#白术

[whistlecat]

💕🐍Happy Snake Year!!! 🥬

白术 Baizhu blessings~ 🧧 (Tumblr ver is a lil higher contrast then bsky but I lose the subtle pastels more :') See Pastel-ly ver below! )

bsky

[baizhutravels]

I love Baizhu. That's it. That's the post.

[madamemachikonew]

Because I am a fucking NERD, I read a medical journal article about testing the pharmacological properties of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) herb Atractylodes Macrocephala, aka Bai Zhu 白术 (after which our beautiful wife is named).

Here are some of the clinical findings! Sources linked at the end!

TLDR: Many of the traditional properties of Bai Zhu are rooted in good science! It is a versatile herb that can be used widely to treat many distinct ailments. The most amazing one for me is that Bai Zhu has anti-depressant properties! HE CAN LITERALLY ALLEVIATE OUR DEPRESSION.

Disclaimer: I have as many medical degrees as this guy, which is zero, firstly because he's an engineer not a medical doctor and secondly because he didn't even graduate.

I'll look at the TCM first and then highlight the salient points of the science article. Always consult a professional if trying TCM!

Bai Zhu flowers resemble those of a thistle, but it is in fact the sliced dried rhizome root that is used in TCM. It's categorised as one of the 'Tonic herbs for Qi Deficiency', ie strengthens the Qi. Bai Zhu is one of the components in the 'Four Gentlemen' Qi invigoration formula.

Bai Zhu is used quite widely in TCM as a core 'king' ingredient of many standardised formulas, some recipes going back to the 3rd century. It is also used to augment other herbs as an deputy or assistant ingredient.

Under TCM Five Phases Theory, the flavour profile of Bai Zhu is both bitter and sweet. Each flavour is said to target different organs and meridians in the body. Bitter ingredients alleviate 'dampness' in the body and encourages cleansing/elimination via urine/poop.

Sweet ingredients are said to detoxify the body, replenish Qi and blood, and slow down acute reactions. This is an interesting parallel with his story quest, where he formulates an antidote to what is essentially a poison.

Bai zhu is associated with relieving afflictions relating to the spleen and stomach. In TCM, the spleen has a huge role and impacts not just digestive health, but muscles, blood, saliva and raising of Qi. It houses the intellect, so is impacted by anxiety, affecting mental health

In TCM foods have different heat properties. Baizhu is a Warm ingredient, meaning it can alleviate Cold or Dampness in the body. Being vulnerable to Dampness, the spleen relies on it a lot. It's also used for immune/neurological issues said to arise from spleen dysfunction.

Bai Zhu is also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, it is prescribed to assist with 'fetal safety' and reduce likelihood of premature birth.

Bai Zhu also has a 'drying' effect, helping the body to eliminate excess moisture and restore balance. This is an interesting quality when compared with his speciality dish 'Heat-Quelling Soup', which balances the natural 'Warm' and 'Drying' properties of the Bai Zhu herb.

In TCM, to assist the spleen, it is recommended to eat soft or easy to digest foods, preferably cooked. This is consistent with Baizhu's lines in 2.1 Moonchase.

NOW THE SCIENCE!

Gastrointestinal disorders

Bai Zhu decoction might greatly speed up the passage of the digestive tract and gastrointestinal contents. Also, improve the small intestinal smooth muscle's capacity to contract, amplify, and frequency, as well as its ability to prevent hypoxia.

Anti-osteoporotic activity

Further data is necessary, but there is evidence to suggest that Bai Zhu may be helpful in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.

Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects

Certain components of Bai Zhu were found scientifically to indeed have strong anti-inflammatory effects, reducing production of nitric oxide and TNF-α, as well as stopping TNF-α mRNA and inducible nitric oxide synthase from working.

Metabolic disorders

Some data suggests that it does indeed aid digestive metabolism, and can help the body better absorb nutrients from food and maintain proper metabolic functions. Furthermore, some studies suggest that it may have a role in regulating blood sugar levels.

Antibacterial activity

It has been shown that giving ethanol extracts to bacteria such as Shigella felxneri, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus for a whole day significantly inhibits their development.

Neuroprotective properties

A component of Bai Zhu reduced the extent of brain infarcts, restored cerebral blood flow, and improved brain edema and neurological deficits.

It also ALLEVIATED DEPRESSION.

BAIZHU ALLEVIATES DEPRESSION!! SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN!! (But we knew that)

Antioxidant activity

Some components of Bai Zhu may possess antioxidant and phytochemical properties and stimulate endogenous antioxidant enzymes. This can help reduce oxidative damage to cells and tissues, linked to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

Memory enhancement

It was found that Bai Zhu might help improve learning and memory problems in older people and could potentially be used as a therapeutic approach for improving cognitive function in aging individuals. This is adorable given the lore with Qiqi.

Preservation of smooth muscle functions in the uterus

Bai Zhu was found to be beneficial in reducing the frequency of uterine contractions in the latter stages of pregnancy, which decreased the chance of an early delivery. [Honestly, this one kind of blew my mind a little]

More studies are required but Bai Zhu is believed to have potential in many other areas as well, such as controlling blood cholesterol and glucose levels, anti-platelet aggregation agent, improve spleen and immune function, anti-tumour agent, easing side effects of chemotherapy.

So yeah, Bai Zhu can do a lot and while not a universal healer (because there's no such thing as a true panacea), it's extremely versatile and diverse in its application. Moreover, it still has a lot of untapped potential.

Here are the two main science articles I used, though their references contain many more, some of which I had fun reading:

https://sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667142524000381#bib0008…

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9452894/…

Here's an easy TCM overview of Bai Zhu with formula recipes: https://meandqi.com/herb-database/atractylodes-rhizome…

[caesurables]

Dr. Bai has prepared something for the traveler~

[makkiroll]

jade fruit soup✨

havent drawn genshin special dishes for a while. but I rlly liked the colors of baizhus dish ee. not so much the actual special dish though unfortunately

[eternal-moss]

Baizhu 🌱

@noctualagenaria

As a society I think we forgot about hair-down Baizhu way too quickly.

[milounyo44]

Qiqi and Baizhu sharing nián gāo to celebrate the new year 🐍🧧

Bsky post version

Trying out procreate with this piece, genshin designs are still as hard to draw as I remembered, as usual I was happy to finish it in the moment and now I feel like a slime, oh well ( ° ▪︎ °)ノ art is the one thing that both distract me from feeling down whilst also dragging me in deeper.

Idk who (Hideaki Anno? Miyasaki?) said that the one thing they hate more than drawing was not drawing but they were right. Maybe I should stick to drawing Blade and move on idk.

[enananhearts]

CHARACTER DEMO: 白术

❝ MY MORTALITY IS NO ONE'S CONCERN BUT MINE. ❞

[akairannn]

[roxleboxle]

day 1 of drawing baizhu until he releases because i love him 💚

[dospeh]

Sketches from stream.

[baizhutravels]

The happiest of birthdays to darling Baizhu! May you have many many more!

Admin made Baizhu-themed macarons and a matcha sponge cake with white chocolate ganache and passion fruit curd.

Close up of the Changsheng macarons.

Close up of the lagenaria cake. I made the decoration from royal icing. It ended up being a little big because the cake shrank while it cooled. :'( The 'violetgrass' is campanula.

[madamemachikonew]

Lore crumb after Baizhu's story quest and Natlan. If you go back and visit Jiangli’s house in Qingce Village, there is a note on the door.

Then if you visit the People of the Springs you’ll find they have indeed visited and given feedback suggestions.

[nacrelysis]

hoyoverse missed the opportunity to swap baizhu and changsheng's teeth as well as their eyes. shaking my head. the state of society...

[sirmirty]

[eternal-moss]

Drawing a Liyue character every day until CNY day 3: Baizhu!

OTP(s): None!

Relationships I like with him in:

-Gui, Qiqi, Changsheng and Baizhu

-Zhongli and Baizhu

-Hu Tao and Baizhu

-Xiao and Baizhu

Things I like about this character: Baizhu is such a lovely person, and reminds me a lot of my childhood doctor, especially with his tendency to prioritise others’ health to the detriment of himself. I really appreciate his character design (the amount of snake details is so cute, it shows how much he loves Changsheng) and his character OSTs which go so hard. His determination to become immortal is really interesting- to stay alive for the sake of Changsheng and to continue to be Qiqi’s caretaker is really heartwarming.

Meta stuff: C0, I have two R5 prototype ambers, one for Kokomi, and one for him. Baizhu is actually a really good meta character, and if I wasn’t a Kokomi main I’d use him all the time. He doesn’t need very good artefacts to perform really well. Also his team healing is better than Kokomi’s I’d say, and even provides interruption resistance. I use him in some dendro comps.

HCs: Most of the headcanons I had were proven when he was released (I’m so glad the dendro archon theory was wrong it was slightly dumb). I hc him as Chinese-Malay, why? Because he has pandan coloured hair- /j. In modern AUs, I hc him and Gui to be Qiqi’s coparents. I think before he met Zhongli, Baizhu was pretty wary of the adepti (because of what happened to Qiqi) and tended to avoid them. After meeting Zhongli & giving him medicine on Xiao’s behalf, he has a better relation with the adepti.