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Cura x Cura

Bai Dou Kou白豆蔻

Amomi Fructus Rotundus · Round Cardamom Fruit

Aromatic Herbs that Transform Dampness 化湿药

Overview

An aromatic fruit whose whole action is in its fragrance: acrid and warm, it wakes a Spleen that damp has made sluggish, and moves stalled qi in the middle burner so that appetite and digestion restart. It also reaches upward to the Lung, which is why it appears in formulas for the heavy, foggy, sticky-tongued stage of damp-warm disease. Because the volatile oil is the active part, it is added in the last few minutes of a decoction rather than boiled from the start.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid · Warm

Channels

Lung · Spleen · Stomach

Typical Dosage

3–6 g in decoction, added in the last few minutes
白豆蔻Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Transforms damp, wakes the SpleenFullness and stuffiness after eating, no appetite, a greasy tongue coating and a heavy, unclear head.
  • Moves qi, warms the middleCold epigastric distension and nausea; vomiting from cold in the Stomach, including in early pregnancy under supervision.
  • Opens the upper burner in damp-warm patternsThe early, muffled stage of damp-warm disease with chest oppression and a sticky coating.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Bai Dou Kou

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Loss of appetite and epigastric fullness with a greasy tongue coating
    - Nausea and vomiting from cold or damp in the Stomach
    - Damp-warm patterns with chest oppression and a heavy head
    - Sluggish digestion in humid weather

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Functional dyspepsiaNauseaBloatingLoss of appetite

Contraindications

Cautions

Acrid, warm and drying: unsuitable in yin deficiency with heat, and in blood-deficiency dryness. Prolonged boiling destroys the aromatic oils and the herb stops working, so follow the add-at-the-end instruction.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: Traditionally used in small doses for nausea in pregnancy, but only on a practitioner's prescription.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    2. 《中华人民共和国药典》.
    3. 《中华本草》.

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.