Pao Jiang (炮姜) — Blast-Fried Ginger | TCM Herb Guide

At a Glance

• Herb: Pao Jiang
• Chinese name: 炮姜 (Páo Jiāng)
• Latin name: Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparatum
• Nature: Warm
• Taste: Bitter / Acrid
• Meridian: Spleen / Liver
• Category: Herbs that Stop Bleeding
• Introduction: Pao Jiang (炮姜), Rhizoma Zingiberis Praeparatum, is dried ginger (Gan Jiang) that has been blast-fried (炮) until charred on the outside but still tan within. This processing transforms Gan Jiang’s dispersing, warming action into a focused channel-warming, hemostatic action — retaining warmth while gaining astringency. It is the principal herb for cold-type uterine bleeding and postpartum abdominal pain with cold bleeding, where warming the channels is needed to stop hemorrhage. Modern research confirms reduced pungency with preserved anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties.

Action

• Warms the channels and stops cold-type bleeding
• Warms the spleen and stomach
• Stops diarrhea from cold
• Relieves postpartum abdominal cold pain

Clinical Application

• Cold-type uterine bleeding: pale, thin blood, cold lower abdomen — combines with Ai Ye Tan, Zong Lu Tan
• Postpartum hemorrhage with cold: bright blood but cold signs — combines with Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Tao Ren
• Spleen yang deficiency with chronic diarrhea and cold abdominal pain — combines with Dang Shen, Bai Zhu, Fu Ling
• Cold-type bleeding: nosebleed or coughing blood in deficiency cold patients — combines with Fu Zi, Ren Shen
• Postpartum lochia not clearing due to cold stasis — combines with Yi Mu Cao, Dang Gui

Precautions

• Dosage: 3–6 g in decoction
• Distinguished from Sheng Jiang (fresh ginger) and Gan Jiang (dried ginger): Pao Jiang is warmer and astringent, more focused on stopping bleeding
• Contraindicated in blood-heat bleeding — warming may aggravate
• Contraindicated in yin deficiency with heat
• The transformation from Gan Jiang to Pao Jiang exemplifies the TCM processing principle: ‘炒炭止血’ (charring stops bleeding)
• Use with caution in pregnancy except in the postpartum context

Formula

• Sheng Hua Tang (生化汤): Pao Jiang, Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Tao Ren, Zhi Gan Cao — warms channels, activates blood, eliminates stasis, relieves postpartum pain; the classic postpartum formula
• Pao Jiang + Ai Ye Tan + Zong Lu Tan: classic trio for cold-type uterine bleeding
• Li Zhong Wan variant: Pao Jiang substituted for Gan Jiang — stronger channel-warming for deficiency cold diarrhea with bleeding

Combinations

• Blast-Fried Ginger (炮姜) + Prepared Aconite Root (附子) + Licorice Root (甘草) → Jiang Fu Tang (姜附汤) variation: warm yang, rescue collapse; cold-type bleeding with Spleen-Kidney yang deficiency
• Blast-Fried Ginger (炮姜) + Mugwort Leaf (艾叶) + Donkey-Hide Gelatin (阿胶) → warm the channels, stop bleeding; cold-pattern uterine bleeding and threatened miscarriage

Pharmacological Effects

• Hemostatic for cold-type bleeding
  • warm action stops bleeding from yang deficiency
• Analgesic
  • shogaols — stronger than gingerols
• Anti-inflammatory; antiemetic; cardioprotective; gastrointestinal stimulant
  • warms spleen-stomach
• Distinct from 干姜
  • dries dampness) and 生姜 (releases exterior): 炮姜 specifically warms channels and stops cold-type bleeding

Classic Description

• Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Dried Ginger blast-fried to black can stop all bleeding — blood stops when it encounters black; following the principle that yang generates and yin grows, raw Licorice Root is used as assistant.’
• Ben Cao Bei Yao (《本草备要》): ‘Blast-Fried Ginger is acrid, bitter, and very hot; stays without moving; warms the middle and stops bleeding; treats Spleen-Stomach deficiency-cold, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, hematemesis, epistaxis, uterine flooding and spotting, and yang deficiency bleeding.’
• De Pei Ben Cao (《得配本草》): ‘Blast-Fried Ginger stays in the middle; stops bleeding and warms the channels; assists yang and frees the vessels; treats visceral cold and dysentery.’