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Gan Song甘松

Nardostachyos Radix et Rhizoma · Nardostachys Root · Chinese Spikenard

Herbs that Regulate the Qi 理气药《本草拾遗》

Overview

A strongly aromatic high-altitude root, acrid, sweet and warm, entering the Spleen and Stomach. Where most herbs in this chapter push qi along a channel, Gan Song works by fragrance: it wakes a Spleen dulled by damp, opens constraint and eases epigastric pain, and it is often chosen when the digestive complaint sits close to the mood — appetite that disappears when the patient is low. Applied externally, it dries damp and reduces swelling. It comes from a genus under serious conservation pressure — see the cautions.

Nature & Flavor

Acrid, sweet · Warm

Channels

Spleen · Stomach

Typical Dosage

3–6 g in decoction
甘松Photography for this entry is on its way.

Actions

3 core actions

  • Regulates qi, stops painDistending epigastric and abdominal pain from qi stagnation, with belching and a poor appetite.
  • Opens constraint, wakes the SpleenLow mood with a heavy head, a sticky bland taste and no appetite — damp and constraint together dulling the middle burner.
  • Dries damp, reduces swellingUsed externally as a wash or soak for damp skin lesions and swollen, aching feet.

In Formulas

Formulas containing Gan Song

No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.

Indications & Clinical Uses

  • Distending epigastric and abdominal pain with belching
    - Poor appetite with a sticky bland taste and low mood
    - Fullness of the middle burner from damp with qi stagnation
    - Damp skin lesions and foot swelling (external use)

Western Medical Keywords

Searchable condition terms

Functional dyspepsiaBloatingPoor appetiteLow mood

Contraindications

Cautions

CITES Appendix II. Nardostachys jatamansi has been listed on Appendix II of CITES since 1997 and is assessed as critically endangered in parts of its Himalayan range; international trade requires permits, and wild-collected material of undocumented origin should not be bought. Ask the supplier for cultivated or permitted origin. Clinically: warm, acrid and aromatic, so it is unsuitable in qi deficiency with heat signs, in blood heat, and in yin deficiency with rising fire; do not decoct it long, as the aromatic fraction is the active part.

Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific classical prohibition, but it is a warming, qi-moving aromatic — use during pregnancy only on the advice of the treating practitioner.

For licensed practitioners’ reference only

References

  1. 《中华人民共和国药典》(2020 edition).
    2. Bensky, Clavey & Stöger. Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed.
    3. CITES Appendices — Nardostachys jatamansi (syn. N. grandiflora), Appendix II since 1997.
    4. 《中药学》(新世纪第二版), chapter on herbs that regulate the qi.

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.