Wu Yi
StarUlmus macrocarpa Hance
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
- Skin
☯ TCM Properties
Kills parasites and resolves food accumulation; used externally to treat scabies, ringworm, and sores.
Traditional Chinese Uses
Wu Yi is a bitter, acrid, warm herb entering the Spleen and Stomach channels, used in Chinese medicine chiefly to kill intestinal parasites and resolve food accumulation -- classically for roundworms and pinworms, and for the infantile malnutrition-with-accumulation (gan ji) pattern seen in children with worm infestation and poor digestion, often combined with Shi Jun Zi or Bing Lang. Ground and applied externally, it is also used to treat scabies, ringworm, and non-healing sores. It should not be confused with Fei Zi (Torreya grandis seed), a separate, lung-moistening and intestine-lubricating anthelmintic used for dry cough and constipation with roundworms.
Relationships
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Botanical Description
Wu Yi is not derived from Torreya (whose seed is the separate herb Fei Zi) but from the fermented, prepared samaras of Ulmus macrocarpa Hance (large-fruited elm) or related Ulmus species, family Ulmaceae -- deciduous trees native to northern China, Korea, and Mongolia. The flat, winged samaras are harvested when ripe in late spring, then fermented (traditionally mixed with water and left to ferment for several days), pressed into cakes, dried, and cut into pieces to yield the crude drug. This fermentation step is what makes Wu Yi a prepared medicinal (Fructus Ulmi Macrocarpae Praeparatus) rather than a raw seed or fruit.
⚠ Drug Interactions
Wu Yi (Pasta Ulmi, the fermented seed preparation of Ulmus macrocarpa Hance)
Wu Yi is the seed of Ulmus macrocarpa Hance (Ulmaceae), harvested ripe, fermented with elm bark, red earth and chrysanthemum powder, pressed into flat cakes and sun-dried; it is recorded in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as dispersing pathogenic qi in the five viscera, removing the three worms and transforming food, and is used for parasitic abdominal pain, infantile malnutrition with diarrhoea, cold dysentery, scabies and malignant sores. The scientific name, the Latin drug name Semen Torreyae and the listed functions in this record all belong instead to Fei Zi, the seed of Torreya grandis (Taxaceae), a wholly unrelated gymnosperm. The two drugs share only the loose category of parasite-expelling agents; they differ in family, in part used, in processing and in dose.
Clinical note: Treat the binomial as the identity. If Torreya grandis seed is intended, this is Fei Zi and should be indexed and dispensed as such. If Wu Yi is intended, the species must be corrected to Ulmus macrocarpa Hance and the Latin name to Pasta Ulmi. Do not dispense one against a prescription for the other.
Dosage
| Form | Amount | Frequency | Duration | Population | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| not established | Not established — see note | — | — | — | No ChP 一部 monograph. 芜荑 is the FERMENTED PROCESSED PRODUCT of the seed of Ulmus macrocarpa (大果榆, Ulmaceae) — the seeds are fermented with elm bark, red earth and chrysanthemum powder, pressed into cakes and dried. Acrid, bitter, warm; kills parasites and disperses accumulation. CORRECTION: this record previously carried Torreya grandis, which is 榧子 — a different drug (a Taxaceae seed, simply dried, not fermented). The two are both anthelmintics, which is the likely source of the confusion. The species field has been corrected. |
⚠ Safety & Contraindications
Contraindications
Its use is prohibited in patients with weakness of the spleen and stomach, or lung and spleen dryness-heat. Overdose should be avoided.
Source: Xi S, Gong Y. Essentials of Chinese Materia Medica and Medical Formulas. Academic Press/Elsevier, 2017, pp. 199–202.
Historical Texts
Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing
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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