☯ TCM Properties
Traditional Chinese Uses
Pao Jiang is dried ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale) that has been blast-fried or charred until puffed and brown-black. This processing makes it bitter and astringent and warm (rather than hot), with its action shifting to the Spleen and Liver channels. It loses the strong interior-warming and Yang-rescuing power of Gan Jiang but gains a marked ability to warm the channels and stop bleeding, and to warm the middle and relieve pain.
It is used chiefly for Cold- and deficiency-type bleeding, especially uterine bleeding, prolonged post-partum lochia, and blood in the stool with Cold signs (pale blood, cold limbs, weak pulse), and for cold, cramping abdominal pain and chronic Cold diarrhea. Classic pairings include Pao Jiang with Ai Ye and Dang Gui. It is contraindicated in Heat patterns and used cautiously in pregnancy.
Western Herbalism Properties
Botanical Description
Pao Jiang is a processed form of the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger), a perennial herbaceous plant in the Zingiberaceae cultivated throughout tropical and subtropical Asia. The aerial shoots are 0.6-1.2 m tall, with two-ranked, linear-lanceolate leaves 15-30 cm long arising from sheathing pseudostems. Inflorescences are dense cone-like spikes borne on separate short stalks from the rhizome, with pale yellow flowers marked purple. The medicinal organ is the underground branched, sympodial rhizome, pale buff externally and pale yellow internally, with a pungent aromatic odour. For Pao Jiang ("blast-fried ginger"), the dried mature rhizome (Gan Jiang) is dry-fried over high heat in sand or directly in a hot wok until the outer surface is uniformly scorched brownish-black and the interior is yellow-brown.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| decoction | 6-15g | Daily | — | — | — |
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.
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