Paeonia suffruticosa.  牡 丹 皮 Mǔ dān pí  Tree peony   Family: Ranunculaeae  
PART USED: Root bark- 3-5 year old plants harvested in late Autumn.
Nature: Cool   FLAVOR: Bitter, acrid, pungent.  CHANNEL: Heart, Liver, Kidney
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Clearing Internal Heat- Cool Blood-  Activate blood
1. Clears Heat and cools Blood-[5] Heat at Blood level, dissolves blood stagnation-[1,2,3,4] (resolving bruises).
2. Clear deficient Fire.[5] Invigorates and dispels Blood stasis.[5]
3. Clears ascending Liver Fire.[4] Disperses Liver Heat. Clears fevers.
4. Drains pus and reduces swelling.[5]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Febrile diseases at the later stage with accumulation of Heat in the Yin system marked by night fever, or interior Heat syndrome due to Yin deficiency. Periodic fever. Non- sweat recurrent fever.[1] Typhus fever.[1] Periodic fever.[2] Spontaneous sweating, Dry mouth, Chronic hepatitis, Red cheeks.[4] Bone steaming fever with no sweating.[5]
2. Heat entering the Blood level during fever:[1,5] hematemesis[1] and epistaxis.[1] Bloody stools.[1] Acute appendicitis. For acute appendicitis with abdominal pain and constipation.
3. Skin maculas and eruptions caused by epidemic febrile diseases with pathogenic Heat in the Blood system. Boils, abscesses, bruises.[1] Suppurative infections on the skin.
4. Liver Blood stasis patterns:[5] Amenorrhea and menorrhagia,[4] due to Blood stasis or abdominal mass.[5] Pre-menstrual pain and fever prior to menstruation. Menstrual irregularity.[1]
5. Ascending Liver Fire: headache, eye pain, flank pain, flushing, and dysmenorrhea.[5]
6. Hypertension. Atherosclerosis.[4]
7. Topically used for firm, non-draining sores or internally for intestinal abscess.[5]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Cold disorders.[4,5] Spleen/Stomach deficiency: diarrhea and possibly excessive menstrual bleeding.[4,5] Menorrhagia.[3] Pregnancy.[3,5] Yin deficiency with excessive sweating.[5]
According to some traditional sources, this herb counteracts the effects of Cuscuta chinensis- Tu si zi, Fritillaria thunbergii- Zhe bei mu and Fritillaria cirrhosa- Chuan bei mu, and Rheum tanguticum- Da huang and also should not be combined with Allium sativum- Garlic.[5]
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Dry root bark 5-10 g,[1,2,3,4] or used in bolus or powder.[3] Used in raw form for Cool the Blood.[5] Stir fried to promote blood circulation and removing blood stasis,[5] it should be stir baked with wine. Charred preparation to stop bleeding.[5] Good quality is course, long, aromatic, on the outside should be a dusky yellow, a pale, reddish brown, or pink; on the inside it should be pale yellow or brown.
For hemostasis, stir baked to charcoal.[3]
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

Effects of the root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa on mitochondria-mediated neuroprotection in an MPTP-induced model of Parkinson's disease.
Kim HG, Park G, Piao Y, Kang MS, Pak YK, Hong SP, Oh MS.
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is generally characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons projecting from the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) to the striatum that results in movement dysfunction, but also entails mitochondrial dysfunction. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the protective effects of Moutan Cortex Radicis (MCE, Moutan peony) on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD-like symptoms and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action, with a focus on mitochondrial function. In a rat primary mesencephalic culture system, MCE significantly protected dopaminergic neurons from the neurotoxic effects of 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP(+)), an active form of MPTP. Additionally, in a subacute mouse model of MPTP-induced PD, MCE resulted in enhanced recovery from PD-like motor symptoms, including increased locomotor activity and reduced bradykinesia. MCE increased dopamine availability and protected against MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuronal damage. Moreover, MCE inhibited MPTP-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and resulted in increased expression of phosphorylated Akt, ND9, mitochondrial transcription factor A, and H2AX in the SNpc. Mitochondria-mediated apoptosis was also inhibited, via the regulation of B-cell lymphoma family proteins and the inhibition of cytochrome C release and caspase-3 activation. These results indicate that MCE has neuroprotective effects in PD models and may be useful for preventing or treating PD.
PMID: 24389454 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.12.037  Food Chem Toxicol. 2014 Mar;65:293-300. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2013.12.037. Epub 2014 Jan 2. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Antioxidant and antimelanogenic behaviors of Paeonia suffruticosa.
Ding HY, Chou TH, Lin RJ, Chan LP, Wang GH, Liang CH.
Abstract
Antioxidant properties of eight Paeonia suffruticosa (Ps) extracts (Ps-1 to Ps-8) were evaluated. The respective half maximally effective concentration (EC(50)) values of Ps-1 ~ 8 were 10.0, 9.8, 63.6, >100, 3.8, 85.1, 6.9, and 0.7 μg/ml for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH·) radical scavenging efficiency and 22.9, 11.4, 53.1, >100, 7.5, 97.6, 43.7, 4.2 μg/ml for 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS·(+)) radical scavenging capacity. The Ps-8 exhibited high free radical scavenging capacity, ion-chelating ability, reducing power, and inhibition of lipid peroxidation, which may have been attributable to its abundant phenolic and flavonoid content. In Hs68 and B16 cells treated with 100 μg/ml Ps-1, Ps-3, Ps-4 and Ps-6, expressions of toxic activities were lower than those in cells treated with arbutin and ascorbic acid. The antimelanogenesis properties were also tested in B16 cells. Extract Ps-1, and particularly extract Ps-6, considerably inhibited cellular tyrosinase and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) oxidase activity and also reduced melanin content in B16 cells by down-expression of melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R), microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), tyrosinase, and tyrosinase-related proteins-1 (TRP-1). The results suggest that P. suffruticosa extracts have antioxidant and antimelanogenesis activities with potential applications in cosmetic materials or food additives.
PMID: 21656165 DOI: 10.1007/s11130-011-0235-3 Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2011 Sep;66(3):275-84. doi: 10.1007/s11130-011-0235-3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Isolation of antifungal compound from Paeonia suffruticosa and its antifungal mechanism.
Zhao Y, Wang BE, Zhang SW, Yang SM, Wang H, Ren AM, Yi ET.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To isolate antifungal compound from Paeonia suffruticosa, and to find the antifungal mechanisms by observing the ultrastructural modifications of yeasts in growth phase produced by 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (PGG).
METHODS:
Peony (Paeonia suffruticosa) root bark (PRB) was separated by solvent extraction and purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method using analytical and preparative reversed phase C18 column on the basis of bio-assay method. In order to investigate the antifungal mechanism of PGG, Yeasts were submitted to different concentrations [3 × minimum inhibition concentration (MIC), 0.3 × MIC] for 1 h under constant stirring at 30 °C, and transmission electron microscopy was performed.
RESULTS:
Based on the antifungal activity of PRB on Candida glabrata CBS138, the antifungal compound were isolated in ethyl acetate layer of PRB and identified as PGG by mass spectrometry, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analyses, with molecular weight of 940 and molecular formular as C41H32O26. Transmission electron microscopy showed that PGG degraded the cell wall envelope.
CONCLUSION:
The results suggest that PGG may be responsible for the antifungal activity of PRB by disrupting the structure of cell wall directly.
PMID: 24577809 DOI: 10.1007/s11655-014-1805-7 Chin J Integr Med. 2015 Mar;21(3):211-6. doi: 10.1007/s11655-014-1805-7. Epub 2014 Feb 27. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ethanol extract of paeonia suffruticosa Andrews (PSE) induced AGS human gastric cancer cell apoptosis via fas-dependent apoptosis and MDM2-p53 pathways
Hyeong Sim Choi, Hye-Sook Seo, Ji Hye Kim, Jae-Young Um, Yong Cheol Shin and Seong-Gyu KoEmail author
Abstract
Background
The root bark of Paeonia suffruticosa Andrews (PSE), also known as Moutan Cortex, has been widely used in Asia to treat various diseases. The molecular mechanisms by which PSE exerts its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities are well known, but its anti-cancer activity is not yet well understood. Here, we present evidence demonstrating that PSE can be used as a potent anti-cancer agent to treat gastric cancer.
Methods
The effects of the ethanol extract of PSE on cell proliferation were determined using an MTT (1-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-3,5-diphenylformazan) assay. Cell cytotoxicity induced by the PSE extact is measured using an LDH leakage assay. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the cell cycle and to measure the subG0/G1 apoptotic cell fraction. Apoptosis induced by the PSE extact is also examined using a DNA fragmentation assay. Western blot analysis is used to measure the levels of apoptotic proteins such as Fas receptor, caspase-8, caspase-3, PARP, Bax, Bcl-2, MDM2, and p53.
Results
This study demonstrated that treating AGS cells with the PSE extact significantly inhibited cell proliferation and induced cytotoxicity in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The PSE extract also induced apoptosis in AGS cells, as measured by flow cytometry and a DNA fragmentation assay. We found that the PSE extract induced apoptosis via the extrinsic Fas-mediated apoptosis pathway, which was concurrent with the activation of caspases, including caspase-8 and caspase-3, and cleavage of PARP. The MDM2-p53 pathway also played a role in the apoptosis of AGS cells that was induced by the PSE extract.
Conclusions
These results clearly demonstrate that the PSE extact displays growth-suppressive activity and induces apoptosis in AGS cells. Our data suggest that the PSE extact might be a potential anti-cancer agent for gastric cancer.Journal of Biomedical Science201219:82
https://doi.org/10.1186/1423-0127-19-82© Choi et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012 jbiomedsci.biomedcentral.com