Excerpted from Bensky:  Chinese Herbal Materia Medica

• Promotes urination and reduces edema:  for edema (especially in the lower body), damp leg qi, gurgling sounds in the intestines, abdominal distention, or ascites due to dampness accumulating in the lower burner*
• Expels wind-dampness and alleviates pain:  for wind-damp-heat collecting in the channels with such symptoms as fever and red, swollen, hot, and painful joints*