Sang Bai Pi - 桑白皮 - Cortex Mori - Mulberry Root Bark

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Cortex Mori
Common English:	Morus Bark Mulberry Root Bark White Mulberry Root Bark

Category

Herbs that Transform Phlegm and Stop Coughing: Herbs that Stop Cough and Wheezing (Anti-Asthmatics)

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet	Cold	Lung (Spleen)	6-18g Tincture: 2-4ml 6-15g (Secondary source)

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Drains Heat from the Lungs, stops coughing and calms wheezing	Coughing and wheezing, fullness and hemoptysis due to Lung Heat
Promotes urination and reduces edema	Lung Heat obstructing the descending action of the Lung, preventing water from moving and stopping perspiration (floating edema, facial edema, swelling of the upper extremities, fever, thirst, urinary difficulty, a floating pulse)
Treats hypertension	Hypertension

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Cx. Lycii Di Gu Pi Rx. Glycyrrhizae Gan Cao	Rx. Lateralis Aconiti Preparata Zhi Fu Zi	Per. Arecae Da Fu Pi Cx. Poria Fu Ling Pi
Cough with thick sputum, fever, irritability, and thirst due to Phlegm-Heat Obstructing the Lungs.	Coughing and wheezing with edema due to Kidney Yang Deficiency.	Superficial edema with difficult urination.
Sm. Lepidii/Descurainiae Ting Li Zi	Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin Sm. Cassiae Jue Ming Zi Spica Prunellae Xia Ku Cao	Rx. Scutellariae Huang Qin
Swelling of the face and eyes with urinary difficulty. Wheezing from water and thin mucus retained in the Lungs.	Hypertension due to Liver Yang Rising.	Drains Heat from the Lungs and stops coughing and wheezing.
Flos Chrysanthemi Ju Hua Sm. Dolichorus Bai Bian Dou
Phlegm-Heat with nasal obstruction.

Notes

1. For the Lungs, this herb acts both as a tonic and as a Heat clearing herb.
2. It helps Qi and Fluids to descend.
3. The leaves Sang Ye purge Wind-Heat, while the twigs treat Bi Syndrome and the fruits nourish the Blood.
4. Silkworms will feed on no other plant, so it is used extensively in silk production. The worm itself (Bombyx Batryticatus Jiang Can) is used for Phlegm disorders.
5. It should not be kept in an iron container.
6. Coughs accompanied by edema respond well to it.
7. Swelling around the eyes responds especially well to this herb.
8. It has been shown to inhibit cancer cell growth effectively.
9. The juice is said to cure black nevus, deteriorated muscles, incised wounds and Stasis.
10. Sang Bai Pi and Sm. Lepidii/Descurainiae Ting Li Zi both drain the Lungs and promote the movement of Fluids, calming wheezing and dispelling edema and swelling. Together they treat swelling of the face and eyes with urinary difficulty, as well as wheezing from water and thin mucus retained in the Lungs. Sang Bai Pi drains Lung Heat more effectively and is chosen when Phlegm is yellow. Ting Li Zi drains the Lungs and promotes the transformation of watery Phlegm, and is used mainly for wheezing and swelling from excessive accumulation of water and Phlegm.
11. In Prepared Mulberry Root Zhi Sang Pi, the cooling and draining properties are reduced, while its capacity to moisten the Lungs and stop wheezing is increased.
12. Dry-fried Mulberry Root Chao Sang Bai Pi is less cold, and its capacity to drain the Lungs, promote urination, moisten and calm wheezing is reduced. It is seldom used.