陈皮 chen pi percarpium citri reticulatae
acrid, bitter, warm, and aromatic
spleen/stomach, lung
"aged peel" (the dried, aged peel of the tangerine)
Chen pi gets the qi flowing by way of drying damp obstruction and directing downwards. The herb is mild, and used for mild qi stagnation in the middle jiao.
Above: little tangerine man with a full bellyFunctions:
1. Regulates qi of middle jiao / regulates spleen stomach qi by directing qi downward. Acts on problems such as bloating, distension, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, belching, due to both spleen and stomach deficiencies (resulting in an accumulation of damp) as well as the liver overacting on the spleen.
2. Related to the above, Chen Pi dries damp and dissolves phlegm due to its warm, bitter nature. It warms / dries the yang, and indirectly relieves a phlegmy cough (weak spleen creates the phlegm, which is then stored in the lungs, and the lung qi fails to descend).
3. Chen Pi can be mixed into formulas of tonifying herbs to prevent the newly generated qi from stagnating.
In short, Chen Pi 1. disperses clumped qi, 2. disperses cold, and 3. dries damp, thereby transforming phlegm/cold damp that causes poor digestion, focal distension and fullness.
Ways to remember...
Chen Pi - Stuck Qi
A tangerine looks like a distended belly
The citrus fruit causes the phlegm, and the peel relieves it
If you knock a tangerine off the table it will drop heavily on the ground (directs qi downwards)
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