Tian Ma天麻
Gastrodiae Rhizoma · Gastrodia Rhizome
Overview
The pale, translucent rhizome of a leafless orchid that has no chlorophyll and lives off a wood-rotting fungus. Sweet and genuinely neutral, it enters only the Liver, where it settles internal wind and subdues rising yang — which in practice makes it the headache-and-dizziness herb. Its neutrality is the point: it can be built into a cooling formula for Liver-yang headache with Gou Teng 钩藤, or into a warm, damp-drying one for the heavy-headed dizziness of phlegm with Ban Xia 半夏, without pulling either formula off course.
Nature & Flavor
Sweet · NeutralChannels
LiverTypical Dosage
3–9 g in decoctionActions
3 core actions
- Extinguishes wind, stops spasmConvulsions and fright wind in children, tremor, tetanic rigidity, and the twitching that follows a febrile illness.
- Calms the Liver, subdues rising yangHeadache and dizziness with irritability, a flushed face and raised blood pressure — the classic Liver-yang picture.
- Dispels wind, frees the channelsNumbness of the hands and feet, facial deviation, and wind-damp joint pain with stiffness.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Tian Ma
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Headache and dizziness from rising Liver yang
- Dizziness with a heavy head and nausea from phlegm-damp
- Convulsions, tremor and childhood fright wind
- Numbness of the limbs and facial deviation
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
A gentle herb with no classical contraindication of its own, but two practical cautions. First, dizziness arising from severe qi and blood deficiency — pale, faint on standing, worse with exertion — is emptiness rather than wind, and needs tonifying instead; this herb alone will not touch it. Second, the herb is expensive and is one of the most frequently adulterated on the market, so a reputable supplier matters more here than for most items. Occasional allergic reactions have been reported. A headache that is new, severe or different from the usual, or a first finding of high blood pressure, needs medical assessment before it is treated as a pattern.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: No specific restriction — practitioner judgment applies.
For licensed practitioners’ reference only
References
- Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing《神农本草经》(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.