Mo Yao - 没药 - Myrrh
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Myrrh Resina Commiphorae / Myrrha |
| Common English: | Commiphora Myrrh |
Category
Herbs that Regulate Blood: Herbs that Invigorate BloodProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Bitter | Neutral | Heart Liver Spleen | 3-12g Large doses: up to 15g Tincture: 1-3ml Essential Oil: 2 drops in a gel cap with olive oil 3-9g (Secondary source) |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Alleviates pain, Dispels Blood Stasis, Invigorates the Blood, Reduces swelling | Blood Stasis with pain from trauma, sores, carbuncles, swellings, fixed abdominal masses, painful obstruction, chest pain, abdominal pain and amenorrhea |
Generates flesh and promotes healing | Chronic non-healing sores |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Rz. Corydalis | Flos Carthami | Pheretima/Lumbricus |
Qi and Blood Obstruction causing epigastric and abdominal pain. | Chest and abdominal pain, amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea due to Blood Stasis. | Wind-Stroke with spasms and rigidity. Wind-Damp-Cold-Bi. |
| Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae | Olibanum | Olibanum Or Olibanum |
Flank pain due to acute sprain. | Disseminates and unblocks the organs and dredges the channels and collaterals to treat epigastric, flank, abdominal and joint pain. Abdominal pain during menstruation and irregular menstruation. Wind-Cold-Damp Bi with numbness throughout the body and unresponsive extremities. Swollen, painful sores and sores that are hard but not painful. Topically as a powder for skin lesions and ulcerations. | Traumatic injuries with bruising. |
Olibanum | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis | Rz. et Rx. Notopterygii |
Abdominal masses with pain and dysmenorrhea. | Postpartum abdominal pain with spotting. | Bi syndrome. |
Flos Lonicerae | ||
Redness and swelling of sores. |
Notes
- This herb is a resin taken from the stem, and in ancient Egypt it was applied to corpses as a preservative.
- Applied to the lips, it acts as an astringent.
- Its main use is for severe pain caused by Blood Stasis.
- According to one source, it regulates Qi.
- Mo Yao and Olibanum Ru Xiang both invigorate the Blood, disperse Stasis, stop pain, reduce swelling and generate flesh. Ru Xiang is warm and piercingly aromatic; it stops pain powerfully, acts more on the Qi, invigorates the Blood more strongly and relaxes the sinews. Mo Yao is neutral and bitter; it powerfully breaks up Stagnation, drains, disperses the Blood and acts more on the Blood.
- Unprepared Myrrh Shen Mo Yao is usually applied externally or given in pill form.
- Prepared Myrrh Zhi Mo Yao is gentler on digestion and tastes better, and it is stronger at invigorating Blood, stopping pain, restraining and inhibiting, and generating flesh.
- Also relaxes the sinews and invigorates the channels to ease pain.
From Class
- Blood movers: Dan Shen, Chuan Xiong, Hong Hua, Tao Ren, Mo Yao, Ru Xiang, Yu Jin: Pericardium-affinity blood invigorators; resins (myrrh, frankincense) help heal wounds inside the vessels. (Gioioso)
- Frankincense (Ru Xiang) and myrrh (Mo Yao): For dying people who can't let go/rigid — moving blood; can be blended. (Yuen)
- Myrrh (Mo Yao) + Frankincense (Ru Xiang) over the Dai Mai: Myrrh and frankincense, base-note resins for unhealing wounds, go into fat and scar tissue; in the Yin Chen carrier over the Dai Mai they break up stubborn adipose tissue. (Yuen)