Traditional Chinese Medicine Healing Herbs(TCMHH)

Blood-Activating Analgesics

Mei Yao (没药): Chinese Herb Guide

没药 Mo Yao Mo Yao (Myrrh): Actions Dose and Cautions Myrrh
By the TCMHH editorial team Not medically reviewed How we work Updated 6 Oct 2026
Mei Yao (没药): Chinese Herb Guide
Mei Yao (没药): Chinese Herb Guide
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Mo Yao

Naming

Mo Yao (Myrrh)——Yao Xing Lun (Treatise on Herb Property)

The Processing of 没药

Origin

The exudation of factice resin from skin areas of bush or tree Commiphora myrrha Engl. of family Bruseraceae and plants of the same family.

Location

Somalia, Ethiopia and India.

Harvest

Collected from November to next February.

The actual smell and taste

Densely fragrant, bitter and light pungent taste.

Best quality

Big, brown red, translucent, slightly sticky, dense and long-term fragrance, purified.

Processing

Unprocessed or processed.

The Effect of 没药

Property

Pungent, bitter, neutral, heart, liver and spleen meridians entered.

Actions

Activate blood and alleviate pain, resolve swelling and promote tissue regeneration.

Indications

The actions and indications are similar to those of Ru Xiang. It is reinforced by the combination with Ru Xiang for traumatic injuries, pain due to stagnation and stasis, abscess, deep rooted carbuncle, swelling and pain, ulcerated sore and abscess not healed for a long time and all the pain due to stagnation and stasis.

Dosage and Administrations

As same as Ru Xiang.

Cautions

As same as Ru Xiang.

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Sources and further reading

We cite classical materia medica and modern reference works. This article is health education, not medical advice.

  • Shennong Bencao Jing (The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica), Han dynasty.
  • Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica), Li Shizhen, 1578.
  • Chinese Pharmacopoeia, current edition — identity, quality and safety monographs.
  • NCCIH and WHO reference material on traditional medicine safety.

Spotted an error or a better source? Tell us — corrections are logged on our editorial policy page.

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