Paeonia rubra, P. lactiflora 赤 芍 Chì sháo   Red peony   Family: Ranunculaceae    
PART USED: Root- The root is dug out in Autumn, sliced dried in sunlight, and used unprepared.
Nature- cool      FLAVOR:  Bitter    CHANNEL: Liver
FUNCTIONS
 GROUP: Regulate Blood and removing Stasis- Removing Blood stasis causing Heat[3]
1. Regulate Blood.
2. Removing pathogenic Heat from the Blood.[1,2] Activate Blood. Dissipating blood stasis.[1,2] Relieving pain.[1,2,3]
3. Antibacterial.[3] Cool hot conditions.[3]
INDICATIONS- Any kind of hot sensations due to Blood stasis (P- choppy).
1. Epidemic febrile diseases with heat in the Blood system manifested as fever, and macula or eruptions,[2] or bleeding due to invasion of the Blood by Heat, such as hematemesis and epistaxis.[1,2] It is often used with Rhinoceros horn, dried Rehmannia root and Moutan bark- Decoction of Rhinoceros Horn and Rehmannia- Xi jiao di huang tang.
2. Amenorrhea and menorrhalgia due to blood stasis.[1,2] It is often use with Chinese Angelica and Moutan bark, as in Blood Nourishing Decoction- Zi xue tang.
3. Blood shot eyes,[1,2] with swelling pain due to Heat in the Liver. Nourish and soften the Liver.[3] It is often used with Chrysanthemum flower and Shave grass. Chest pain and pain in ribs, abdominal pain.
4. For suppurative infections of the skin. It is often used with Honey suckle flower and Coptis rhizome, as in Life Saving Pellet = Duo ming dan. Carbuncle.
5. Traumatic injuries.[3] Combine with Peach kernel and Safflower for painful swelling of traumatic injuries.
6. Headache due to Blood stasis.[3]
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Amenorrhea due to Cold of deficiency type. It is incompatible with Hellebore root- Radix Veratri.[2]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS: Decoction. Dry root 6-12 g.[1,2] Or used in bolus and powder.[2] 6-15 g.[3]

COMPARISON
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.
Research Antidepressant-like effect of ethanol extract from Paeonia lactiflora in mice.
Mao Q, Huang Z, Ip S, Che C.
Abstract
The present study investigated the antidepressant effect of ethanol extract of Paeonia lactiflora (EPL) in mice using forced swim test, tail suspension test, open-field test and reserpine test. Our results showed that intragastric administration of EPL at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg for seven days significantly reduced the duration of immobility in both forced swim test and tail suspension test. EPL at the dose of 500 mg/kg was as effective as the positive control (chlorimipramine, 20 mg/kg) in these tests. However, these treatments did not affect the number of crossing and rearing in the open-field test. Treating mice with EPL at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg significantly antagonized reserpine-induced ptosis and hypothermia. However, at the dose of 125 mg/kg, EPL antagonized only the hypothermia but not ptosis induced by reserpine. The results clearly demonstrated the antidepressant effect of Paeonia lactiflora in animal models of depression. The action of Paeonia lactiflora may be mediated via the central monoaminergic neurotransmitter system.
Phytother Res. 2008 Nov;22(11):1496-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2519. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Radix Paeoniae Rubra stimulates osteoclast differentiation by activation of the NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways
Huey-En Tzeng, Chun-Hao Tsai, Tin-Yun Ho, Chin-Tung Hsieh, Shen-Chieh Chou, Yi-Ju Lee, Gregory J. Tsay, Po-Hao Huang and Yi-Ying WuEmail author
Abstract
Background
Radix Paeoniae Rubra (RPR), a traditional Chinese herb, has anti-inflammatory and immuno-regulatory properties. This study explored the effects of RPR on stimulation of osteoclast differentiation in RAW264.7 cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)s.
Methods
The mature osteoclasts were measured by bone resorption assays and TRAP staining. JNK, ERK, p38 and NF-κB inhibitors were used applied in order to verify their contribution in RPR-induced osteoclast differentiation. The NF-κB and MAPK pathways were evaluated by western blotting, RT-PCR and luciferase assay.
Results
RPR induced osteoclast differentiation in a dose-dependent manner and induced the resorption activity of osteoclasts differentiation of RAW264.7 cells and PBMCs. Western blotting showed that RPR treatment induced phosphorylation of JNK, ERK, and p38 in RAW 264.7 cells. Treatment of JNK, ERK, and p38 MAP kinase inhibitors verified the contribution of JNK, ERK and p38. RPR treatment induced c-Fos and NFATc1 protein expression; NF-κB inhibitor treatment and luciferase assay verified the contribution of the NF-κB pathway.
Conclusions
This study demonstrated the interesting effect, in which RPR stimulated osteoclast differentiation in murine RAW264.7 cells and human monocytes.
BMC Complementary and Alternative MedicineBMC series – open, inclusive and trusted201818:132
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-018-2196-7© The Author(s). 2018
Received: 25 January 2018Accepted: 10 April 2018Published: 23 April 2018 bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com