Ye Ying Pi
English Name: wild black cherry bark
Pharmaceutical Name: Pericarpium Prunus Pseudocerasus
Medica Category: Astringent Herbs
Properties: Ye Ying Pi enters the Lung channel; it is sour and bitter in nature and cool in temperature.
What is Ye Ying Pi?:
The Chinese Herb Ye Ying Pi is the bark of the black cherry tree (Prunus serotina), a native of the eastern U.S., Mexico, and Central America that regularly grow to over 50 ft. tall and produces the fruits we all know and love. The bark is used medicinally; it is harvested off live trees at intervals by cutting strips of it that are not so big as to damage the entire living tree. The bark strips are then usually processed commercially for cough syrup; in TCM, the bark can be ground up or decocted for use as medicine.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Ye Ying Pi:
Ye Ying Pi redirects rising Lung qi downward and relieves cough. It may be used individually or combined with other anti-tussive herbs for this purpose.