Wu Yao (乌药) — Lindera Root | TCM Herb Guide

At a Glance

Herb: Wu Yao
Chinese name: 乌药 (Wū Yào)
Latin name: Lindera aggregata root tuber
Nature: Warm
Taste: Acrid
Meridian: Spleen / Stomach / Liver / Kidney / Bladder
Category: Herbs that Regulate Qi
Introduction: Wu Yao (乌药), Radix Linderae, is the dried tuberous root of Lindera aggregata, a shrub native to eastern China. A primary qi-moving herb for the lower jiao, it moves qi, warms and disperses cold, and relieves pain — particularly for cold qi stagnation causing flank pain, abdominal pain, and bladder cold. Its alkaloids and volatile oils relax smooth muscle spasm, stimulate peristalsis, and produce analgesic effects in preclinical studies.

Qi stagnation with cold: chest and abdominal distension, flank pain — combines with Xiang Fu, Chen Pi, Mu Xiang
Cold hernia: lower abdominal pain radiating to genitals — combines with Xiao Hui Xiang, Qing Pi, Gao Liang Jiang
Kidney and bladder cold with frequent urination or enuresis — combines with Yi Zhi Ren, Shan Yao
Dysmenorrhea from cold-qi stagnation — combines with Dang Gui, Xiang Fu, Yan Hu Suo
Postpartum abdominal pain from cold — combines with Dang Gui, Ze Lan

Dosage: 6–10 g in decoction
Contraindicated in qi deficiency without stagnation — moving qi further depletes
Contraindicated in yin deficiency with heat signs
Avoid in hot patterns of abdominal pain (damp-heat, heat stagnation)
Use with caution in pregnancy

Tian Tai Wu Yao San (天台乌药散): Wu Yao, Mu Xiang, Xiao Hui Xiang, Qing Pi, Gao Liang Jiang, Bing Lang, Chuan Lian Zi, Ba Dou — moves qi, warms channels, relieves cold hernia pain
Suo Quan Wan (缩泉丸): Wu Yao, Yi Zhi Ren, Shan Yao — warms kidney and bladder, stops enuresis and frequent urination
Si Mo Tang (四磨汤): Chen Xiang, Wu Yao, Bing Lang, Ren Shen — moves qi, descends rebellious qi, relieves constraint

沉香 (Chén Xiāng) + 人参 (Rén Shēn) + 槟榔 (Bīng Láng) — qi stagnation from all thre e jiao with dyspnea and distension (四磨汤). 2. 香附 (Xiāng Fù) + 当归 (Dāng Guī) — liver qi stagnation causing dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation. 3. 益智仁 (Yì Zhì Rén) + 山药 (Shān Yào) — kidney-bladder deficiency cold with enuresis and frequent urination (缩泉丸). 4. 木香 (Mù Xiāng) + 陈皮 (Chén Pí) — cold qi stagnation with abdominal pain and bloating. 5. 小茴香 (Xiǎo Huí Xiāng) + 高良姜 (Gāo Liáng Jiāng) — cold hernia pain and cold abdominal pain. Source: 济生方 (四磨汤, 缩泉丸), 本草纲目.

linderalactone
- Antispasmodic: relaxes gastrointestinal and bladder smooth muscle via calcium channel blockade
- Antispasmodic: reduces urinary urgency and frequency
- Antidiabetic: improves insulin sensitivity via PPAR-γ activation
sesquiterpenes
- Analgesic: modulate TRPV1 and opioid receptors
- Analgesic: effective for cold-type abdominal pain
boldine
- Anti-inflammatory: inhibits COX-2 and 5-LOX
- Anti-inflammatory: reduces PGE₂ and LTB₄
isolinderalactone
- Antitumor: induces apoptosis in A549 lung and MCF-7 breast cancer lines
Uterine relaxant
- relaxes uterine smooth muscle at low doses — compatible with pregnancy nausea

Ben Cao Shi Yi (《本草拾遗》): ‘Governs sudden malevolence, Heart and abdominal pain, gu toxin, ghost-entry disorder qi, undigested food, seasonal epidemic miasma, cold qi attacking between Bladder and Kidney with pain in back and spine, women’s blood-qi disorders, and all abdominal parasites in children.’
Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》): ‘Lindera Root: above it enters the Spleen and Lung, below it reaches the Bladder and Kidney; governs center qi, Bladder cold qi, abdominal distension and fullness, qi counterflow and rapid breathing, evil wind headache, seasonal epidemic qi, and diaphragm qi with food vomiting.’
Ben Cao Bei Yao (《本草备要》): ‘Acrid, warm, fragrant, and penetrating; above enters the Spleen and Lung, below reaches the Kidney and Bladder; disperses chest and abdominal pathogenic counterflow qi; treats center qi collapse, sudden turmoil, rebellious Stomach, and qi reversal.’