Duhuo, also known as Du Yao Cao, Du Hua, Chang Sheng Cao, is the root and rhizome of Umbelliferae plants such as Angelica pubescens, Angelica dahurica, Angelica decursiva, and Angelica sinensis. It is warm in nature and has a pungent and bitter taste. It enters the kidney and bladder meridians and has the effects of dispelling wind, eliminating dampness, dispersing cold, and relieving pain. It is used to treat wind-cold-damp arthralgia, lumbago and knee pain, spasm and pain in the hands and feet, chronic bronchitis, headache, toothache, and other conditions. Modern pharmacological studies have shown that Duhuo decoction or extract also has sedative, hypnotic, and anti-inflammatory effects.
Qianghuo, also known as Qiang Qing, Hu Qiang Shi Zhe, is the root and rhizome of Umbelliferae plants such as Notopterygium incisum and Notopterygium franchetii. It is warm in nature and has a bitter and pungent taste. It also enters the kidney and bladder meridians and has the effects of dispelling surface cold, expelling wind and dampness, and promoting joint health. It is used to treat colds with wind-cold symptoms, headache without sweating, wind-cold-damp arthralgia, stiff neck and shoulders, sore joints, wind-water swelling, abscesses, and other conditions. "Shen Nong's Classic of Materia Medica" mentions that Duhuo is also called Qianghuo and Hu Qiang Shi Zhe, and these two herbs are mixed together. In fact, both Duhuo and Qianghuo can dispel wind, alleviate dampness, induce sweating, and relieve surface symptoms. They are used to treat wind-cold-damp arthralgia and wind-cold-damp surface conditions caused by external pathogens. However, there are still differences between the two.
Compared with Qianghuo, Duhuo has a milder aroma and a gentler nature. It mainly enters the kidney meridian and has a downward action on the inner part of the body. It is good at dispelling wind and dampness between the waist and knee joints and is effective in treating wind-cold-damp arthralgia in the lower part of the body. It is commonly used for the treatment of such conditions.
Qianghuo has a strong aroma and mainly enters the bladder meridian. It has a strong dispersing and surface-relieving effect. It can go directly to the top of the head and spread horizontally to the limbs. It is good at treating wind pathogen in the upper part of the body. Therefore, it is often used for wind-cold-damp arthralgia in the upper part of the body. Duhuo is not as effective in relieving surface symptoms as Qianghuo. Generally speaking, Qianghuo is more often used for wind-cold-damp arthralgia in the upper body, while Duhuo is more often used for wind-cold-damp arthralgia in the lower body.
