vascular inflammation ↓. Three mechanisms behind 'move blood, move qi, stop pain.'
The synergy logic of chuanxiong with danggui (Foshou San): danggui is rich in ligustilide (relaxes uterine smooth muscle) and ferulic acid (promotes blood production), while TMP dilates vessels and improves perfusion. One supplies the blood, the other opens the channels — the smallest effective unit of gynecological 'nourish and move the blood,' from which the later Si Wu Tang was expanded.
Logic Pairing Classical pairings
Chuanxiong Chatiao San (Tea-Blended Chuanxiong Powder) Si Wu Tang (Four-Substance Decoction) Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang (Drive Out Stasis in the Mansion of Blood Decoction) Danggui Shaoyao San (Danggui & Peony Powder) Foshou San (Buddha's Hand Powder) Wen Jing Tang (Warm the Menses Decoction)
← Previous Ejiao · 阿胶

⚠️ Safety note: This page is study material on the Chinese medical classics, offered for cultural and educational understanding only. It is not a diagnosis, a prescription, or a promise of treatment. Herbs are medicine — use them only under the guidance of a licensed practitioner, and never compound or take them on your own.

HerbBlueMap HomePain Point FinderHerb Library中文原版 · Chinese Edition (tcmus.net)