Di Gu Pi (地骨皮) — Wolfberry Root Bark
Di Gu Pi is the specialist Chinese herb for Yin-deficient tidal fever, night sweats and steaming-bone syndrome. It is the classical treatment for the low-grade fever of tuberculosis, the hot flushes of perimenopause and the constitutional heat of prolonged illness.
On this page
- Overview
- Properties
- Actions and indications
- Dosage
- Cautions and incompatibilities
- Key formulas
- Treatment at my clinic
1. Overview
Di Gu Pi (地骨皮) — Wolfberry Root Bark (Lycium chinense (root bark)) — is a Chinese herb in the Clear Heat (Empty-Heat) category. I prescribe it as part of bespoke pharmaceutical-grade granule formulas from Sun Ten in Taiwan at my clinic in Wokingham, Berkshire and via online herbal consultations.
2. Properties
| Pinyin name | Di Gu Pi |
|---|---|
| Chinese characters | 地骨皮 |
| Latin name | Lycium chinense (root bark) |
| English name | Wolfberry Root Bark |
| Nature | Cold |
| Flavour | Sweet |
| Channels entered | Kidney, Lung, Liver |
| Category | Clear Heat (Empty-Heat) |
3. Actions and indications
Principal actions
- Clears Empty-Heat and steaming-bone syndrome
- Cools Blood and stops bleeding
- Clears Lung Heat
Indications
- Yin-deficient afternoon and night sweats
- Steaming-bone tidal fever
- Hot flushes in menopause
- Chronic dry cough with Lung Yin deficiency
- Nose bleed from Blood-Heat
4. Dosage
6–15g
5. Cautions and incompatibilities
- Not for cold-type diarrhoea
- Contraindicated in exterior Wind-Cold pattern
- Reduce in Spleen-Cold constitutions
6. Key formulas
7. Treatment at my clinic
I prescribe Di Gu Pi where its indications and TCM pattern match the patient’s presentation, always as part of a tailored formula. Return to the Chinese herbs directory or the Chinese herbal medicine main page.
