Herb

Hu Po

Amber | 琥珀

Also known as:

Xue Po (血珀)

Hu Po

Product appearance may vary from images shown

Properties

Substances that anchor and calm the Spirit (重镇安神药) · Neutral

Traditionally supports*

Sleep and Anxiety Support Urinary Health Menstrual Health Heart and Emotional Wellbeing

Parts Used

Resin / Sap (树脂 shù zhī / 汁 zhī)

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Select Product Type

Select Supplier

Select Size

Quantity

$25.00 ($0.25/g)
For shipments to: United States Change
Standard Shipping (3-5 business days): $4.99
Express Shipping (1-2 business days): $9.99
Free shipping on orders over $75

About This Herb

Traditional Chinese Medicine background and properties

Herb Description

Amber (Hǔ Pò) is a fossilized tree resin that has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries to calm the mind, improve sleep, and relieve anxiety. It is also valued for its ability to promote healthy urination and support healthy blood circulation, particularly for menstrual irregularities. Because it is not boiled like most herbs but taken as a fine powder, it is usually swallowed with water or mixed into other herbal preparations.

Herb Category

Substances that anchor and calm the Spirit (重镇安神药)

Main Actions

  • Calms the Spirit and Settles Fright
  • Invigorates Blood and Dispels Stasis
  • Promotes Urination and Relieves Stranguria
  • Reduces Swelling and Promotes Tissue Regeneration

How These Actions Work

'Calms the Spirit and settles fright' means Hǔ Pò has a heavy, settling quality that anchors the mind (Shen) when it becomes unsettled or agitated. Despite being lightweight physically, it is classified with the heavy sedative substances because of how effectively it quiets restlessness. This action is used for people experiencing palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, excessive dreaming, poor memory, and childhood seizures or convulsions. It enters the Heart channel, which in TCM houses the Shen (mind/spirit), making it particularly suited for conditions where the mind is disturbed by fright, shock, or internal heat.

'Invigorates Blood and disperses stasis' means Hǔ Pò can help move stagnant Blood in the body. When Blood stops flowing smoothly, it can cause sharp, fixed pain, absent menstrual periods (amenorrhea), or palpable abdominal masses. Because Hǔ Pò enters the Heart and Liver channels (both closely associated with Blood), it can promote circulation and break up stagnation. This is why it appears in formulas for menstrual pain, missed periods, and traumatic injuries.

'Promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction' refers to Hǔ Pò's ability to help the Bladder process and excrete urine. Its sweet and bland taste gives it a gentle draining quality (similar to Fú Líng/Poria). It enters the Bladder channel, making it effective for difficult, painful, or bloody urination, as well as urinary retention. It is especially indicated for Blood Strangury (xuè lín), where blood appears in the urine alongside pain.

'Reduces swelling and promotes tissue healing' describes Hǔ Pò's external use. When ground into fine powder and applied topically, it can help heal sores, ulcers, and traumatic wounds by promoting tissue regeneration and reducing swelling.

Patterns Addressed

In TCM, symptoms cluster into recognizable patterns of disharmony that reveal what's out of balance in the body. Hu Po is traditionally associated with these specific patterns.

The following describes this herb's classification within Traditional Chinese Medicine theory and is provided for educational purposes only.

Why Hu Po addresses this pattern

Hǔ Pò enters the Heart channel and has a heavy, settling nature that anchors the Shen (mind/spirit). When the Heart Spirit is disturbed, whether by fright, shock, internal heat, or Phlegm-Fire misting the Heart, the person experiences restlessness, insomnia, palpitations, and anxiety. Hǔ Pò's sweet taste gently harmonizes while its weighty quality pulls agitated Qi and Spirit downward, restoring calm. Its neutral temperature means it can be used whether the disturbance leans warm or cool, though it is most commonly paired with other herbs when Heat is prominent.

A practitioner would look for one or more of these signs

Insomnia

Difficulty falling or staying asleep, especially from restlessness or anxiety

Severe Heart Palpitations

Sensation of the heart racing or pounding, often with fearfulness

Anxiety

Persistent worry or nervousness with inability to settle the mind

Epilepsy

Seizures and convulsions, particularly in children after fright

TCM Properties

Temperature

Neutral

Taste

Sweet (甘 gān), Bland (淡 dàn)

Channels Entered
Heart Liver Urinary Bladder
Parts Used

Resin / Sap (树脂 shù zhī / 汁 zhī)

This is partial information on the herb's TCM properties. More detailed information is available on the herb's dedicated page

Product Details

Manufacturing, supplier, and product specifications

Product Type

Granules

Quantity Description

Loading quantity information...

Concentration Ratio

Loading concentration information...

Fabrication Method

Loading fabrication information...

Supplier Certifications

Loading certifications information...

Botanical & Sourcing

Quality Indicators

The best quality Hu Po (Yunnan "blood amber") is deep blood-red in colour, transparent to translucent, with a glossy resinous lustre and clean, shell-like fracture surfaces that show a glass-like sheen. It should be brittle and crumble easily to a fine powder when pressed between fingers, with no gritty or sandy texture when chewed, and a bland or very faint taste. When burned, genuine amber melts readily, crackles with a popping sound, gives off white smoke with a distinct pine-resin fragrance, and leaves minimal residue. The classical static-electricity test remains useful: rubbing amber briskly against cloth should generate enough charge to pick up small grass seeds or thin paper. Under 365nm ultraviolet light, genuine amber fluoresces blue-white or blue-violet. Avoid pieces that are overly heavy, stone-like, dark and opaque with a coal-tar smell when burned (signs of inferior coal amber), or pieces that lack fluorescence (possible adulterants).

Primary Growing Regions

Amber is a geological deposit rather than a cultivated crop, mined from sedimentary layers, clay, sand, and coal seams. In China, the primary producing regions are Yunnan, Guangxi, Henan, Fujian, Guizhou, and Liaoning provinces. Yunnan amber (云珀) is traditionally considered the highest quality, particularly the deep-red "blood amber" (血珀) variety. Fushun in Liaoning province is a historically famous source, producing coal amber (煤珀) from Eocene-era deposits approximately 50 million years old. Internationally, the Baltic region (Poland, Russia, Lithuania), Myanmar, and the Dominican Republic are major amber-producing areas.

Harvesting Season

Amber can be collected year-round whenever deposits are encountered during mining. It is excavated from geological strata, clay layers, sand deposits, and coal seams, then cleaned of soil and stone impurities.

Supplier Information

Treasure of the East

Loading supplier information...

Loading supplier attributes...

Miscellaneous Info

No additional information available

Usage & Safety

How to use this herb and important safety information

Important Medical Disclaimer

The information provided here is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice or to replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. This herb is a dietary supplement and has not been evaluated by the FDA. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition, or are taking other medications. Discontinue use and consult your healthcare provider if you experience any adverse reactions.

Recommended Dosage

Loading dosage information...

Instructions for safe storage and consumption

Loading storage and consumption information...

Traditional Dosage Reference

Standard

1.5-3g

Maximum

Up to 3g daily for internal use as powder. Larger amounts may be used externally as wound powder.

Notes

Hu Po is always used as a fine ground powder (研末), either swallowed with warm water or stirred into a warm herbal decoction. It is never decocted directly because its resinous composition means virtually nothing dissolves in boiling water. It may also be incorporated into pills or capsules. For calming the spirit and stopping palpitations, the standard 1.5-3g range is appropriate. For urinary conditions, it is often combined with other diuretic herbs. For blood stasis conditions, it is paired with blood-moving herbs. Because the powder is very fine and could irritate the throat if inhaled, it is best stirred into liquid before swallowing.

Processing Methods

Processing method

Raw amber is ground into an extremely fine powder using a mortar and pestle. Traditionally, it may first be cooked with Cypress Seed (Bǎi Zǐ Rén) powder in water from the morning hours (sì, ~9 AM) until the afternoon (shēn, ~3 PM) to enhance processing, then further ground and sieved into a fine powder.

How it changes properties

Grinding into powder does not change the thermal nature or taste, but it is essential for medicinal use since the whole resin piece cannot be absorbed. The fine powder form allows the active constituents (primarily succinic acid and organic compounds) to be taken up by the body. Hǔ Pò must never be decocted (boiled), as heat destroys its active components.

When to use this form

This is the standard medicinal form. Almost all clinical use of Hǔ Pò requires it to be ground into fine powder, which is then either swallowed directly with warm water, stirred into a pre-made decoction of other herbs, or incorporated into pills. Typical dosage is 1.5 to 3 grams.

Toxicity Classification

Non-toxic

Hu Po is classified as non-toxic in classical sources. The Bie Lu states it is "sweet, neutral, and non-toxic." It contains mainly fossilized resins, succinic acid (3-8%), volatile oils including borneol and camphor derivatives, and trace minerals. At standard medicinal doses of 1.5-3g, no toxic effects are expected. The primary safety concern is not toxicity but rather inappropriate use: its draining and blood-moving properties can be harmful in Yin-deficient or Blood-deficient patients, causing dryness and worsening of symptoms.

Contraindications

Caution

Yin deficiency with internal Heat (night sweats, hot flashes, low-grade fever). Hu Po's draining and moving nature can further deplete Yin fluids and worsen deficiency Heat.

Caution

Absence of genuine Blood stasis or Qi stagnation. The herb's blood-moving and draining properties are inappropriate when there is no actual stasis, and may harm normal Blood and Qi.

Caution

Blood deficiency with scanty urination. As classical sources note, when Blood is deficient and urination is already reduced, Hu Po's drying, draining nature may worsen dryness and cause discomfort rather than relief.

Avoid

Known allergy to amber or tree resin products. Rare allergic reactions have been reported.

Avoid

Pregnancy. Hu Po has blood-moving and stasis-dispersing properties and has traditionally been used to expel dead fetus and afterbirth, indicating potential risk to pregnancy.

Special Populations

Pregnancy

Contraindicated during pregnancy. Hu Po has well-documented blood-moving and stasis-dispersing properties. Classical texts explicitly describe its use for expelling dead fetus and afterbirth (下死胎胞衣), indicating it can stimulate uterine activity. Multiple classical formulas pair Hu Po with other strongly blood-moving substances for gynecological purposes involving stagnant Blood. These properties present a clear risk of threatened miscarriage or premature labour.

Breastfeeding

Caution advised. Although no specific data exists on transfer of amber's components through breast milk, the herb's blood-moving and draining properties make it inappropriate for routine use during the postpartum breastfeeding period without practitioner guidance. The classical indication for postpartum Blood stasis pain suggests it may be used short-term under supervision when needed, but it should not be taken without clear indication.

Pediatric Use

Hu Po has a long history of use in pediatric formulas, particularly for childhood convulsions (惊风) and epilepsy. Classic formulas such as Hu Po Bao Long Wan (琥珀抱龙丸) were specifically designed for children with acute fright-wind conditions. Dosages for children should be proportionally reduced based on age and body weight, typically to one-third to one-half of the adult dose. It is always given as fine powder, not in decoction. For infants, it was traditionally mixed with pig milk or warm decoction and administered in very small amounts (fractions of a gram). Pediatric use should always be under professional guidance.

Drug Interactions

CNS depressants (sedatives, barbiturates, benzodiazepines): Amber contains succinic acid and other components with potential sedative properties. Concurrent use with pharmaceutical sedatives may theoretically potentiate drowsiness and CNS depression.

CYP2C9-metabolized drugs (e.g. irbesartan, warfarin, some NSAIDs): A 2021 rat study (PMID: 34818122) found that succinic acid increased blood levels and prolonged the half-life of irbesartan, likely by inhibiting CYP2C9. While this is preliminary animal data, caution may be warranted when combining amber with drugs metabolized by this enzyme pathway, including certain blood-pressure medications and anticoagulants.

Anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents: Given Hu Po's traditional blood-moving and stasis-dispersing actions, there is a theoretical risk of additive effects with blood-thinning medications such as warfarin, heparin, or aspirin. No clinical studies confirm this, but caution is prudent.

Dietary Advice

No specific strong dietary restrictions. When Hu Po is used for its calming and spirit-settling effects, avoiding stimulants such as strong tea, coffee, and alcohol is sensible, as these may counteract its sedative action. When used for urinary conditions, maintaining adequate hydration supports its diuretic function. When used alongside blood-moving treatment, avoiding excessively cold and raw foods helps maintain smooth circulation.

Cautions & Warnings

Although this herb is typically safe for most individuals, it may cause side effects in some people. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, postpartum women, and those with liver disease should use the formula with caution.

As with any Chinese herbal remedy, it is advisable to seek guidance from a qualified TCM practitioner before beginning treatment.