Pinyin: Qing Dai  Chinese: 青黛
Pharmaceutical: Indigo Naturalis
Taxonomy: Isatis indigotica seu Baphicacanthus cusia seu Polygonum tinctorium
English: Natural Indigo

Tastes: Bitter, salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Heart, Lung and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood and reduces maculae
   Maculae due to Blood Heat (Xue Stage Heat)
   Can be used alone for bleeding due to Blood Heat, especially epistaxis where it is placed on cotton wool as a nasal plug.
2. Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood, disperses Stagnation and reduces swelling
   Throat inflammation, dysphagia, sores of the mouth or mumps due to blazing Heat (internal or topical)
3. Drains Liver Fire, dispels Summerheat and extinguishes Wind to stop tremors
   Convulsions, red eyes, sore throat and other manifestations of Heat, especially Summerheat, affecting the Liver
4. Clears Liver Fire, drains Lung Heat and cools the Blood
   Cough due to Lung Heat Cough and chest pain due to Liver Fire attacking the Lungs
5. Expels Gu Parasites
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g as pills or powder internally. Should not be decocted because it is insoluble in water.

Pinyin: Zhi Zi  Chinese: 栀子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Gardeniae
Taxonomy: Gardenia jasminoides
English: Gardenia Fruit

Tastes: Bitter and cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, reduces Fire and eliminates irritability in the San Jiao
   Excess Heat in the Heart, Stomach and Liver with high fever, irritability, restlessness, a stifling sensation in the chest, insomnia or delirious speech, eye problems, anger, jaundice
2. Clears Heat and resolves Dampness (Drains Damp-Heat)
   Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with painful urinary dysfunction (Lin Syndrome)
   Damp-Heat in the Liver/Gallbladder with jaundice
   Damp-Heat in the San Jiao
   Damp-Heat in the Gallbladder and San Jiao channels of the face affecting the nose and eyes or causing sores in the mouth or facial region
3. Cools the Blood and relieves toxicity (stops bleeding by astringing)
   Heat in the Blood with epistaxis, hematemesis, hemafecia or hematuria (partially charred)
4. Reduces swelling and invigorates the Blood
   Blood Stagnation due to trauma (topical)

Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
Cautions: Being strongly bitter in flavor and cold in nature, it is not good for deficiency-cold syndrome because it can easily impair spleen and stomach. It is contraindicated in case of loose stool due to spleen deficiency.

Pinyin: Gua Lou Ren  Chinese: 瓜蔞仁
Pharmaceutical: Semen Trichosanthis
English: Snakegourd Seed

Tastes: Sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and transforms Hot Phlegm (cools and moistens the Lungs)
   Phlegm-Heat cough (especially with thick, difficult to expectorate sputum)
2. Expands the chest
   Phlegm accumulation in the chest with a stifling sensation, pain, or diaphragmatic pressure
3. Moistens the Intestines and promotes bowel movements
   Dry constipation (especially with Lung/Large Intestine Heat)(dry mouth, thirst, irritability)
4. Promotes healing of sores (dissipates nodules and eliminates pus)
   Adjunctively for unsuppurated sores, breast abscess and swelling
5. Promotes urination
   Edema

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is incompatible with Niu Xi and it is contraindicated for combining with Wu Tou.

Pinyin: Fu Hai Shi  Chinese: 海浮石
Pharmaceutical: Os Costaziae
Taxonomy: Costaziae seu Pumex
English: Pumice

Tastes: Salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat from the Lungs, transforms Phlegm and disperses Stagnation
   Heat Accumulation in the Lungs with viscous, difficult-to-expectorate sputum or hemoptysis
   Usually used for long-term disorders, chronic coughing
2. Softens hardness and dissipates Phlegm nodules
   Scrofula, goiter and similar disorders caused by Phlegm-Fire
3. Promotes urination and unblocks the upper source for water (Lungs)
   Hot, stony painful urinary dysfunction (Stone Lin)
   Dysuria

Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.
Cautions: Contraindicated in those with Deficiency and Cold patterns.

Pinyin: He Zi  Chinese: 诃子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Terminaliae Chebulae
Taxonomy: Terminalia Chebula
English: Myrobalan Fruit

Tastes: Bitter, sour, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Astringes the Intestines and stops diarrhoea
   Chronic diarrhoea and dysenteric disorders (both Heat and Cold patterns)
   Intestinal Wind with hemafecia
2. Contains leakage of Lung Qi, stops coughing, improves the condition of the throat (Descends Lung Qi) and relieves Qi Stagnation in the diaphragm and chest
   Chronic cough, wheezing, and especially loss of voice
   Cough due to Phlegm-Fire Obstructing the Lungs (in combination)
3. Kills Parasites and expels Demons
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.