Du Huo - 独活 - Radix Angelicae Pubescentis

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Radix Angelicae Pubescentis
Common English:	Double Teeth Angelica Root Hairy Angelica Root Pubescent Angelica Root Tu-Huo

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Bitter Acrid	Warm (Slightly Warm)	Kidney Bladder (Liver)	3-10g Tincture:1-4ml

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Dispels Wind-Dampness and alleviates pain	Wind-Cold-Damp painful obstruction (Bi), especially in the low back and legs (It can be used for both acute and chronic conditions)
Disperses Wind-Cold-Dampness and releases the Exterior	Exterior Wind-Cold with Dampness
*Treats Shao Yin* Level headache and toothache**	Shao Yin Level headache and toothache

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Use caution for those with Yin or Blood Deficiency with Heat signs. It is drying and easily injures Yin.
Do not use for those with Internal Wind.
Use caution during pregnancy.
This herb is sometimes associated with photosensitivity.

INCOMPATIBILITIES

HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

Use with caution for patients taking anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin) and enoxaparin (Lovenox) or antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, dipyridamole (Persantine) and clopidogrel (Plavix) as concurrent use may have an additive or synergistic effect.

Hb. Asari Xi Xin Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae Qin Jiao	Hb. Taxilli Sang Ji Sheng Cx. Eucommiae Du Zhong Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui	Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng
Wind-Damp Bi causing numbness, pain and soreness in the neck, back and lower extremities.	Wind-Dampness in a patient with underlying Kidney Deficiency, with low back and knee pain and stiffness.	Numbness in the legs.
Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng Rx. Angelicae Dahuricae Bai Zhi	Rz. Seu Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo Rz. Ligustici Gao Ben Fr. Viticis Man Jing Zi Or Rz. Seu Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo Rz. Ligustici Gao Ben Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng	Rz. Seu Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo
Wind-Cold toothache.	Wind-Cold-Dampness with headache, chills and fever and muscle and joint pain.	Joint pain and numbness.
Hb. Ephedrae Ma Huang	Hb. Asari Xi Xin Rz. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong	Gypsum Fibrosum Shi Gao Rz. Cimicifugae Sheng Ma (Rx. Rehmanniae) (Sheng Di Huang)
Wind-Cold with anhidrosis and body aches and pains.	Shao Yin toothaches and headaches.	Ascending Wind and Fire or Stomach Fire causing toothache and swollen gums.
Hb. Asari Xi Xin	Rx. Saposhnikoviae Fang Feng Fr. Kochiae Di Fu Zi
Shao Yin headache, with splitting pain that involves the teeth and cheeks due to External Wind-Cold. Joint pain due to Wind-Cold-Dampness.	Rash and itching.

For Wind-Damp Bi, it is normally paired with Rz. seu Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo. This herb is preferred for the lower back and legs, while Qiang Huo is preferred for the upper back and shoulders.
It is regarded as the foremost herb for invasion by Wind-Dampness.
Headaches, particularly those caused by Wind, are an important indication.
It helps in the treatment of Blood Stasis.
As a single herb, Du Huo can serve as a mouthwash for toothache.
It opens the channels and vitalizes the vessels.
Du Huo and Rz. seu Rx. Notopterygii Qiang Huo both dispel Wind, eliminate Dampness, disperse Cold and relieve Bi pain, and they are frequently combined for Wind-Cold-Damp Bi. Du Huo acts more strongly on the foot Shao Yin channel and suits Wind-Damp in the lower body, with pain in the lumbar region, legs, calves and feet. It also addresses Shao Yin headache affecting the teeth and cheeks. Its action goes deeper, targeting chronic lurking Wind in the interior, the lower body and Shao Yin. Qiang Huo enters mainly the Tai Yang and is the best choice for dispersing Wind, Cold and Dampness there by inducing sweat and releasing the exterior. It suits an attack on the upper body, with pain and stiffness of the upper back, neck, occiput and head.