Bai Fu Zi Granules

Acrid, warm, and intensely drying and toxic, Typhonii Rhizoma preparatum (zhi bai fu zi is ascending and dispersing by nature. It guides the actions of herbs upward in order to expel wind-phlegm, drive out cold-dampness, and disperse clumping, and is especially indicated for pathogenic wind-phlegm in the face and head. This is associated with such symptoms as facial paralysis, hemiplegia, scrofula, migraine or other severe lateral headaches. "Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians" notes that this herb "treats the hundred disorders of the face." For facial disorders it is often applied topically as well as taken internally. A number of materia medica texts emphasize the use of this herb topically in tinctures and face creams for cosmetic treatments. For example, in Rectification of the Meaning of Materia Medica, Zhang Shan-Lei observes that because "it specifically treats true cold, it is not used frequently, and thus is not presently used in decoctions, but only applied externally as a cream to treat chloasma." -Bensky: Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica*