Wu Zhu Yu吴茱萸
Evodiae Fructus · Evodia Fruit
Overview
The small, unripe, pungent fruit of evodia, picked green and dried. Acrid, bitter and hot, and classified in Chinese sources as slightly toxic, it is one of the hardest-working interior-warming herbs and one of the most carefully dosed. Its signature pattern is unmistakable: a vertex headache with vomiting of clear watery fluid and cold limbs, the Jue Yin presentation for which Wu Zhu Yu Tang was written. Beyond that it settles cold-type vomiting and acid reflux, treats cold hernial and period pain, and — with the yang-warming herbs — stops dawn diarrhoea. It is almost always used processed: licorice-water preparation is the standard way of blunting its harshness, vinegar-frying directs it into the Liver for pain, and salt-frying guides it to the lower abdomen for hernial pain. Powdered with vinegar and taped to the soles of the feet, it is also a well-known external application.
Nature & Flavor
Acrid, bitter · Hot · Slightly toxicChannels
Liver · Spleen · Stomach · KidneyTypical Dosage
1.5–4.5 g in decoctionActions
4 core actions
- Disperses cold, stops painVertex headache with cold limbs, cold cramping epigastric and abdominal pain, cold hernial pain, and period pain that eases with warmth.
- Directs rebellious qi downward, stops vomitingVomiting of clear fluid from Stomach cold, and belching with sour reflux — for the latter, classically with a much larger amount of Huang Lian 黄连 in Zuo Jin Wan 左金丸.
- Assists yang, stops diarrhoeaEarly-morning diarrhoea of Spleen–Kidney yang deficiency, with Bu Gu Zhi 补骨脂 and Rou Dou Kou 肉豆蔻 in Si Shen Wan 四神丸.
- External application to draw fire downwardPowdered, mixed with vinegar and applied to the soles at KI-1, traditionally for mouth ulcers and childhood drooling.
In Formulas
Formulas containing Wu Zhu Yu
Indications & Clinical Uses
- Vertex headache with vomiting of clear fluid and cold limbs
- Cold cramping epigastric and abdominal pain; cold hernial pain
- Period pain relieved by warmth
- Vomiting and sour reflux from Stomach cold
- Dawn diarrhoea of Spleen–Kidney yang deficiency
Western Medical Keywords
Searchable condition terms
Contraindications
Cautions
Chinese sources classify this herb as slightly toxic, and it should be used only on prescription, in the processed form, at the stated dose and for short courses. Overdose produces blurred or disturbed vision, dizziness, dry mouth, abdominal pain and skin rash; larger amounts irritate the gut sharply. Hot and drying, it is contraindicated where there is heat, and in yin deficiency with flaring fire — the very acid reflux it treats is more often a heat pattern, which is why the classical prescription pairs it with six times as much Huang Lian. It is not for prolonged daily use even at a small dose. Vomiting or headache that is sudden, severe or unlike your usual pattern needs medical assessment first.
Contraindicated in pregnancy: Avoided in pregnancy — it is slightly toxic, hot, and strongly moving in the lower abdomen.
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.