Densefruit Pittany Root Bark

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Clears heat and dries dampness from the skin - Bai Xian Pi is a classic choice for eczema, damp sores, weeping lesions, and red itchy eruptions with a clear damp-heat component.
• Dispels wind and relieves itching - traditional use extends to urticaria, pruritus, and recurrent flare-type skin disorders when itching is driven by heat and dampness rather than simple dryness.
• Resolves toxicity and eases damp-heat obstruction - beyond dermatology, the herb is used for damp-heat arthralgia, jaundice, and lower-body irritative conditions when heat and toxin need to be cleared.

Secondary Actions

• Bai Xian Pi is frequently used both internally and externally, which reflects how strongly the herb is associated with weeping, inflamed, or itchy skin presentations.
• Its traditional character is clearing and drying rather than nourishing, so it is better suited to robust damp-heat patterns than to dry, deficient, or cold constitutions.

Classic Formulas

• Xiao Feng San modifications - common modern-traditional pairing when wind, dampness, and itching coexist in eczema or urticaria patterns.
• Bai Xian Pi with Ku Shen and Di Fu Zi - classic skin-focused combination logic for damp-heat itching and fungal-type lesions.
• Dermatitis and damp-heat sore formulas with Huang Bai or Long Dan Cao - pattern-based combinations when heat and toxin are more intense.

Classical References

• TCM Wiki describes Bai Xian Pi as bitter, slightly pungent, and cold, entering the Liver, Gallbladder, Spleen, Stomach, and Lung channels, with actions of clearing heat, drying dampness, removing toxicity, and dispelling wind.
• Traditional use strongly centers on eczema, itchy skin disease, vulvar itching, damp-heat sores, and damp-heat arthralgia.