Bai Shao, white peony root.

What it is

Bai Shao is the root of the garden peony, Paeonia lactiflora. The bark is removed before the root is dried, which gives the “white” in its name. It is a different herb from Chi Shao, red peony root, which comes from the same plant family but is prepared and used differently.

How Chinese medicine describes it

In classical terms, Bai Shao nourishes the blood, softens and calms the Liver, and preserves Yin. Its sour taste is described as gathering and holding in, which is why it is often paired with herbs that move or disperse, so the two balance each other.

These are descriptions from a traditional system that has its own way of seeing the body. In Chinese medicine, “Liver” and “blood” carry a wider meaning than they do in a biology textbook, covering how things flow and how the body is nourished and steadied.

Where you’ll find it

Bai Shao rarely works alone. It appears in some of the best-known classical formulas:

• Gui Zhi Tang (Cinnamon Twig Decoction), the first formula in the Shang Han Lun, where it is paired with Gui Zhi.
• Si Wu Tang (Four Substances Decoction), a foundation formula for nourishing the blood.
• Xiao Yao San (Free and Easy Wanderer), one of the most widely used formulas in women’s health.

How I use it

I never prescribe a single herb on its own. Bai Shao would only ever be part of a formula written for one person, after a one-to-one consultation, and adjusted at follow-ups as things change. Before anything is made up, I check the formula against everything you take, prescribed and over the counter, and ask whether you might be pregnant.

Please don’t buy and take Chinese herbs on your own because of something you’ve read here. My guide to seeing a Chinese herbalist explains how consultations, sourcing and safety checks work.