Ailanthus, Tree of Heaven, Chun Pi 椿皮

Tree of Heaven
Chun Pi (TCM)
Aralu, Katvanga, Putivrksha (Ayurveda)

Duhamel du Monceau, Traité des arbres et arbustes, Nouvelle édition, 1800-1803

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Botanical name:
Ailanthus altissima (syn. A. glandulosa, A. japonica, A peregrina, A pongelion, A. procera, A. rhodoptera, A. sinensis)
Ayurveda uses A. excelsa

Parts used:
Bark of the root (best) or stem, preferably collected in Spring
Ayurveda also uses the leaves

Temperature & Taste:
Cold, dry. Bitter

Uses:
1. Clears Damp-Heat: (TCM, Ayurveda)
-Diarrhea, Dysentery (TCM, Ayurveda, West; leaf is also used in Ayurveda)
-Morbid Leukorrhea, Dysmenorrhea from Heat
-Gonorrhea
-Fever

2. Astringes to Stop Leakage: (TCM, Ayurveda)
-Chronic Diarrhea or Dysentery, especially with Blood in the stool
-Uterine Bleeding, excessive Menstruation from Heat

3. Settles Wind, Stops Spasms::
-Cramps, Spasms
-Rapid Heart Rate

4. Clears Hot-Phlegm, Stops Cough:
-Bronchitis, Asthma, spasmodic Cough (Ayurveda)

5. Kills Worms & Parasites: (TCM, Ayurveda)
-Roundworm, Tapeworm
-adjunct for Malaria

6. Externally:
-non-healing Ulcers (Ayurveda)
-earache (Ayurveda)
-decoction is used as a wash for Wounds, Swellings, Skin eruptions
-externally for Dermatosis with itching

DOSE:
In Decoction: 6–9 grams
Of the Powder: 1–3 grams

SUBSTITUTE:
1. Ailanthus bark is regarded as a good substitute for Holarrhena antidysenterica (Ayurveda)

Main Combinations:
1. Chronic Diarrhea and Dysentery:
i. Damp-Heat Diarrhea or Dysentery, Ailanthus with Burnet root (Sanguisorba Di Yu) (as in Chun Gen San from Lu Fu Jin Fang [Safeguarded Formulas from the Lu Mansion]).
ii. chronic Diarrhea Ailanthus with Codonopsis Dang Shen and Atractylodes Bai Zhu
iii. Chronic Dysentery with Cold and Deficiency, Ailanthus with Nutmeg, Psoralea Bu Gu Zhi
iv. chronic Diarrhea or Dysentery Ailanthus with Chebula (He Zi), Clove (Ding Xiang) (as in He Li Le Wan from Pi Wei Lun [A Treatise on the Spleen & Stomach]).
2. Diarrhea or Leukorrhea from Damp-Heat, Ailanthus with Phellodendron Huang Bai, Gardenia Zhi Zi, Plantain seed (Che Qian Zi)
3. Hemorrhoids and blood in the stool, Ailanthus with Biota (Ce Bai Ye), Cimicifuga Sheng Ma, Paeonia Bai Shao (as in Chun Pi Wan from Dan Xi Xin Fa [Dan Xi’s Heart Methods of Treatment]).
4. Metrorrhagia, Ailanthus with Phellodendron Huang Bai, Scutellaria Huang Qin, Paeonia Bai Shao, Tortoise shell (Gui Jia) (as in Gu Jiang Wan from Yi Xue Ru Men [Gateway to Medicine]).
5. Dermatosis with itching, Ailanthus with Alum and Zanthoxylum Hua Jiao as a wash

Cautions:
1. Use cautiously, avoid overdose.
2. Caution in Coldness of the Spleen and Stomach
3. Care in Yin deficiency as it is very drying.

Main Preparations used: