A Wei阿魏
Ferulae Resina · Asafoetida · Devil's Dung
Overview
The oleo-gum-resin tapped from Xinjiang Ferula species, and one of the few items in the materia medica that arrived in China along the Silk Road rather than out of its own hills — it enters the record in the Tang. Bitter, acrid and warm, it is by a wide margin the most forceful herb in this chapter: it breaks down meat and fat that will not digest, disperses fixed abdominal masses, and is classically listed as killing intestinal parasites. Its odour is overpowering enough that it is almost never decocted; it is given in pills and powders in very small amounts, or worked into a plaster and applied over the abdomen.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter, acrid · WarmChannels
Liver · Spleen · StomachTypical Dosage
1–1.5 gActions
3 core actions
- Reduces meat and fat stagnationHeavy, greasy, meat-laden meals sitting undigested, with foul belching, a thick coating and a distended, uncomfortable abdomen.
- Disperses masses, softens accumulationPalpable abdominal lumps and long-standing fixed accumulation. This is the basis of the classical plaster A Wei Hua Pi Gao 阿魏化痞膏, applied over the mass rather than swallowed.
- Kills intestinal parasitesAbdominal pain attributed to parasites in the classical record. Modern practice treats parasitic infection with established antiparasitic medicines and diagnostic testing; this entry records the traditional indication rather than recommending the herb for it.
In Formulas
Formulas containing A Wei
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Undigested meat and fatty food with foul belching and abdominal distension
- Fixed abdominal masses and long-standing accumulation, classically by external plaster
- Parasitic abdominal pain, in the classical record only
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Contraindicated in pregnancy. The pharmacopoeia sets the internal dose at 1–1.5 g a day and expects it in pills or powder — this is not a herb to put into a decoction, and not one to increase. It is strongly dispersing and irritating to the stomach lining, so it is unsuitable in Spleen-Stomach weakness, in anyone with an active peptic ulcer, and in the frail or depleted. Because it breaks accumulation, anyone with a bleeding tendency or taking anticoagulant medication should not use it without their physician's involvement. Finally, and most importantly: an abdominal mass belongs in front of a physician before it belongs under a plaster. It must be investigated and diagnosed first, and a herbal plaster is never a reason to delay that.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Contraindicated in pregnancy — the Chinese Pharmacopoeia lists it as, and its dispersing, mass-breaking action is the reason. Avoid it during breastfeeding as well: it is intensely aromatic and its safety in nursing mothers is not established.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Xin Xiu Ben Cao《新修本草》(classical source, public domain).
2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
3. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
Professional reference notice. Entries are scholarly references for licensed TCM practitioners and students — not medical advice, and not a recommendation to self-prescribe. Chinese herbal formulas should be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner. Content is an original editorial compilation by Cura x Cura, cross-checked against the cited references.