一茎直上。不为风摇。故称独活。本经独活一名羌活。为其生于羌地也。
陶隐居言羌活出羌地。而益州西川者为独活。是一物而二种矣。濒湖历据诸说。谓独与
一类二种。以中国者为独活。西羌者为羌活。入用微有不同。后人判为二物者非矣。又川中
羌所产独活。另是一种。并属可用。
根性温。味苦辛。气味俱薄。浮而升。阳也。手足太阳行经风药。并入足厥阴少阴经
气分。治风邪在表在上。去膀胱并肾间风邪。太阳经头痛。（巨阳从头走足。惟厥阴与督脉
会于巅。逆而上行。诸阳不得下。故令痛也。）周身尽痛。骨节痛。项强脊痛。并搜肝风。
泻肝气。（泻青丸用之为其壬乙同归也）治诸风掉眩。口面 斜。凡风湿相乘。或风寒湿痹。
酸痛不仁。筋骨挛拳。遍身 痹血癞。（虽不治血虚筋燥。然挟风湿者。亦可于血药中兼用
。）并散痈疽败血。（诸本草）羌活气清属阳。善行气分。舒而不敛。升而能沉。雄而善散。
故入手足太阳以理游风。其功用与独活虽若不同。实互相表里。（士材）骨乃少阴肾之合。
羌活虽为太阳风药。而太阳少阴相表里。羌活亦入之。但专力于达巨阳之气分。而少阴血分
当推独活耳。所以治历节风痛。必兼羌独二味。并用松节。羌独防三味。统理脊痛项强督脉
为病。以足太阳夹督而行。会督者二手太阳。又会诸阳于督之大椎。故三味并为治督之剂。
（东垣）升举中焦。用柴胡升麻。升举下焦。则 本羌活。
一根茎干笔直向上生长，不被风吹动摇曳，所以被称为“独活”。《神农本草经》中记载独活的另一个名字是羌活，因为它生长在羌地。
陶弘景说羌活产于羌地，而益州西川出产的称为独活，这就变成了一种植物却有两种名称了。李时珍（号濒湖）依据各种说法，认为独活和羌活是一类植物下的两个品种，以中国本土出产的为独活，西羌地区出产的为羌活，两者在临床应用上略有不同。后人将它们判定为两种不同的药物，这是错误的。另外，四川地区羌人所产的独活，又属于另一种类型，但也同样可以使用。
羌活的根性味温和，味道苦、辛，气味都比较淡薄，性质轻浮且上升，属于阳药。它是作用于手足太阳经的风药，同时也进入足厥阴经和足少阴经的气分。用于治疗风邪停留在体表或在上部的病症，能祛除膀胱以及肾脏间的风邪。对于太阳经引起的头痛（巨阳经从头走向足部，只有厥阴经与督脉交会于头顶，若气逆而上行，诸阳之气无法下行，就会导致疼痛），全身疼痛，骨节疼痛，颈部僵硬及脊柱疼痛，并能搜剔肝风，疏泄肝气（泻青丸中使用它，是因为壬水与乙木同归于此）。治疗各种风邪引起的震颤眩晕，口眼歪斜。凡是风湿相互侵袭，或者风寒湿邪导致的痹症，出现酸痛、麻木不仁，筋骨拘挛弯曲，遍身麻痹、血癞等症状（虽然它不直接治疗血虚筋燥，但如果夹杂风湿者，也可以在养血药中兼用）。还能消散痈疽中的败血（出自各类本草著作）。
羌活气清扬属阳，善于运行气分，舒展而不收敛，升发而能沉降，雄壮而善于发散，因此能进入手足太阳经来调理游走性的风邪。它的功用虽然与独活看似不同，但实际上互为表里（士材语）。骨骼是少阴肾的外合，羌活虽然是太阳经的风药，但由于太阳与少阴相表里，羌活也能进入少阴经。但它主要致力于通达巨阳（太阳）的气分，而少阴的血分则应当推重独活。因此，治疗历节风痛，必须同时使用羌活和独活两味药，并配合松节使用。羌活、独活、防风三味药，统管因督脉病变引起的脊痛、项强（因为足太阳经夹着督脉而行，手太阳经与督脉会合于大椎穴，并与诸阳经在督脉的大椎穴交会，所以这三味药共同构成治疗督脉疾病的方剂）（东垣语）。用于升举中焦之气，使用柴胡、升麻；用于升举下焦之气，则使用本羌活。
A single stem grows straight upward, not swayed by the wind; hence it is called *Duhuo* (Radix Angelicae Pubescentis). The *Shennong Bencao Jing* records that *Duhuo* has another name, *Qianghuo* (Rhizoma Notopterygii), because it grows in the Qiang region.
Tao Hongjing stated that *Qianghuo* originates from the Qiang lands, whereas the variety produced in Yizhou and Xichuan is called *Duhuo*, implying that one plant yields two types. Li Shizhen (styled Binhu) cited various theories to argue that *Duhuo* and *Qianghuo* are two varieties of the same category: those produced within China proper are *Duhuo*, while those from Western Qiang are *Qianghuo*. Their clinical applications differ slightly. It is incorrect for later practitioners to classify them as two distinct substances. Furthermore, the *Duhuo* produced by the Qiang people in Sichuan constitutes yet another variety, which is also usable.
The root is warm in nature, with a bitter and acrid taste. Its qi and flavor are both thin, possessing a floating and ascending quality, thus belonging to Yang. It is a wind-dispelling herb acting on the Hand and Foot Taiyang meridians, and also enters the Qi aspect of the Foot Jueyin and Foot Shaoyin meridians. It treats pathogenic wind lingering at the exterior or in the upper body, expelling wind pathogens from the Bladder and between the Kidneys. It addresses headaches of the Taiyang meridian (The Great Yang meridian runs from head to foot; only the Jueyin meridian and the Du vessel intersect at the vertex. If qi rebels and ascends, preventing the descent of all Yang meridians, pain ensues). It alleviates generalized body pain, joint pain, neck stiffness, and spinal pain, and can search out Liver wind and drain Liver qi (It is used in *Xieqing Wan* because Ren Water and Yi Wood converge here). It treats various wind-induced tremors and vertigo, facial paralysis (deviation of mouth and eyes). In cases where wind-dampness mutually attacks, or in bi-syndrome caused by wind-cold-dampness, manifesting as soreness, pain, numbness, tendon contraction, and curling of limbs, general numbness, and blood stasis lesions (Although it does not directly treat blood deficiency causing dry tendons, it may be used concurrently with blood-nourishing herbs when complicated by wind-dampness). It also dissipates toxic pus and stale blood (from various Materia Medica texts).
*Qianghuo* has clear, ascending qi belonging to Yang; it excels at moving the Qi aspect, is expansive rather than constrictive, ascending yet capable of descending, vigorous and good at dispersing. Thus, it enters the Hand and Foot Taiyang meridians to regulate wandering wind. Although its functions appear different from *Duhuo*, they are actually mutually complementary as interior-exterior pairs (Shicai). Bones are the external correspondence of the Kidney of the Shaoyin meridian. Although *Qianghuo* is a wind-herb of the Taiyang meridian, since Taiyang and Shaoyin are interior-exterior partners, *Qianghuo* also enters the Shaoyin. However, it focuses specifically on reaching the Qi aspect of the Great Yang (Taiyang), whereas the Blood aspect of Shaoyin should rely more on *Duhuo*. Therefore, treating Lijie wind-pain requires the combined use of both *Qianghuo* and *Duhuo*, along with Pine Node (*Songjie*). The combination of *Qianghuo*, *Duhuo*, and *Fangfeng* collectively manages neck stiffness and spinal pain due to Du vessel pathology (because the Foot Taiyang meridian runs alongside the Du vessel, and the Hand Taiyang meridians intersect with the Du vessel at Dazhui, where all Yang meridians meet; thus, these three herbs form a formula treating Du vessel disorders) (Dongyuan). To raise Middle Jiao qi, Chaihu and Shengma are used; to raise Lower Jiao qi, Ben Qianghuo is used.