Characteristics
Crude sample: Root tuber irregularly cambiform, 6-15 cm long, 4-12 cm in diameter. Cork red-brown, wrinkled, with transverse and long lenticels and spotted fibrous root scar~ Prepared by crosscuttinj the section appearing reddish brown; the cortex with several special vascular bundles in annular arrangement like cloudy striae, the middle being vascular bundles of the xylem, somewhat rounded. Hard in texture, heavy in weight. Prepared sample: which is similar to the former except. It is dark-brown in colour and the cloudy stria indistinct. Both of theM are bitter, astringent and sweet in taste, warm in nature, and attributive to liver, heart and kideny channels.

Indication
1. Invigorate the liver and kidney, benefit essence and blood: For insufficiency of essence and blood manifested as baldness, backache with weakness of the knee joint, immovability of extremities, hemiplegia and paraplegia; for blood-deficiency syndrome manifested as sallow complexion, palpitation, dizziness, tinnitus, numbness of the extremities, insomnia, dreaminess sleepiness, somnambulism, epilepsy, urticaria and dermatoxerasia; for hypofunction of liver and kidney with emission or leucorrhagia. Recently, also used for hypercholesterinemia and atherosclerosis.

2. Relax the bowels (crude herb): For constipation of asthenia-syndrome.

3. Clear away toxic material (crude herb): For scrofula, carbuncle, etc. In addition, the prepared herb is used for chronic malaria with deficiency of vital energy and blood.

Pharmacological Action
1. The prepared sample can promote lymphocyte transformation.

2. Reducing serum cholesterol, and relieving atherosclerosis.

3. The crude sample is a purgative.