Mulberry twigs, the twig that reaches the limbs
Sang Zhi says nothing more than what it is: the twig of the white mulberry, the silkworm’s tree, which China has cultivated for more than four thousand years. The young twigs are used, slender and slightly zigzagging, harvested in May and June while still tender. The name carries the principle of its use: a twig resembles a limb, it leaves the trunk and stretches outwards. The tradition concluded that it goes to the limbs, above all the upper ones, the shoulder and the arm: “for the limbs, the twig”, as the texts sum it up.
Dispelling Wind and Dampness, without heating
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Sang Zhi is neutral and bitter, and associated with the Liver, which governs the tendons. Its neutrality is its main asset: most herbs that dispel Wind and Dampness are warm or hot, sometimes harshly so; this one adds neither Heat nor Cold, and slips into formulas of every kind. It is traditionally used to dispel Wind and Dampness, benefit the joints, which regain their ease of movement, and open the meridians. The Tu Jing Ben Cao summed it up in a phrase still quoted today: “neither cold nor hot, it can be taken regularly”.
A guide to the shoulder and arm
The tradition makes it one of the best guiding substances to the shoulder and arm: a twig goes where twigs go, and it carries the whole formula towards the upper body. Being neutral, it does not dispel Cold by itself; when Cold dominates, it is paired with cinnamon twig (Gui Zhi), which brings the warmth it lacks: two twigs, and the most famous pairing for the shoulder and arm. Not to be confused with mulberry leaf, which is cold and acts high up and at the surface.
Key benefits
Joints & comfort
Traditionally used to benefit the joints, Sang Zhi supports joint comfort without heating.
Wind & Dampness dispelled
Bitter, it dries Dampness and expels Wind and Dampness according to Chinese tradition, whether Heat is present or not.
Mobility & regularity
By opening the meridians towards the limbs, it contributes to easy mobility, and lends itself to regular use.
