Fraxini Cortex
Aliases：Cén Pí (literally "Cén bark"), Qín Bái Pí (literally "Qin white bark"), Xún Mù Pí (literally "Xun tree bark"), Là Shù Pí (literally "Wax tree bark"), Chén Pí (literally "Ash bark"), Qīng Láng Mù (literally "Green elm wood"), Bái Jīng Shù (literally "White thorn tree"), and Jī Kāng Shù (literally "Chicken bran tree"). (These are all alternative names for Qín Pí, i.e., Ash Bark / Fraxini Cortex.)
Qín Pí (Ash Bark) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the dried branch bark or trunk bark of Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance, Fraxinus chinensis Roxb., Fraxinus szaboana Lingelsh., or Fraxinus stylosa Lingelsh., plants belonging to the family Oleaceae. It grows on slopes, roadsides, or in forests at altitudes between 800 and 1,600 meters. It was first recorded in Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica).
Efficacy & Actions
Clears heat and dries dampness, astringes to stop dysentery, stops leukorrhea, and improves vision.
Indications
Damp‑heat diarrhea and dysentery, leukorrhea with red and white discharge, red, swollen and painful eyes, corneal opacities, heat dysentery and diarrhea.
Modern Pharmacology
Antibacterial and anti‑inflammatory effects: Qín Pí exhibits inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli, and other bacteria; it has anti‑inflammatory and anti‑pathogenic microbial effects. Aesculin and aesculetin show rich pharmacological activities in antibacterial and anti‑inflammatory aspects. Antitumor effects: Exhibits antitumor activity. Antioxidant effects: Exhibits antioxidant and free radical scavenging effects. Uric acid‑lowering effect: Qín Pí and its active components have the effect of lowering blood uric acid. Antitussive and antiasthmatic effects: The decoction has antitussive and expectorant effects; aesculetin has significant antiasthmatic activity, relaxing tracheal smooth muscle and exhibiting antihistamine effects. Diuretic effect: Aesculetin promotes uric acid excretion and has diuretic effects. Neuroprotective and vascular protective effects.
Ingredients
The chemical constituents of Qín Pí are mainly coumarins, in addition to phenols, saponins, tannins, and others.
Usage & Dosage
内服：煎汤，6-12g。 外用：适量，煎水洗患处。
Contraindications
Contraindicated in patients with Spleen‑Stomach deficiency‑cold.
Selected Formulas
For damp-heat diarrhea and dysentery (Shanghan Lun, Baitouweng Tang) Take Qinpi (Fraxinus chinensis bark) together with Baitouweng (Pulsatilla root), Huanglian (Coptis), and Huangbai (Phellodendron). Decoct in water and drink. For red, swollen, painful eyes and corneal opacity (empirical formula) Take Qinpi, decoct in water and wash the eyes, or extract the juice and apply as eye drops. For acute bacillary dysentery (Chinese Pharmacopoeia) Take 12g of Qinpi, decoct in water and drink. For liver-channel wind-heat with red and painful eyes (empirical formula) Take Qinpi together with Huanglian, Huangbai, and Zhizi (Gardenia). Decoct in water and drink.
Medicinal Parts
It is the dried branch bark or trunk bark of Fraxinus rhynchophylla Hance, Fraxinus chinensis Roxb., Fraxinus szaboana Lingelsh., or Fraxinus stylosa Lingelsh., plants belonging to the family Oleaceae.
Selection & Storage
Store in a well-ventilated, dry place.
