Cangzhu should not be taken by people with Yin deficiency and internal heat, Qi deficiency and excessive sweating, as well as those who are allergic to it.
Atractylodes macrocephala is used as medicine by drying the rhizome. Cangzhu is pungent, bitter, warm, and can enter the liver, spleen and stomach meridians, has the effect of dispelling wind and dispersing cold, drying dampness, strengthening the spleen and improving vision, and can be used clinically to treat dampness obstruction in the middle jiao (dampness obstructing the function of the spleen and stomach), diarrhea, distension and fullness of the epigastrium (abdomen), impotence and crippling of the feet (mainly refers to the lower limbs paralysis), wind-cold colds and flu, oedema, rheumatism paralysis and pain, dimness of the eyes and eyesight, and blindness at night and other diseases.
Atractylodes macrocephala is usually taken by decoction, and can also be boiled in paste or in pills or powder. The adverse effects of Cangzhu are not clear, Yin deficiency, internal heat, Qi deficiency, excessive sweating, allergy to it should not be taken. In addition, Cangzhu needs to be used under the guidance of traditional Chinese medicine, and should not be used blindly, so as not to cause damage.