Houpo (Magnolia bark) has traditionally been classified as a medicinal substance that reverses counterflow and transforms dampness in the middle burner, with a specific affinity for soothing symptoms of bloating. The ancient formula primer Tangye jing (Decoction Classic), moreover, classified this herb as one of the most important medicinals affecting the Heart. Houpo’s function of down-regulating uprising emotions also features prominently in China’s most important herbal classic, Shanghan lun (Treatise on Disorders Caused by Cold), specifically in remedies designed to treat globus hystericus or plum-pit syndrome, a type of non-structural throat obstruction that often accompanies states of anxiety in female patients.

The best region for harvesting medicinal grade Houpo is the damp environment of Sichuan Province, where many of China’s most effective anti-damp medicinals tend to thrive. Most of the Houpo available on the global market, however, is derived from different botanical species or from younger trees that have formed only a very thin layer of the medicinal bark. Since Japanese Kanpo medicine greatly values this herb, most of Japan’s leading herb suppliers will only utilize the highest grade Houpo imported from its traditional habitat. Classical Pearls is proud to offer wild-crafted Houpo from the heart of the Houpo growing region, the pristine mountain ranges of Western Hubei. This territory was administered by the governor of Sichuan until the late Qing dynasty, and has long been the source for many medicinal plants in the famous category of “Sichuanese herbs.” Until the late 1980s, no roads connected the villages in these remote mountains to the rest of China, and local herb collectors had to transport their seasonal bounty to urban markets by horse caravan.

Houpo from Classical Pearls is unprocessed, and naturally dried.