Beichaihu Cylindrical ro elongated conical, 6-15 cm long, 0.3-0.8 cm in diameter, root stock xepanded. Apex remained with 3-15 stem-bases or short fibrous leaf-bases, branched at the lower part. Externally blackish-brown or light brown, with longitudinal wrinkles, rootlet scars and lenticels. Texture hard and tenacious, uneasily broken, fracture laminated-fibrous, bark light brown, wood yellowish-white. Odour, slightly aromatic; taste, slightly bitter.

Nanchaihu Relatively thin, conical. Apex with numerous hairy fibres from withered leaves, usually nont branched or slightly branched at the lower part. Externally reddish-brown or blackish-brown, with dense and transverse annulations near the root stock. Texture slightly soft, easily broken, fracture slightly even, non-fibrous.Odour, rancid.

Influenza or common cold with fever; alternate chills and fever such as malaria; distending pain in the chest and hypochondriac regions; menstrual disorders; prolapse of the uterus, prolapse of the rectum.

1. Dispersing evil heat from the superficies

For treating cold with fever, it is often combined with Radix Puerariae, etc., thus dispersing evil heat from the supericies; for treating the syndrome o alternating episodes of chills and fever, with Radix Scutellariae, thus mediating Shaoyang disease. This drug is effective in eliminating the evil located in the half-superficies and half-interior, hence an indispensable medicine for Shaoyang disease. Besides, for malaria marked by alternating episodes of chills and fever, it is often combined with Radix scutellariae, Radix Dichoae, Fructus Tsaoko, etc.

2. Lifting up the vital energy of middle-Jiao

For the treatment of prolapse of rectum, or of uterus, or gastroptosis due to deficiency of Qi of middle-Jiao, it is often combined with drugs for liftingYang-Qi, such as Radix Ginseng, Radix Astragali seu Hedysari and Rhizoma Cimicifuge.