Tree barks and root barksWind-damp dispellingAcanthopanacis Cortex

Wu Jia Pi (SlenderstyleAcanthopanax Root - bark)

A practical guide to Wu Jia Pi: 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 NameAcanthopanacis Cortex
Chinese Name & Pinyin 五加皮 · Wu Jia Pi
Medicinal PartTree barks and root barks
The itemWu Jia Pi is the dried root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus, raw or wine-processed. Sang Ji Sheng is not this drug. It usually goes into decoctions, and is also brewed as tea or steeped in wine.
Nature and channelsNeutral, acrid, bitter, and slightly sweet. Enters the Liver and Kidney. Neutral acrid bitter dispels wind-dampness, frees the channels, tonifies the liver and kidney, and strengthens the sinews and bones.
Pharmacopoeia lineDispels wind-dampness. Frees the channels. Tonifies the liver and kidney. Strengthens the sinews and bones. Used for damp bi with aching heavy joints, weak sore lower back and knees, and limb fatigue.
Pattern cuesHeavy aching joints in damp weather. Weak sore lower back and knees. Limb fatigue. Slow-moving weak legs.
In this articleWu Jia Pi versus Sang Ji Sheng. Scattering dampness with tonifying versus tonifying with scattering. Why internal heat should skip it. Why pregnancy needs caution. Who should not brew it daily on their own.

What Is Wu Jia Pi?

Wu Jia Pi (五加皮; Wǔ Jiā Pí; Latin: Acanthopanacis Cortex; English: acanthopanax bark) in the current pharmacopoeia is the dried root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus, a thorny shrub of the ginseng family, dug in summer and autumn; the wine-processed slice is also common. It is neutral, acrid, bitter, and slightly sweet, enters the Liver and Kidney channels, and its core actions are to dispel wind-dampness and free the channels, and to tonify the liver and kidney and strengthen the sinews and bones. It usually goes into decoctions, and it is also brewed as a light ginger-date tea or steeped in wine in folk practice. The usual amount is 5–10 g. It is decocted as usual, not boiled for too long. It is not a kitchen ingredient on its own; a gentle congee with Du Zhong is the mild food-support form.

It is not Sang Ji Sheng. Mistletoe is neutral, sweet, and bitter, leaning more toward tonifying with a mild fetus-settling action; Wu Jia Pi leans toward scattering dampness while lightly tonifying. Obvious internal heat, with dry mouth, bound stool, or red-swollen-hot joints, is a poor match. Use caution in pregnancy. Swollen, hot, painful joints need a clinic first. Taking it while on blood-thinning medication needs a practitioner's advice.

It is used most often for three patterns:

  • Damp bi in wet weather: heavy aching limbs and joints that worsen in damp seasons
  • Liver-kidney insufficiency: weak sore lower back and knees, limb fatigue in later years
  • Mild sedentary limb heaviness, taken as a seasonal ginger-date tea

Neutral, acrid, and bitter, it is not a daily “joint or strength herb” to keep increasing. Scattering when there is no dampness, and warming when there is internal heat, may consume the yin and dry the stool.

When dampness blocks the limb channels, heavy aching joints and limited movement are common; when liver and kidney essence run low, weak sore knees and fatigue follow. Wu Jia Pi is neutral, acrid, bitter, and slightly sweet. It frees while it tonifies, which is why it appears in Wu Jia Pi San (Acanthopanax Bark Powder)–type formulas. It scatters while it builds. Obvious internal heat, with no dampness, gets worse if more is added.

Wu Jia Pi is not a catch-all joint or strength herb. In internal heat, with no dampness, or in pregnancy, using it alone is a poor match. Raw or wine-processed, and whether it belongs in a formula, should be decided by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner after pattern diagnosis.

Wu Jia Pi

Wu Jia Pi: Materia Medica Profile

Identification & Quality Standard

Acanthopanacis Cortex

Botanical Origin

The dried root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus W.W. Smith.(Araliaceae)

Production Regions

Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Hubei, Henan, Anhui, Sichuan.

Quality Requirements

Superior medicinal material has thick skin, aromatic odor, grayish-white fractured surface.

Macroscopic Features

Irregular rolled shape, outer surface is grayish-brown, with slightly twisted wrinkles and horizontal long lenticel-like spotted marks; inner surface is pale yellow or grayish-yellow, with thin longitudinal wrinkles. Light in weight, brittle texture, easily broken, fractured surface is uneven, grayish-white, faintly aromatic odor, slightly spicy and bitter taste.

Main Regions and Quality Identification

Traditional materia medica and industry experience value certain producing regions, but actual quality also depends on variety, harvest time, processing, and storage. The main regions include Hubei, Henan, Anhui, and Sichuan — the plant forms differ slightly by region: Hubei Wu Jia Pi has thicker root bark and a richer odor; Henan's has somewhat more fiber. In appearance, good-quality raw Wu Jia Pi is rolled-tube or double-rolled-tube shaped, gray-brown on the outer surface with longitudinal wrinkles, pale yellow on the inner surface, light and brittle, with a gray-white cross-section, a faint fragrance, and a slightly pungent-bitter taste. The difference between raw and processed: the Jiu Wu Jia Pi has a deeper surface color with a faint wine fragrance — fitting formulas that need a strengthened channel-freeing action. The common look-alike is the Bai Qian root bark of the Asclepiadaceae (milkweed family) — harder in texture with a fainter odor — to be distinguished carefully.

Traditional Properties & Historical Lineage

Nature, Flavour & Channel Tropism

Acrid, Bitter; WarmLiverKidney

1. Records in Classic Materia Medica

  • Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing: lists Wu Jia Pi as upper grade — "treats heart-abdomen hernia qi and abdominal pain; boosts qi and treats bi (limb flaccidity); children unable to walk; carbuncle-ulcer and yin erosion" — the "bi" here refers to flaccid, weak limbs, corresponding to its use for improving limited limb movement.
  • Ming Yi Bie Lu: adds that Wu Jia Pi can "treat male impotence, dampness under the scrotum, dribbling urine, female genital itching and lower-back-spine pain, both-feet pain-bi with wind weakness, five-slack deficiency emaciation; tonify the middle, boost essence, firm the sinews and bones, and strengthen the will" — expanding the scope of its suited patterns.
  • Ben Cao Gang Mu: mentions that Wu Jia Pi treats "wind-damp bi, strengthens the sinews and bones, and fills the essence and marrow" — emphasizing its joint-regulating and tonifying actions.

2. How Views of Its Nature Changed

Different physicians saw it somewhat differently. Some stressed its wind-damp dispelling action, holding that it is a key herb for joint damp bi, mostly used for the limb heaviness of external evil; others valued its tonifying action, holding that it can tonify the liver and kidney, strengthen the sinews and bones, and fit the limb fatigue of deficiency; still others emphasized its scope, pointing out that it fits people of balanced constitution — those with obvious heat signs, such as frequent dry mouth and dry, bound stool, need caution when using it, to avoid worsening the discomfort. This difference also makes Wu Jia Pi's application fit different people's constitution states rather than being a single "universal herb."

Wu Jia Pi

Core Efficacies & Traditional Applications

Traditional Functions

Dispels wind-dampness, supplements liver and kidney, strengthens tendons and bone, and promotes diuresis and reduces edema.

1. First Direction: Dispelling Wind-Dampness and Freeing the Channels

  • Traditional action: scatter the dampness evil of the limb joints, free the blocked qi and blood in the channels, and ease the joint heaviness and limited movement of dampness blockage.
  • Typical signs: limb soreness after long-term damp living or rain-wading, or joint discomfort that worsens in damp weather — such people usually have a thick greasy tongue coating and a heavy feeling in the limbs.
  • Usual combinations: often paired with other herbs — such as Wei Ling Xian to strengthen the collateral-freeing action, Qiang Huo to scatter the dampness evil of the upper joints, or Du Huo to scatter the dampness evil of the lower joints.
  • Who should not self-use: those with obvious heat signs — such as frequent dry mouth and dry, bound stool, or joint pain of hot inflammation with obvious red-swollen-hot pain — using Wu Jia Pi alone may worsen the discomfort.

2. Second Direction: Tonifying the Liver and Kidney and Strengthening the Sinews and Bones

  • Traditional action: tonify the essence of the liver and kidney, strengthen the sinews and bones, and improve the limb fatigue and weak lower-back and knees of liver-kidney insufficiency.
  • Typical signs: weak lower-back and knees from long-term overwork or aging, or children with congenital insufficiency and delayed limb development — walking late, weak limbs — such people usually have a sore feeling in the lower-back and knees that eases somewhat after rest, without obvious joint redness, swelling, or pain.
  • Usual combinations: often paired with liver-kidney-tonifying herbs — such as Du Zhong to strengthen the sinew-bone tonifying action, or Sang Ji Sheng to attend to both settling the fetus and tonifying the liver and kidney.
  • Who should not self-use: those with heavier dampness evil — thick greasy tongue coating and obvious limb heaviness without obvious liver-kidney insufficiency — using the tonifying Wu Jia Pi alone may worsen the dampness blockage.

3. Classic Pairing: Wu Jia Pi With Du Zhong

This pair is a common clinical combination. Wu Jia Pi's action is dispelling wind-dampness and freeing the channels — scattering the dampness evil of the limb joints; Du Zhong's action is tonifying the liver and kidney and strengthening the sinews and bones — tonifying the essence of the liver and kidney. The pairing is synergistic — both solving the dampness-blockage problem and tonifying the liver-kidney essence consumed by the dampness evil — fitting people with both limb heaviness and joint discomfort and weak lower-back knees and limb fatigue, such as middle-aged and older people long engaged in physical labor, or those with weak lower-back knees plus fatigue from long sitting. This pair needs a practitioner's pattern diagnosis — if there is only simple joint damp bi without liver-kidney insufficiency, or obvious internal heat, the combination plan needs adjustment.

Wu Jia Pi

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 lignans, saponins, and polysaccharides — natural substances in the plant. In in vitro experiments, some saponin constituents showed a certain influence on the activity of inflammation-related enzymes; animal experiments show that the Wu Jia Pi extract may improve the limb-activity ability of mice, and can, to a certain extent, reduce the limb swelling caused by dampness-simulation experiments. Human clinical research currently mainly focuses on observing the regulating effect of Wu Jia Pi combined with other herbs — no clear conclusion has been reached on a single constituent acting directly on humans.

2. Current Research Directions

Current research on Wu Jia Pi mainly focuses on several directions:

  • Its influence on the local inflammation of joints — animal experiments show that the Wu Jia Pi extract may help reduce the swelling around the joints.
  • Its potential action on limb muscle strength — in experiments, some animal models showed improved flexibility of limb activity after using Wu Jia Pi.
  • Its potential regulation of metabolism — currently mainly observing its influence on water-metabolism-related indicators.

More human research is still needed to verify whether these experimental results apply to ordinary people.

3. Limitations of Current Research

  • Lab results are not clinical efficacy — the effects observed in animal experiments may not be directly replicated in humans, because the human physiological state differs from animals.
  • Extracts and monomers are not the same as traditional decoction pieces — the extracts used in experiments are usually concentrated, while daily use is the dried slice — the active-constituent content and mode of action differ.
  • Doses and preparation methods vary between studies — this causes differences in the results, and a unified conclusion cannot be formed directly.
  • A single component does not define the whole herb — the action of Chinese herbs is the result of multi-constituent synergy; a single constituent's effect cannot represent the whole herb's full action.

Wu Jia Pi

Comparing Similar Herbs

1. What They Share

Choosing Sang Ji Sheng as the similar herb, the two share these points:

  • Both have the double actions of dispelling wind-dampness and tonifying the liver and kidney — acting on both the dampness evil of the limb joints and the essence of the liver and kidney.
  • Both are used for the limb discomfort related to liver-kidney insufficiency and dampness evil — such as weak lower-back and knees, limb fatigue, and joint heaviness.
  • Both may appear in food therapy or daily joint regulation for middle-aged and older deficiency — fitting people needing long-term gentle regulation.
  • Both need individual constitution and specific symptoms considered — do not self-administer casually.

2. The Key Differences: Wu Jia Pi vs. Sang Ji Sheng

  • Nature and flavors: Wu Jia Pi is balanced with pungent-bitter-sweet flavors — the pungent scatters, the bitter dries dampness, the sweet tonifies — leaning "scattering with tonifying"; Sang Ji Sheng is also balanced with sweet-bitter flavors — the sweet tonifying is the main action and the bitter dries dampness — leaning "tonifying with scattering," with a relatively more obvious tonifying action.
  • Focus: Wu Jia Pi's core strength is dispelling wind-dampness and freeing the channels — more prominent for regulating the limb heaviness and limited joint movement of dampness blocking the channels; Sang Ji Sheng's core strength is tonifying the liver and kidney and strengthening the sinews and bones, with a certain fetus-settling action — leaning more toward regulating the weak lower-back knees and limb fatigue of liver-kidney insufficiency.
  • Qi tendency: Wu Jia Pi's action leans scattering and freeing — pushing the qi and blood of the limb channels to run and helping expel the dampness evil; Sang Ji Sheng's action leans tonifying and astringing — supplementing the liver-kidney essence, steadying the sinew-bone state, and avoiding over-dispersing the essence.
  • Best fit: Wu Jia Pi fits those with obvious dampness manifestations — limb heaviness, thick greasy tongue coating, joints worsening in damp weather; Sang Ji Sheng fits those with obvious liver-kidney-insufficiency manifestations — weak lower-back knees, dizziness and tinnitus, limb fatigue, without obvious dampness blockage.
  • Not suitable: Wu Jia Pi is not for those with obvious internal heat — frequent dry mouth, dry, bound stool, red-swollen-hot joints; Sang Ji Sheng is not for those with heavier dampness evil — limb heaviness, thick greasy tongue coating — misuse may worsen the dampness blockage.
  • Use scenes: Wu Jia Pi more often appears in the formulas targeting joint damp bi and limb heaviness, or daily regulation needing collateral-freeing and dampness-dispelling; Sang Ji Sheng more often appears in the formulas targeting liver-kidney insufficiency and weak lower-back knees, or the scenes needing sinew-bone tonifying and fetus settling — such as pregnancy regulation.

3. One-Sentence Summary

Simply put, Wu Jia Pi leans toward freeing the collaterals and dispelling dampness while also tonifying, whereas Sang Ji Sheng leans toward tonifying the liver and kidney while also dispelling dampness. Both can regulate lower-back and knee discomfort, but they are not interchangeable.

Wu Jia Pi

Classical Formulas Containing Wu Jia Pi

Classic Formula 1: Wu Jia Pi San (Acanthopanax Bark Powder)

Combination logic: In Wu Jia Pi San, Wu Jia Pi is the lord — the core herb — mainly responsible for scattering the dampness evil of the limb joints and freeing the channels; Du Huo and Fang Feng are combined to strengthen the dampness-dispelling, collateral-freeing action, and Du Zhong to tonify the liver and kidney. The formula mainly addresses the joint heaviness and limb fatigue of dampness blocking the channels with liver-kidney insufficiency. The herbs work synergistically — both freeing the blocked dampness evil and supplementing the consumed essence. The herb alone cannot be used, because a single herb cannot attend to both the dampness-dispelling and tonifying needs, nor reach the overall effect of balancing the channels and the liver-kidney.

Traditional use: traditionally used to regulate wind-damp bi pain, weak lower-back and knees, and limb fatigue — fitting people long troubled by dampness evil with liver-kidney insufficiency, without targeting a specific modern disease.

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 a condition — adjust the medication plan according to the individual constitution and specific symptoms.

Classic Formula 2: Wu Jia Pi Jiu (Acanthopanax Bark Wine)

Combination logic: In Wu Jia Pi Jiu, Wu Jia Pi is the lord, with Dang Gui and Niu Xi combined to strengthen the tonifying and collateral-freeing action; wine is used as the solvent, which can strengthen the dispersing action of the herbs and help the medicinal force reach the limb joints. The formula mainly addresses the limited movement and weak lower-back and knees of limb-joint damp bi with liver-kidney insufficiency. The wine's role is to guide the herbs upward and disperse the medicinal force, letting the herbs act better on the limbs; the herbs work together, attending to dampness-dispelling, collateral-freeing, and tonifying. Wu Jia Pi alone cannot be used, because a single herb cannot reach the effect of the wine helping the medicinal force and the multi-herb synergy.

Traditional use: traditionally used to regulate wind-damp bi pain, sinew-bone weakness, and weak lower-back and knees — fitting people needing long-term gentle regulation, without targeting a specific modern disease.

Modern note: modern clinical use requires a doctor's pattern diagnosis and standard care — especially for formulas involving alcohol, pay more attention to whether the person suits drinking, to avoid health risk from alcohol; do not self-administer.

Formulas vs. Single Herbs

A formula is a whole in which many herbs act together — each herb's action is adjusted through combination, both strengthening the effect and reducing possible discomfort. A single herb cannot simply replicate a full formula's effect, because without the synergy of the other herbs its action is relatively one-sided. The doses and combinations in a formula are holistic — the dose ratios of different herbs affect the formula's overall action; casually adjusting the dose or substituting herbs changes the effect. The common misunderstanding: a herb that works in a formula means taking it alone produces the same effect — in fact, the action of Chinese herbs is the result of multi-constituent synergy, and a single herb cannot reach the formula's overall regulating effect. Therefore, do not build your own formulas from online articles, and do not take a single herb from a formula alone.

Diet & Daily Home Use

1. Home Tea and Porridge

Tea — Wu Jia Pi Sheng Jiang Cha: raw Wu Jia Pi 3 g, Sheng Jiang 2 slices, Da Zao 2 pieces. Wash the ingredients, steep in boiling water, cover 10 minutes, and drink as tea. Suited to the limb heaviness and joint tightness of the plum-rain season or damp weather. Not for those with obvious internal heat and frequent dry mouth. Suggested: 2–3 times a week; do not drink continuously long-term.

Porridge — Wu Jia Pi Du Zhong Zhou: Jiu Wu Jia Pi 5 g, Du Zhong 5 g, Jing Mi 50 g. Decoct the Wu Jia Pi and Du Zhong with water 20 minutes first, take the liquid, then add the Jing Mi to cook into porridge. Suited to the weak lower-back and knees and limb fatigue of liver-kidney insufficiency with dampness in middle-aged and older people. Not for those with a thick greasy tongue coating and heavier dampness evil. Suggested: once every 1–2 weeks; do not eat frequently. Note: Wu Jia Pi is a medicinal slice, not an ordinary food — do not use it in large amounts as a daily ingredient casually; mind the dose and suited scenes.

2. Decoction and Processing Differences

The difference between raw and wine-processed: the Jiu Wu Jia Pi, after wine-processing, has a stronger scattering and collateral-freeing action — fitting the regulation needing a strengthened dampness-dispelling, collateral-freeing effect; the raw Wu Jia Pi is relatively gentler — fitting daily mild regulation. At home, Wu Jia Pi needs no pre-boiling, late addition, or bag-boiling — decoct it directly with the other ingredients or herbs; control the decocting time and do not let it go too long, to avoid over-volatilizing the active constituents. Different forms cannot be converted directly — 10 g of the raw slice is not equal to 1 g of the extract, nor to the dose in a medicinal wine; adjust according to the specific use scene.

3. Dosage and Course

The common dose range in traditional prescriptions is 5–10 g; the daily food-therapy dose is usually controlled at 3–5 g — smaller than the medicinal dose, to ensure safety. The difference between food and medicinal doses: the food dose is gentler, fitting short-term or occasional regulation, while the medicinal dose needs the doctor to adjust it according to the specific pattern. Long-term continuous use is not advised — if long-term regulation is needed, pause 3–5 days after every 1–2 weeks of use, or consult a doctor to adjust the plan. Special groups — pregnant women, children, and the elderly — should determine the dose and course under a doctor's or pharmacist's guidance.

Wu Jia Pi

Contraindications & Safety Warnings

1. Who Should Avoid It

  • Those with obvious internal heat — such as frequent dry mouth and tongue, dry, bound stool, and a thick yellow tongue coating — using Wu Jia Pi may worsen the heat and bring discomfort.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding — special body states; there is currently no sufficient safety data supporting Wu Jia Pi — self-use is advised against.
  • Children and the elderly — children's organ functions are not yet fully developed and the elderly's metabolism is weaker — use under a doctor's guidance.
  • Liver or kidney impairment — weaker metabolism; use any herb with caution, to avoid adding burden to the liver and kidneys.
  • Allergy to Wu Jia Pi or Araliaceae (ginseng-family) plants — avoid use.
  • Those in special treatment — such as taking immunosuppressants or anti-tumor drugs — consult a doctor before deciding whether to use it.

2. Interactions and Diet Notes

There is no sufficient evidence of a general "food clash" between ordinary foods, but certain herbs can interact with specific drugs. Wu Jia Pi may affect the effect of anticoagulants — if taking warfarin or other anticoagulants, consult a doctor before use; it may also interact with blood-pressure medications and sedatives, affecting the absorption or metabolism of the drugs. Anyone on medication should consult a doctor or pharmacist first, avoid self-combining, and pay attention not to adjust drug doses casually.

3. Adverse Reactions and Overdose Risk

At normal doses, Wu Jia Pi has few adverse reactions, but too large an amount or improper use may bring nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. To be clear: if marked discomfort, allergy signs, persistent vomiting, breathing difficulty, altered consciousness, or rapidly worsening symptoms appear, stop at once and seek medical care — do not delay the handling.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wu Jia Pi

What is Wu Jia Pi? Are Xiang Jia Pi and Sang Ji Sheng the same?
Wu Jia Pi (五加皮) is the dried root bark of Acanthopanax gracilistylus (Acanthopanacis Cortex), a common Chinese herb centered on dispelling wind-dampness, supplementing Liver and Kidney, and strengthening tendons and bones. Xiang Jia Pi promotes diuresis and reduces swelling, leaning to toxic. Sang Ji Sheng supplements Liver and Kidney, leaning to strengthening tendons. The three cannot be interchanged by equal weight. Write Wu Jia Pi. Use caution in yin deficiency internal heat.
What is the composition and traditional use of Wu Jia Pi?
Pharmacopoeial name Wu Jia Pi, Latin Acanthopanax gracilistylus W. W. Smith. Pungent and bitter, warm; enters the Liver and Kidney channels. It acts to dispelling wind-dampness, supplement Liver and Kidney, strengthen tendons and bones. It is used for wind-damp bi pain, flaccidity of tendons and bones, delayed walking in children, deficiency fatigue, edema, and beriberi. Expels wind and strengthens tendons.
How do you choose raw versus prepared? Can Xiang Jia Pi replace it?
Slices used raw. Xiang Jia Pi leans to diuresis and is toxic; 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, 5-10 g. Modern use requires a practitioner to name the dose. It is not a four-season “Wu Jia Pi 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 Wu Jia Pi dispel wind-dampness, supplement Liver and Kidney, strengthen tendons and bones?
It can help wind-damp bi pain, flaccidity of tendons and bones, delayed walking in children, deficiency fatigue, edema, and beriberi. It dispels wind-dampness, supplements Liver and Kidney, strengthens tendons and bones—not a specific for every bi pain or every flaccidity.
Can Wu Jia Pi be drunk daily as a wind-expelling or tendon-strengthening tea?
Wind-damp bi pain may enter a short formula; yin deficiency internal heat only injures further. “Wu Jia Pi must strengthen tendons” does not replace assessment. Dispelling wind-dampness, supplementing Liver and Kidney, strengthening tendons and bones should be named by a practitioner with form and dose.
How do you choose among Wu Jia Pi, Xiang Jia Pi, Sang Ji Sheng, Qian Nian Jian and Du Huo?
Wu Jia Pi dispels wind-dampness while supplementing Liver and Kidney, strengthening tendons and bones, leaning to bi pain and flaccidity. Xiang Jia Pi promotes diuresis and reduces swelling, leaning to toxic. Sang Ji Sheng supplements Liver and Kidney, leaning to strengthening tendons. Qian Nian Jian dispels wind-dampness, leaning to strengthening tendons. Du Huo expels wind and drains dampness, leaning to the lower burner. Strengthening tendons favors Wu Jia Pi; diuresis favors Xiang Jia Pi; supplementing Kidney favors Sang Ji Sheng; strengthening tendons favors Qian Nian Jian; lower burner favors Du Huo. They may be referenced after pattern differentiation; yin deficiency forbids large Wu Jia Pi.
How is Wu Jia Pi commonly modified? What is the representative use?
Depends on the pattern. Bi pain may add Du Huo; flaccidity may add Sang Ji Sheng. Write Wu Jia Pi; do not replace the tendon-strengthening action with an equal weight of Xiang Jia Pi.
How do you choose and store Wu Jia Pi?
Choose regulated Chinese medicinal materials with intact root bark and aromatic odor. Discard if moldy, damp or off odor. Store in a dry place. Purchase labeled “Wu Jia Pi”; do not use equal weights of Xiang Jia Pi or Sang Ji Sheng to replace dispelling wind-dampness, supplementing Liver and Kidney, 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.

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Wu Jia Pi (Acanthopanax Bark): Dispels wind-damp, tonifies the liver and kidney, and strengthens the sinews and bones