Song Jie松节
Pini Lignum Nodi · Pine Knot · Pine Node Wood
Overview
The hard, resin-soaked knot of wood where a branch meets the pine trunk. Bitter and acrid, warm and drying, it travels to sinew and bone, which makes it a standing choice for cold-damp painful obstruction — the kind of joint pain that worsens with cold or wet weather and eases with heat. Because the active resin extracts poorly into water, it is very often steeped in wine or used in external soaks rather than given as a plain decoction.
Nature & Flavor
Bitter, acrid · WarmChannels
Liver · KidneyTypical Dosage
10–15 g in decoctionActions
2 core actions
- Dispels wind-damp, frees the channelsChronic cold-damp bi with heavy, stiff, aching joints, cramping in the calves, and pain that tracks the weather.
- Invigorates blood, stops painPain that settles into an old sprain or a healed fracture; used both internally and in hot external soaks over the site.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Song Jie
No published formula lists this herb yet — the library is growing.
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Cold-damp painful obstruction with heavy, stiff joints
- Low back and knee pain aggravated by cold and damp weather
- Cramping of the calves and lower legs
- Lingering pain at the site of an old injury
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Warm, acrid and drying, so it consumes fluids: it is unsuitable on its own for patients who are yin- or blood-deficient with heat signs, dryness, night sweats or a red tongue with little coating, and it should be balanced by moistening herbs if such a patient needs it. The medicinal wines traditionally made from it carry all the usual problems of alcohol — not for anyone with liver disease, taking sedatives, or avoiding alcohol for any reason — and the plain decoction should be used instead. Joint pain that is hot, red and swollen is not the pattern for this herb.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies; the wine preparations usual for this herb should be avoided in pregnancy, so use the decoction instead.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Ming Yi Bie Lu《名医别录》(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.