ASARUM
Pinyin Name: Xi Xin; “thin-acrid”
Pharmaceutical Name: Herba Asari
Properties: acrid, warm
Channels: Lung, Heart, Kidney







Chinese Therapeutic Actions:

• Dispels wind, disperses cold and relieves pain
• Dispels wind-cold form the exterior
• Warms the Lung and resolves phlegm
• Opens sensory orifices
• Promotes healing of oral ulceration
• Relieves toothache

• Respiratory: Many constituents of Xi Xin stimulate the respiratory system. Intravenous injection of alcohol extract of Xi Xin effectively reversed morphine-induced respirator depression in rabbits. Xi Xin may also increase lung capacity for 15 to 30 minutes. Methyleugenol has a bronchodilating effect in mice.
• Cardiovascular: Administration of an alcohol extract of Xi Xin is associated with increased heart rate increased cardiac output in laboratory experiments.
• Antibiotic: Xi Xin has an inhibitory effect against Streptococcus spp., Shigella spp., and Salmonella typhi.
• Anti-inflammatory: Essential oil of Xi Xin has a marked effect to reduce inflammation associated with increased vascular permeability caused by PGE2. In laboratory experiments, intraperitoneal injection of essential oil of Xi Xin at 0.24 ml/kg effectively reduced swelling in the legs of rats.
• Anesthetic: Essential oil of Xi Xin produces a local anesthetic effect in rabbits when injected locally. The anesthetic effect of Xi Xin is comparable to the of 1% novacaine.

• Aphthous ulcers: Xi Xin in the form of topical paste was used in one study to treat 106 patients with apthous ulcers. The herbal paste was made from 9 to 15 grams of powder mixed with water and glycerin, and placed on the navel for at least three days. The rate of effectiveness was 93.4%.
• Angina: In one study, 281 patients with coronary artery disease and angina were treated with an herbal sublingual spray with pain relief achieved within 5 minutes in 64.8% of the cases. The therapeutic effect was concluded to be similar to that of nitroglycerin. The herbal spray contained t0 ml of essential oil of Xi Xin, and 16 grams of Bing Pian (Borneolum Syntheticum), dissolved in 600 ml of 95% alcohol.