Also known as Herba Patriniae or Thiaspi in the west, it refers to the whole herb of valerianaceae. Actually there are a few of them and sometimes it includes Patrinia Villosa juss, Patrinia sca-biosaefolia Fisch., and other kindred plants. This is one of perennial plants, 10 to 30cm in height, glabrous throughout. In China, it is found in mountainous regions of northern, eastern and southern parts. Medicinal Patrinia is collected in early spring, cleaned with water and dried in the sun. Fresh Patrinia is odorless but with intensive stink after dried. And the greener one is better.
Property and indications

It is acrid, bitter, and cold in nature and covers meridians of large intestine, liver, and stomach. Main functions are to clear heat and detoxicate, eliminate carbuncle and drain pus, and remove blood stasis to relieve pain. Main usage and indications are intestinal abscess, Pulmonary Abscess with high fever, coughing up purulent blood, severe boils due to heat, pain in the chest or abdomen, abdominal pain after delivery, and Dysmenorrhea. Regular dosage is 9 to 15 grams of dried herb or even 60 to 120 grams of fresh herb, in decoction.

PUS-FILLED BUMPS CAUSES AND TREATMENT
Pus-filled bump is one of common contagious skin infections caused by staph, also known as Staphylococcus aureus. Once the bacteria attacks, it causes infections and inflammation on hair follicles, thus followed with skin problems like folliculitis and hidradenitis suppurativa. Normally these bumps are found on vulva, hands, legs, face, stomach, or any other places of the body. In some least severe cases, they would disappear themselves after rupture. Attention, however, may be given if they keep recurring and accompanied with fever. For larger pus-filled boils, having a minor operation by a doctor would be a proper option, which typically is to make a cut on tip of the boil to drain the pus. Sometimes oral antibiotic therapy may also need to heal and prevent deterioration of the situation.

Patrinia

Unlike its western peer who emphasizes more on the external factors, in oriental medical cultures there's more of a view about internal factors. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that the root causes of pus filled bump are damp-heat, summer heat accompanied with dampness, and febrile toxin inherited from the mother. Thus the accumulation is presented on skin as pus filled bumps once outbreak. So the ground rules of therapy are discharging pus, clearing away heat and toxic mass, eliminating dampness and killing bacteria, and cleaning gangrene wound to promote new growth of tissues.

HERBAL FORMULAS FOR PUS-FILLED BUMPS
Yi Yi Fu Zi Bai Jiang San, from Synopsis of Prescriptions of The Golden Chamber, is mainly designed for intestinal abscess. Main symptoms and signs are fish-scale skin, tight abdominal skin but soft when pressing, swelling but no mass inside, no fever, and rapid pulse, which, therefore, infers that carbuncle pus is inside intestine. Besides this primary herb of Bai Jiang Cao (Patrinia), other herbs are Fu Zi (Aconite Root) and Yi Yi Ren (Seeds of Job’s Tears). By the way, because skin symptoms are mentioned here, this formula is also used to treat skin diseases like pus-filled sores, acne, bumps, warts, and blisters etc.

Chang Yong Fang, from Clinical Applications of Chinese Herbal Medicine, is mainly formatted for appendiceal perityphlitis and appendiceal abscess. Other individual herbs are Yi Yi Ren (Seeds of Job's Tears), Dong Gua Ren (Winter Melon Seed), Tao Ren (Peach Seed), Mu Dan Pi (Tree Peony Root Cortex), Jin Yin Hua (Honeysuckle Flower, Lonicera), Lian Qiao (Forsythia Fruit), Qin Pi (Bark of Korean Ash Branch), Zi Hua Di Ding (Yedeon's Violet), and Yan Hu Suo (Corydalis Rhizome).