atractylodes lancea

Atractylodes lancea is a perennial herb native to East Asia, widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Japanese Kampo practices. The dried rhizome/root is the primary medicinal part, often referred to as "Cang zhu." It is traditionally used for digestive disorders (such as indigestion, bloating, diarrhea), loss of appetite, fluid retention, rheumatic diseases, and as a tonic. Preclinical studies suggest that its active compounds—including essential oils like β-eudesmol and polysaccharides—may improve gastric motility by modulating gastrointestinal hormones (motilin and gastrin), reduce inflammation via inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase 1 (COX1), exhibit antiangiogenic effects through ERK pathway blockade in vascular endothelium, modulate intestinal immunity via arabino-galactan polysaccharides, and display cytotoxic activity against certain cancer cell lines. There are also reports of potential benefits in obesity management. However, robust clinical evidence for these uses remains limited[1][3][4][5][6][8]. Mechanistically it acts primarily on the digestive system but may have broader immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory actions.

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Other names

Atractylodes lancea rootAtractylodis rhizomaCang zhuCangzhuAtractylis chinensis rootAtractylis lancea rootAtractylis lyrata rootAtractylis ovata rhizomeAtractylis ovata rootAtractylis pinnatifolia rootAtractylis separate rootAtractylodes chinensis rhizomeAtractylodes chinensis rootAtractylodes erosodentata rootAtractylodes lancea rhizomeAcarna chinensis rootAstractylenolideBai ZhuRed atractylodesWhite atractyloidesRhizoma atractyloides