Wu Zhu Yu - 吴茱萸 - Fructus Evodiae

Properties: Pungent, bitter, hot, mildly toxic

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver, Spleen, Stomach and Kidney
Sinews: Jueyin
Extraordinary Vessels: Chong, Ren, Dai

Traditional Actions/Indications:

Warms the Middle Jiao, disperses Cold, promotes the movement of Qi (relieves Stagnation in the Liver channel) and alleviates pain
Stomach or Liver Channel Cold or Phlegm, with headache, epigastric pain with nausea, drooling, reduced taste, a pale tongue with a wiry or weak pulse
Cold bulging disorders in the area traversed by the Liver channel and dysmenorrhea
Disharmony between the Liver and Stomach
Spreads the Liver, descends rebellious Qi and stops vomiting
Acid regurgitation and vomiting - can be used for either Hot or Cold disorders depending on the other herbs with which it is combined
Warms the Spleen, stops diarrhoea and expels Damp-Cold
Diarrhoea from Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency
Damp-Cold Leg Qi
Leads Fire downward
Mouth and tongue sores (grind into a powder, mix with vinegar and place on the soles of the feet)
Kills the Three Worms
Said in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing that it kills the Three Worms. These may refer to difficult to treat metabolic disorders caused by overindulgence and should be accompanied by fasting, meditation and exercise regimes.

Suggested Daily Dosage: 1.5-4.5g in decoction.

Cautions: It is not suitable to be taken in large dosage for a long time, and contraindicated for yin deficiency with internal heat.

Notable Constituents:

Evodiamine
Alkaloid that reduces fat uptake in mouse studies, suspected to have a mechanism of action similar to capsaicin.
Rutaecarpine
Alkaloid responsible for anti-inflammatory effects which also interact with the vanilloid receptors that make nerves sensitive to capsaicin.
Evodin
Similar to limonin which has shown anti-viral, neuroprotective, anti-obesity and anti-proliferative effects on certain cancer cells.
Evodol

Individual Herbs Notebook