Notopterygium used to improve joint pain and stiffness

What is notopterygium(Qiang Huo)?
Considered as a relative of the angelica species, Notopterygium is native to East Asia. Medicinally it mainly refers to the dried roots and rhizome of Notopterygium incisum Tncisum Ting ex H.Chang or Notopterygium forbesii Boiss. These two plants with medicinal roots are members in the family Umbelliferae. Hence, other names of these medicinal plants with rhizomes include Rhizoma seu Radix Notopterygii, Notopterygium Rhizome and Root, Rhizoma et Radix Notopterygii, incised notopterygium rhizome, and more. In China Notopterygium incisum is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai, and Gansu and Notopterygium forbesii is basically produced in Sichuan, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and Henan. It is usually harvested in spring and autumn. It needs to remove fibrous roots and soil before the drying and slicing. It is normally used raw.

Notopterygium incisum is a perennial herb, 60 to 150cm in height. Stout rhizome is in the shape of cylinder or irregular lumps, dark brown to reddish brown, and with withered leaf sheaths at the top and special aroma. Erect stems are cylindrical, hollow, and with lavender surface and vertical straight stripes. Basal leaves and leaves in lower part of stem have a long handle, which extend into membranous sheath from the base to both sides; leaf blade is ternate-3-pinnate and with 3-4 pairs leaflets; subsessile leaves in upper part of stem simplify into sheath. Acrogenous or axillary compound umbel is 3 to 13cm in diameter; flowers are many and with ovate-triangular calyx teeth; petals are 5, white, obovate, and with obtuse and concave apex. Oblong schizocarp is 4 to 6mm long, about 3mm wide and the main ridge extends into 1mm wings in width. Bloom time is from July to September and fruiting time is from August to October.

Notopterygium root benefits
In terms of dispelling wind and eliminating dampness, there are many qualified Chinese herbs. Therefore, comparing notopterygium with its peers with similar healing properties would help us to understand this medicinal plant better.

Both notopterygium root and Angelica Root (Du Huo) can clear wind-damp and improve joint pain and stiffness. But they have their own strengths and weaknesses respectively. The former is with stronger nature and flavor, which makes it possess better antipyretic effect through sweating and ascending potency. For that reason, it is an ideal herb for spinal diseases and pain in the upper body and the back of the head. In comparison, angelica root is with descending potency, which endows it with a better healing power on rheumatism of lower body and joint pain in foot, lower back, leg, and shin. As a result, they are often used in pair medicinally since they are highly complementary.

Both notopterygium and Gui Zhi (Ramulus Cinnamomi) are good at expelling wind and removing cold. But that former prefers the wind-damp in head, neck, and back while Gui Zhi is better to deal with wind-damp in shoulders, arms, and fingers.