White Peony Paeonia albiflora


Paeonia albiflora
White double peony
  • Common Names
  • White Peony root , Bai Shao Yao, Peony root, and Chinese Peony
  • Botanical Name
  • Paeonia albiflora
  • Syn. P. lactiflora, P. officinalis
  • Family
  • Paeoniaceae
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Medicinal Uses & Benefits of White Peony Root

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How to Use: White Peony


Peonies have been cultivated in China since about 900 B.C. The white peony is one of the oldest remedies in traditional Chinese medicine. They are a very beautiful and fragrant ornamental flower, but the root is the part valued in Chinese medicine to treat conditions such as abnormal menses, night sweats, abdominal pain, sores and injuries.1

Preparation Methods & Dosage :Peony root can be taken as a tea, extract or in capsules.


Traditional Chinese Medicine traditional Chinese medicine Chin-shao-yao refers to white flowered peony, Paeonia albiflora, Mu-sao-yao, which may be Paeonia officinalis in some cases. The plant is found growing wild, and is cultivated for its root which is much prized by Chinese doctors. It is used as a tonic, alterative, astringent and general remedy in the diseases of women. It is specially recommended in pregnancy. Peony is said to be anodyne, diuretic and carminative. It has special action upon the spleen, liver, stomach and intestines and is prescribed in nosebleed, wounds and other hemorrhages. Tree peony or Mou-Tan, Paeonia moutan is known as the king of flowers. The bark of the root is the part used medicinally for fevers, colds, nervous disorders, hemorrhages, headaches and menstrual difficulties. 3

White Peony Side Effects:

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Plant Description


  • Flowers:Usually white , some shaded in pink,yellow and red, strongly fragrant Some cultivars have double flowers
  • Plant Class: herbaceous perennial
  • Leaves: Compound, deeply lobed
  • Fruit:
  • Preferred Habitat:
  • Flowering Season:Late spring, early summer
  • Distribution: Native to Europe, Asia, and North America

Regional Traditions :Traditional Chinese Medicine *

How to Grow White Peony

The common garden peony is one of the most widely grown perennials throughout the Northern hemisphere. Peonies are generally planted in the fall, but they may also be available in spring as potted plants. For those herbaceous peonies obtained in the fall, be sure the tuber has three to five buds or "eyes" present. They will be bright red in color. Tree peonies are grown either from seed or grafts, with the more desirable way for the home gardener being grafted plants. Herbaceous peonies with three to five "eyes" will generally flower the second year after planting, while it will take three years for a grafted tree peony. 2

Related Species Paeonia suffruticos Tree peony ,Mu Tan is a symbol of love and affection and an official herb in the Chinese Pharmacopeia


History and Traditions & Folklore


It is an herb of the Sun, and under the Lion. Physicians say, Male Peony roots are best; but Dr. Reason told me Male Peony was best for men, and Female Peony for women, and he desires to be judged by his brother Dr. Experience. The roots are held to be of more virtue than the seed; next the flowers; and, last of all, the leaves
Nicholas Culpeper, 1653

References:
books citedWorks Cited
  1. Steven Foster and Yue chongxi . Herbal Emissaries (1992)
  2. University of Vermont Extension Department of Plant and Soil Science. Growing Peonies
  3. Li Shih-Chen.(1578) Translation: Bliss, Beatrice. "Chinese Medicinal Herbs A Modern Edition of a Classic Sixteenth-Century Manual", Georgetown Press(1973). Dover (2003)