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Moutan Root Bark

Moutan Root Bark (목단피, 牡丹) is recorded in the Donguibogam as a heat-clearing, blood-cooling herb. Its nature is slightly cold and its taste pungent, bitter, associated with the Heart, Liver, Kidney meridians. Traditional uses recorded in the text include cools the blood, moves stagnant blood, resolves hardened masses. Caution: Cold and blood-moving; not suited to pregnancy or heavy menstrual bleeding without professional guidance.

목단피 (牡丹) · Paeonia × suffruticosa Andrews

Heat-clearing, blood-cooling herb Slightly cold Pungent, bitter Heart, Liver, Kidney

NatureSlightly cold

TastePungent, bitter

MeridiansHeart, Liver, Kidney

Part usedRoot bark

FamilyPaeoniaceae

CategoryHeat-clearing, blood-cooling herb

Find by concern: Absent periods Boils

Overview

Moutan is peony's tree-form relative — the source of the root bark used in medicine rather than the flower prized in gardens. The Donguibogam specifies that only the single-petaled variety should be gathered for medicine, and its root bark remains a core ingredient in classical formulas for stagnant blood and low-grade heat.

In the Donguibogam

東醫
寶鑑

性微寒, 味辛苦, 無毒. 除癥堅瘀血. 治女子經脉不通, 血瀝腰痛, 落胎, 下胞衣. 産後一切血氣, 療癰瘡, 排膿, 消撲損瘀血.

Source: Donguibogam, Tangaek-pyeon (Herbology volume)

TranslationIts nature is slightly cold, its taste pungent and bitter, and it is non-toxic. It removes hardened masses and stagnant blood. It treats women's blocked menstrual flow, dripping blood with low-back pain, induces miscarriage of a non-viable pregnancy, and expels the placenta. It treats all manner of postpartum blood-qi conditions, heals sores and abscesses, expels pus, and resolves bruising from injury.

Traditional uses recorded in the Donguibogam

Cools the blood
Moves stagnant blood
Resolves hardened masses
Clears deficiency-heat

Traditional applications recorded in the classical text

Amenorrhea or irregular menstruation
Postpartum blood stagnation
Sores and abscesses with pus
Bruising from trauma

Traditional preparation

Wine-prepared preparations noted in the classics as tonifying, versus the raw root skin as more moving.

This describes traditional preparation recorded in the classics, not a recommendation for use today. DonguiHub does not provide dosage guidance — consult a qualified professional before using any herb.

Cautions

Caution: Cold and blood-moving; not suited to pregnancy or heavy menstrual bleeding without professional guidance. Consult a professional.

Frequently asked questions

Is moutan the same as the ornamental peony flower?

It's related but the medicine comes from a different part: moutan (牡丹) is the root bark of the tree peony, distinct from the garden flower it's best known for, and the Donguibogam specifies only single-petaled plants for medicinal use.

What is moutan root bark's main traditional use?

Moving stagnant blood and clearing heat — the Donguibogam highlights amenorrhea, postpartum blood conditions, and resolving bruising and abscesses.

Sources

『동의보감』 탕액편, 허준, 1613 (원문) — 한문 원문
한의학고전DB (mediclassics.kr) — 원문 및 국역 자료 참조