Roots and rhizomesWind-damp dispellingPterospermi Heterophylli Radix

Ban Feng He Gen (Heterophyllous Pterospermum Root)

A practical guide to Ban Feng He Gen: what it is, how Traditional Chinese Medicine uses it, the classical formulas it appears in, and who should be careful with it.

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Last reviewed Oct 29, 2026

Quick Facts

Latin Name	Pterospermi Heterophylli Radix
Chinese Name & Pinyin	半楓荷根 · Ban Feng He Gen
Medicinal Part	Roots and rhizomes
The item	Ban Feng He Gen is the dried root of Semiliquidambar cathayensis, sliced and dried in autumn. Hai Feng Teng is not this drug. It usually goes into decoctions, and is also brewed as tea or soaked in wine.
Nature and channels	Neutral, acrid, and sweet. Enters the Liver and Kidney. Neutral acrid sweet dispels wind, removes dampness, relaxes the sinews, and frees the collaterals.
Pharmacopoeia line	Dispels wind and removes dampness. Relaxes the sinews and frees the collaterals. Used for wind-cold-damp bi, aching heavy joints, stiff tightness, and weak knees and lower back.
Pattern cues	Aching heavy limbs. Joint tightness after chilling. Sedentary shoulder-neck stiffness. Weak knees and lower back.
In this article	Ban Feng He Gen versus Hai Feng Teng. Gentle freeing with tonifying versus warm-dry collateral freeing. Why yin deficiency with fire should skip it. Why pregnancy needs caution. Who should not brew it daily on their own.

What Is Ban Feng He Gen?

Ban Feng He Gen (半枫荷根; Bàn Fēng Hé Gēn; Latin: Semiliquidambar Radix; English: semiliquidambar root) in the current pharmacopoeia is the dried root of Semiliquidambar cathayensis, an evergreen tree of the witch-hazel family, usually sliced and dried in autumn. It is neutral, acrid, and sweet, enters the Liver and Kidney channels, and its core actions are to dispel wind and remove dampness, and to relax the sinews and free the collaterals. It usually goes into decoctions, and it is also soaked in wine or brewed as a mild daily tea in folk practice. The usual amount is 10–15 g. It is soaked half an hour and decocted for about twenty minutes, with no special handling. It is not a kitchen vegetable on its own; a light lean-pork soup with ginger is the gentle food-support form.

It is not Hai Feng Teng. That vine is slightly warm, acrid, and bitter, leaning warm-dry. It frees the collaterals more directly and is better for heavy cold with sharp joint pain; Ban Feng He Gen is neutral and gentle, freeing while also lightly harmonizing qi and blood. Yin deficiency with fire, with dry mouth and irritability, is a poor match on its own. Use caution in pregnancy. Joint pain that swells hot, or pain that keeps worsening, needs a clinic first.

It is used most often for three patterns:

Wind-cold-damp bi: aching, heavy limbs and joints that worsen on rainy or cold days
Stiff tight joints, limited bending and stretching after long labor or minor strain
Sedentary shoulder-neck stiffness and limb tightness, taken as a seasonal tea or soup

Neutral, acrid, and sweet, it is not a daily “joint or wind herb” to keep increasing. Freeing the collaterals when there is no dampness blockage may slowly consume qi and blood.

When wind, cold, and dampness lodge in the limb channels, aching heaviness, tight joints, and worse pain after chilling are common. Ban Feng He Gen is neutral, acrid, and sweet. It frees and lightly tonifies at once, which is why it appears in Ban Feng He Tang (Semiliquidambar Decoction)–type formulas. It frees more gently than it drives. Yin deficiency with fire, with no cold-dampness, gets worse if more is added.

Ban Feng He Gen is not a catch-all joint or wind herb. In yin deficiency with fire, with no cold-dampness, or in pregnancy, using it alone is a poor match. Raw root slice or wine-soaked, and whether it belongs in a formula, should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Ban Feng He Gen: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Pterospermi Heterophylli Radix

Botanical Origin

The dried root of Pterospermum heterophyllum Hance (Malvaceae / Sterculiaceae).

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Jiangxi.

Quality Requirements

Superior material is thick, firm and reddish-brown.

Macroscopic Features

Irregular slices or segments, 0.5~3 cm thick; externally dark brown, rough with longitudinal wrinkles; cut surface pale reddish-brown, bark thin, wood wide with radial lines; texture hard; faint odor; slightly sweet taste.

Main Regions and Quality Identification

Traditional materia medica and industry experience value the southern mountain regions — such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian — but actual quality also depends on variety, harvest time, processing, and storage. In appearance, good-quality Ban Feng He Gen is cylindrical and slightly curved, gray-brown on the surface with fine longitudinal wrinkles, firm in texture, with a light-brown bark and pale yellowish-white wood on the cross-section, a faint fragrance, and a slightly bitter-astringent taste. The difference between raw and processed mainly lies in the processing method: the raw product is mostly slices of the original root; the processed product is generally slices that have gone through drying, convenient for storage and decocting. The common look-alikes are the roots of other plants with similar forms — distinguish carefully when using.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Sweet, Acrid; Slightly warmLiver

1. Records in Classic Materia Medica

Ling Nan Cai Yao Lu: mentions that Ban Feng He can "dispel wind and remove dampness; for weak painful feet it works."
Guang Xi Zhong Yao Zhi: records that it "treats rheumatic bone pain and injury stasis accumulation."
Fu Jian Min Jian Cao Yao: notes that it can "relax the sinews and free the collaterals; treat joint pain and weak lower-back and knees."

These records all center on its use for improving limb-joint and channel discomfort, without touching actions beyond its traditional scope.

2. How Views of Its Nature Changed

Different physicians saw it somewhat differently. Some early physicians stressed its wind-dispelling, dampness-removing action, using it for the joint pain of wind-cold-dampness evil; later physicians gradually found that it also carries the sinew-relaxing, collateral-freeing action, usable for the channel blockage after injury. Others emphasized its balanced nature, holding that it does not injure fluids or consume qi like the fierce wind-dispelling herbs — fitting those with a slightly weaker constitution; still others pointed out that those with yin deficiency with fire may have worsened dry mouth and irritability if it is used alone — it needs pairing with other herbs. This also shows that it is not universal.

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Dispels wind-dampness, activates blood and unblocks collaterals.

1. First Direction: Dispelling Wind and Removing Dampness

Traditional action: scatter the wind-cold-dampness evil and free the dampness blockage in the limb channels — easing the discomfort of wind, cold, and dampness evils invading the channels.
Typical signs: sore, heavy limb and joint pain that worsens on rainy days or after chilling, stiff limb movement, and some people with obvious local fear of cold and heaviness.
Usual combinations: often paired with other wind-dispelling, dampness-removing or collateral-freeing herbs — with obvious joint pain, Du Huo and Wei Ling Xian can be added; with concurrent limb fatigue, Huang Qi and Dang Shen can be added.
Who should not self-use: those with yin deficiency with fire (dry mouth and tongue, irritability, hot hands and feet) — not suited to self-use alone, to avoid worsening the internal dryness-heat.

2. Second Direction: Relaxing the Sinews and Freeing the Collaterals

Traditional action: free the blockage of the limb channels, ease the tightness of the sinew-fascia and joints, and promote the running of qi and blood in the channels.
Typical signs: stiff limb joints with limited bending and straightening, or the limb soreness and restricted movement after long labor or mild injury — some people with local sinew tightness and pulling pain on movement.
Usual combinations: often paired with other collateral-freeing herbs — for the discomfort after injury, Hong Hua and Tao Ren can be added; for the shoulder-neck stiffness of daily long sitting, Ge Gen and Gui Zhi can be added.
Who should not self-use: pregnant women — not suited to self-use, to avoid affecting the pregnancy state.

3. Classic Pairing: Ban Feng He Gen With Gui Zhi

The common herb pair is Ban Feng He Gen with Gui Zhi. Ban Feng He Gen itself can dispel wind, remove dampness, and free the channels; Gui Zhi can warm-free the channels and scatter surface cold. After pairing, Gui Zhi strengthens the warm-freeing, channel-freeing action of Ban Feng He Gen, while also checking the slight bitter-cool feel of Ban Feng He Gen, making the overall nature gentler. This pair fits the limb and joint pain of wind-cold-dampness evil that worsens after chilling — use under a practitioner's pattern guidance, adjusting the dose to the individual constitution.

Modern Research

Modern research offers useful context, but Traditional Chinese Medicine prescribes on whole-pattern diagnosis rather than isolated compounds.

1. Main Chemical Constituents

Detected constituents include flavonoids, terpenoids, organic acids, and a small amount of volatile oil. Among these, the flavonoid constituents were observed in in vitro experiments to have certain antioxidant activity; the terpenoid constituents showed, in animal experiments, an inhibitory action on the local inflammatory reaction of joints. But on the action of these constituents in humans, there is no clear clinical research conclusion at present.

2. Current Research Directions

Current research on Ban Feng He Gen mainly focuses on two directions:

Its influence on the local inflammatory reaction of limb joints — in in vitro experiments, some constituents can lower the activity of inflammation-related indicators.
Its potential activity in freeing the channels — in animal experiments, after giving the Ban Feng He Gen extract to model animals with joint discomfort, a reduction in joint swelling was observed.

However, these studies are mostly at the basic stage — more human research is still needed to verify the effect in actual application.

3. Limitations of Current Research

Lab results are not clinical efficacy — in vitro and animal results cannot be directly applied to humans.
Extracts and monomers are not the same as traditional decoction pieces — the high-concentration extracts used in experiments differ greatly from the active-constituent concentration of daily decocted slices.
Doses and preparation methods vary between studies — this also makes the research results hard to unify.
A single component does not define the whole herb — the action of Ban Feng He Gen may be the joint result of many constituents.

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. What They Share

Ban Feng He Gen and Hai Feng Teng share three main points:

Both have dispelling wind, removing dampness, and freeing the collaterals as main actions — both improving the limb and joint discomfort of wind-cold-dampness evil.
Both are used for the traditional patterns of wind-cold-damp bi and limb tightness — with similar symptom types.
Both may appear in food therapy or simple formulas for limb discomfort, usable as auxiliary herbs in daily health care — and both need constitution and dose care.

2. The Key Differences: Ban Feng He Gen vs. Hai Feng Teng

Nature and flavors: Ban Feng He Gen is balanced with pungent-sweet flavors — gentle, neither cold nor hot — fitting most constitutions in suitable situations; Hai Feng Teng is slightly warm with pungent-bitter flavors — leaning warm-dry — fitting those with heavier internal cold.
Focus: Ban Feng He Gen leans more toward attending to both tonifying and freeing — besides dispelling wind and removing dampness, it can to a certain extent harmonize the qi and blood and ease the fatigue of concurrent blood-qi deficiency; Hai Feng Teng leans more toward dispelling wind and freeing the collaterals — its relief of limb-joint tightness and pain is more direct.
Qi tendency: Ban Feng He Gen's action leans gentle tonify-drain — neither over-scattering wind evil nor over-consuming qi and blood — its influence on qi movement is gentle; Hai Feng Teng's action leans scattering-freeing — mainly dispelling evil — and may slightly consume the upright qi of the body.
Best fit: Ban Feng He Gen fits those with a slightly weaker constitution and concurrent limb-joint heaviness and fatigue — even those with slight internal dryness-heat can use it when paired with other herbs; Hai Feng Teng fits those with a stronger constitution, heavier internal cold, and obvious limb-joint pain that worsens with cold.
Not suitable: Ban Feng He Gen used alone may worsen the dryness-heat in those with yin deficiency with fire — but it can be used appropriately when paired with cool herbs; Hai Feng Teng used alone may obviously worsen the dry mouth and irritability of yin deficiency with fire — cautious use, and pregnant women need to avoid it more strictly.
Use scenes: Ban Feng He Gen more often appears in daily health-care food therapy — such as boiling water as tea, soup, or a simple wine-soak herb; Hai Feng Teng more often appears in physician-prescribed formulas for targeted wind-damp bi pain treatment, or collateral-freeing regulation after injury.

3. One-Sentence Summary

Simply put, Ban Feng He Gen leans toward gentle freeing with concurrent tonifying, fitting daily discomfort regulation for most constitutions, whereas Hai Feng Teng leans toward warm-dry collateral-freeing focused on dispelling evil, fitting targeted regulation for heavier cold. Both can be used for the wind-cold-damp bi of limb joints, but they are not interchangeable.

Classical Formulas Containing Ban Feng He Gen

Classic Formula 1: Ban Feng He Tang (Semiliquidambar Decoction)

Combination logic: In Ban Feng He Tang, Ban Feng He is the lord — mainly playing the core actions of dispelling wind, removing dampness, relaxing the sinews, and freeing the collaterals, addressing the limb-joint discomfort of wind-cold-dampness evil; the ministers Du Huo and Wei Ling Xian strengthen the wind-dispelling, dampness-removing action; the assistants Dang Gui and Bai Shao harmonize the qi and blood, avoiding the wind-dispelling herbs over-consuming the upright qi; the courier Gan Cao harmonizes all the herbs. The formula mainly targets wind-damp bi pain and stiff limb joints — through the synergy of many herbs, both dispelling evil and attending to tonifying. Ban Feng He Gen alone cannot be used, because a single herb's action is limited and cannot attend to dispelling wind, freeing the collaterals, and tonifying qi-blood at the same time.

Traditional use: the traditional indications are wind-damp bi pain, limb-joint soreness, limited bending and straightening, and the limb fatigue of wind-cold-dampness evil.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care; do not self-apply just because the formula name relates to wind-dampness.

Classic Formula 2: Feng He Gui Jiu (Feng He Gui Wine)

Combination logic: In Feng He Gui Jiu, Ban Feng He is the lord, paired with Feng He Gui (a folk alias of the same herb family in southern regions) as the minister — jointly strengthening the wind-dispelling, dampness-removing, collateral-freeing action; the assistants Niu Xi and Du Zhong tonify the liver and kidney, strengthening the sinews and bones, attending to the care of the limb bones; the courier is Bai Jiu (white liquor), which promotes the extraction of the active constituents while strengthening the collateral-freeing action. The formula mainly targets limb-joint pain and weak lower-back and knees — fitting targeted regulation in daily health care.

Traditional use: the traditional indications are sore, weak lower-back and knees, limb-joint pain, and worsening on rainy days.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care; do not self-drink just because it is a medicinal wine — especially those with underlying diseases need more caution.

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

A formula is the result of many herbs acting together — through the lord-minister-assistant-courier combination, it attends to both dispelling evil and tonifying, adjusting the overall nature to fit the specific pattern. A single herb cannot simply replicate a full formula's effect, because a single herb's scope is limited and cannot meet the multi-faceted regulating needs at the same time. The doses and combinations in a formula are holistic — each herb's amount is adjusted to the pattern; casually changing the dose or removing an herb may affect the formula's effect. The common misunderstanding: a herb that works in a formula does not mean taking it alone produces the same effect — a formula is the synergy of many herbs, while a single herb's action is relatively one-sided and cannot replace the formula's overall regulation. Therefore, do not build your own formulas from online articles; use them under a professional physician's guidance.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Tea and Porridge

Tea — Ban Feng He Gen Ge Gen Cha: Ban Feng He Gen 10 g, Ge Gen 15 g, Hong Zao 2 pieces (pitted). Wash all the ingredients, put them in a pot, add some clean water, boil 20 minutes, and take the liquid as tea. Suited to the shoulder-neck stiffness and limb tightness after daily long sitting — fitting most constitutions in autumn-winter. Not for those with yin deficiency with fire (dry mouth and tongue, irritability). Suggested: 2–3 times a week.

Soup — Ban Feng He Gen Shou Rou Tang: Ban Feng He Gen 15 g, lean pork 50 g, Sheng Jiang 2 slices. Wash and slice the Ban Feng He Gen, cut the lean pork into pieces and blanch them, put all the ingredients in a stewing cup, add some clean water, double-boil 1 hour, and season with salt. Suited to the limb soreness and weak lower-back and knees after mild labor — fitting those with a slightly weaker constitution when tonifying in autumn-winter. Not for pregnant women. Suggested: once every two weeks. Note: Ban Feng He Gen is a medicinal slice, not an ordinary food — do not use it in large amounts as a daily tea or ingredient casually.

2. Decoction and Processing Differences

The difference between raw and processed mainly lies in the processing method: the raw product is slices of the original root — stronger in odor, fitting decocting for limb-joint discomfort regulation; the processed product is dried slices — drier in texture, fitting wine-soaking or storage. The basic home decoction method: soak the slices in clean water 30 minutes beforehand, add water to cover the slices by 2–3 cm, bring to a boil on high heat, then simmer 20 minutes, and take the liquid. Ban Feng He Gen needs no pre-boiling, late addition, or bag-boiling — it can be decocted directly. Different forms cannot be converted directly — the slice dose and the extract dose differ greatly; they cannot substitute each other.

3. Dosage and Course

The common dose range in traditional prescriptions is 10–15 g; the food-therapy dose is generally controlled at 10–20 g — relatively mild. The difference between food and medicinal doses: food therapy serves as auxiliary regulation with a smaller dose; medicinal use targets the specific pattern, with the dose adjusted by the physician's pattern diagnosis. Long-term continuous use is not advised — generally each drinking or taking course is 3–5 days, with an interval of 1–2 weeks before the next use. Special groups — pregnant women, children, and people with liver or kidney impairment — should consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It

Yin deficiency with fire (dry mouth and tongue, irritability, hot hands and feet) — not suited to using Ban Feng He Gen alone, to avoid worsening the internal dryness-heat.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding — use with caution, to avoid affecting the pregnancy or breastfeeding state.
Children — development not yet complete; use under a doctor's guidance.
The elderly — weaker liver-kidney metabolism; adjust the dose appropriately.
Allergy to Hamamelidaceae (witch-hazel-family) plants — may be allergic to Ban Feng He Gen; avoid use.
Those in special treatment — such as anticoagulant or blood-pressure therapy — consult a doctor before use.

2. Interactions and Diet Notes

Ban Feng He Gen may interact with anticoagulants, blood-pressure medications, and blood-sugar medications, affecting the drug effect — those taking such drugs should stagger the using times or consult a doctor to adjust the plan. There is no sufficient evidence of a general "food clash" between ordinary foods, but certain herbs can interact with specific drugs — anyone on medication should consult a doctor or pharmacist first. In daily diet, there is no need to deliberately avoid common ingredients; keep a balanced diet, and avoid affecting nutrient intake by blind food avoidance.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risk

Ban Feng He Gen has few adverse reactions, but overdose may bring dry mouth, irritability, and mild nausea. If marked discomfort, allergy signs (rash, itching), persistent vomiting, breathing difficulty, altered consciousness, or rapidly worsening symptoms appear, stop at once and seek medical care — to avoid the symptoms developing further. In daily use, strictly control the dose — do not casually increase the amount, especially for first-time users, who should start from a small dose and observe the body's reaction.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ban Feng He Gen

What is Ban Feng He Gen? Are Feng Xiang Shu and Du Huo the same?

Ban Feng He Gen (半枫荷根) is the dried root of Semiliquidambar cathayensis (Semiliquidambaris Radix), a common Chinese herb centered on expelling wind and draining dampness, and strengthening tendons and bones. Feng Xiang Shu expels wind, leaning to the infructescence. Du Huo expels wind and drains dampness, leaning to the lower burner. The three cannot be interchanged by equal weight. Write Ban Feng He Gen. Use caution in yin deficiency internal heat.

What is the composition and traditional use of Ban Feng He Gen?

Pharmacopoeial name Ban Feng He Gen, Latin Semiliquidambar cathayensis. Sweet and slightly pungent, warm; enters the Liver and Spleen channels. It acts to expel wind and drain dampness, strengthen tendons and bones. It is used for wind-damp bone pain, lumbar muscle strain, and hemiplegia. Expels wind and strengthens tendons.

How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Du Huo replace it?

Slices used raw. Du Huo leans to expelling wind without specialized tendon-strengthening; it cannot replace the formula by equal weight. Commercial products follow regulated processing; do not self-modify.

What is the usual dosage? Can it be drunk daily as a wind-expelling tea?

Decocted, 15-30 g. Modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “Ban Feng He Gen tea.” Yin deficiency internal heat only injures further. Bi pain needs a practitioner to name a short course; it does not replace assessment.

What are the contraindications? Can it be used in pregnancy?

Not suitable for yin deficiency internal heat. Pregnancy requires practitioner assessment. Stop if dry mouth or feverish sensation appears. Red swollen joints or high fever needs immediate medical care.

Can Ban Feng He Gen expel wind, drain dampness, strengthen tendons and bones?

It can help wind-damp bone pain, lumbar muscle strain, and hemiplegia. It expels wind and drains dampness, strengthens tendons and bones—not a specific for every bi pain or every lumbar leg pain.

Can Ban Feng He Gen be drunk daily as a wind-expelling or tendon-strengthening tea?

Wind-cold-damp bi may enter a short formula; yin deficiency internal heat only injures further. “Ban Feng He Gen must strengthen tendons” does not replace assessment. Expelling wind, draining dampness, strengthening tendons and bones should be named by a practitioner with form and dose.

How do you choose among Ban Feng He Gen, Feng Xiang Shu, Du Huo, Qian Nian Jian and Sang Ji Sheng?

Ban Feng He Gen expels wind and drains dampness while strengthening tendons and bones, leaning to lumbar muscle strain. Feng Xiang Shu expels wind, leaning to the infructescence. Du Huo expels wind and drains dampness, leaning to the lower burner. Qian Nian Jian dispels wind-dampness, leaning to strengthening tendons. Sang Ji Sheng supplements Liver and Kidney, leaning to strengthening tendons. Strengthening tendons favors Ban Feng He Gen; expelling wind favors Feng Xiang Shu; lower burner favors Du Huo; strengthening tendons favors Qian Nian Jian; supplementing Kidney favors Sang Ji Sheng. They may be referenced after pattern differentiation; yin deficiency forbids large Ban Feng He Gen.

How is Ban Feng He Gen commonly modified? What is the representative use?

Depends on the pattern. Bone pain may add Du Huo; strain may add Sang Ji Sheng. Write Ban Feng He Gen; do not replace the tendon-strengthening action with an equal weight of Du Huo.

How do you choose and store Ban Feng He Gen?

Choose regulated Chinese medicinal materials with intact roots. Discard if moldy, damp or off odor. Store in a dry place. Purchase labeled “Ban Feng He Gen”; do not use equal weights of Feng Xiang Shu or Du Huo to replace expelling wind, draining dampness, strengthening tendons and bones.

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Medical Disclaimer — This article is provided for educational purposes only and describes traditional Chinese medicine concepts. It is not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using any herb, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a diagnosed condition.