Akebia Stem mù tōng · 木通

Safety. Read this before anything else: a different plant, Guan Mu Tong (Aristolochia manshuriensis), was long sold under the same trading name. It contains aristolochic acid, which causes irreversible kidney failure and cancer of the urinary tract, and its use as a medicine is prohibited in China. Only Akebiae Caulis — the Akebia stem described here — belongs in this entry, and Chuan Mu Tong is a third plant again. Botanical identity is a safety issue here, not a fine point. Beyond that: cold in nature, traditionally used with care in pregnancy and avoided in kidney disease, and classically avoided where there is no damp-heat. Anyone with impaired kidney function should not use this herb at all.