Jiu Jie Chang Pu

Jiu Jie Chang Pu (九節菖蒲) is the dried rhizome of Anemone altaica Fisch. ex C.A. Mey. (Ranunculaceae), a small perennial herb of mountain forests in northern and central China, particularly Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, and Gansu. The plant grows to about 15 cm tall from a slender, jointed, horizontal rhizome marked by conspicuous nodal scars (the 'nine joints' of the name), bearing palmately divided basal leaves and solitary white flowers with 8–10 tepals in early spring. The rhizome is collected in late spring or early summer, washed, fibrous rootlets removed, and dried. In TCM, Jiu Jie Chang Pu is classified as pungent and warm, entering the Heart and Liver channels, and is used to open the orifices, transform phlegm, calm the spirit, and quicken yang for confusion, poor memory, epilepsy, and phlegm-clouded consciousness. It is frequently confused with, but not interchangeable with, Shi Chang Pu (Acorus tatarinowii).