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Photo of dried phellodendron bark, flat strips with bright yellow interior and grey-brown exterior

Phellodendron

黃柏 · Huáng Bǎi

Clears damp-heat from the lower body and pulls flaring Kidney fire back down

Properties

CoolingCooling botanicalBitter

What it does

Phellodendron bark is TCM's go-to for two distinct but related jobs: clearing damp-heat pooling in the lower body and directing Kidney fire downward when yin deficiency lets it flare. The lower-body damp-heat indications are concrete — urinary tract infections with burning, yellow or foul vaginal discharge, swollen hot joints in the legs. The Kidney-fire pattern is more subtle: night sweats, steaming bone sensations, and afternoon tidal fever from yin running low. It's almost always paired with anemarrhena as the classic duo, and both appear together in Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan. The bright yellow of the inner bark comes from berberine, which accounts for much of its antimicrobial activity.

How to take it

Drink

Decoct 3–12g of dried phellodendron bark in water for 25 minutes. Drink 1 cup, 1–2x daily. Almost always taken in formula with anemarrhena or other yin-supporting herbs.

Look for it in Zhi Bai Di Huang Wan for night sweats or San Miao Wan for hot, swollen knees and legs

Safety

  • Bitter and cold. Avoid with cold-pattern digestion — loose stools, cold limbs, or a pale tongue
  • Not appropriate long-term without practitioner guidance. Sustained bitter-cold can damage Stomach qi
  • Contains berberine. Talk to your doctor if you take antibiotics, cyclosporine, or CYP3A4-sensitive medications
  • One case report of allergic skin reaction with oral use
  • Talk to your doctor before starting medicinal use, especially if you take medication

Where it comes from

Phellodendron (Phellodendron chinense and P. amurense) is a deciduous tree native to China, Korea, and Japan, with a corky bark that turns bright yellow when cut. The bark has been in continuous use since the Shén Nóng Běn Cǎo Jīng and appears prominently in Zhu Dan-Xi's Yuan Dynasty writings on the 'four pivots' of fire-clearing medicine. P. chinense from Guizhou province is traditionally considered highest quality. The tree's berberine content attracted modern pharmacological attention for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects — the same compound that gives goldenseal its yellow color.