Hairy Birthwort

Traditional Use

Primary Actions

• Dispels wind-damp and unblocks the collaterals - Xun Gu Feng was historically used for rheumatic pain, numb limbs, stiffness, and painful obstruction affecting the joints and channels.
• Invigorates circulation and stops pain - traditional use extended to traumatic pain, channel tenderness, and pain that seemed fixed in the sinews and bones.
• Applied in toxic or swollen conditions - folk use includes external treatment for bites, sores, or painful swellings.

Secondary Actions

• Although the traditional actions are clear, this herb now sits under very heavy safety concern because it is an Aristolochia species containing aristolochic acids.
• For modern readers, the historical indication profile should never be separated from the serious nephrotoxic and carcinogenic risk profile.

Classic Formulas

• Xun Gu Feng with Wei Ling Xian and Qin Jiao - historical wind-damp pairing for painful obstruction and channel stiffness.
• Xun Gu Feng with Ru Xiang and Mo Yao - trauma-style combination for fixed pain and collateral obstruction.
• External washes or powders with heat-toxin or bite remedies - a safer traditional direction than uncritical internal use.

Classical References

• Traditional herb references describe Xun Gu Feng as acrid, bitter, and neutral, entering the Liver and Kidney to dispel wind-damp, unblock the collaterals, and relieve pain.
• The accepted source is Aristolochia mollissima Hance, now often treated taxonomically as Isotrema mollissimum, but the safety issues remain the same.
• This record is retained for historical and identification completeness, not as a casual endorsement of modern internal use.