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Photo of Mulberry Root Bark

Mulberry Root Bark

桑白皮 · Sāng Bái Pí

Eases hot wheezing coughs and puffy edema

Properties

CoolingCooling botanicalSweet

What it does

Mulberry root bark eases hot wheezing coughs with rapid breath and helps drain puffy edema. In TCM, it 'drains the lung,' the classical pattern for fluid stuck in the chest, and disperses water for swelling. The pairing of cough plus fluid retention sets it apart from other cough herbs. Distinct from mulberry leaf (Sang Ye) and fruit (Sang Shen), each used for different patterns.

How to take it

Drink

Decoct 6–12g of dried mulberry root bark in 4 cups water for 30 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 1–2x daily during hot wheezing cough with chest fullness or puffy edema.

See a practitioner for specific cough-and-edema formulas with mulberry root bark

Safety

  • Cooling. Skip with cold-pattern cough or weak digestion
  • May lower blood pressure and blood sugar. Monitor with relevant medications
  • Skip during pregnancy without practitioner guidance
  • Stop after symptoms resolve. Not for long-term daily use
  • Talk to your doctor before starting, especially if you take medication

Where it comes from

Mulberry root bark (Morus alba) is harvested from the white mulberry tree, the same tree that gives the leaf for early colds and the fruit as a blood tonic. Each plant part has a distinct TCM use. The root bark is specifically for lung-heat patterns where heat causes both wheezing AND fluid backup. It's a key herb in Xie Bai San (Drain the White Powder), a classical formula for lung heat in children.