Source: Fine Formulas of Wonderful Efficacy (1470)
Category: Formulas that Dispel Summerheat
Pattern: Summerheat invading the Heart and disturbing the Shen
Key Symptoms: Palpitations with anxiety, insomnia, dream disturbed sleep
Secondary Symptoms: Also treats painful urinary dribbling disorders
Tongue: Thin, yellow and greasy coat
Pulse: Soggy and rapid
Ingredients
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Hua Shi
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Pinyin: Hua Shi
Chinese: 滑石
Pharmaceutical: Talcum / Magnesium Silicate
Taxonomy: Mg3Si4O10(OH)2
English: Talc / Talcum Powder |
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Tastes: Sweet, bland and cold
Meridians Entered: Bladder, Lung and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Promotes urination and drains Heat from the Urinary Bladder (aids the movement of gravel and stones), (expels Damp-Heat)
Hot Painful Urinary Dysfunction (Lin Syndrome) with hot, painful urination, dark, painful, burning, scanty urine
Damp-Heat diarrhoea
Qi Level Heat with Dampness with unremitting fever, heavy feeling in the body, thirst, yellow tongue coat
- Releases Summeheat and resolves Dampness
Summerheat (fever, urinary difficulty, thirst)
- Absorbs Dampness and clears Heat (topically)
Damp skin lesions (eczema, damp sores, prickly heat)
- Stops bleeding due to Heat
Heat type bleeding
Nosebleed, vomiting blood (taken internally)
Bleeding from wounds and sores (topical)
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of minerals which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, free from hunger and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
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Standard Dosage: 10-20g in decoction, or applied externally.
Cautions: Talc can cause granulomas in the rectum, vagina or wounds and prolonged external use has also been linked to ovarian (Wentzensen & O'Brien, 2021), stomach (Chang et al., 2020) and lung (Chang et al., 2017) cancer but other reviews contradict these findings (Goodman et al., 2020) suggesting this may only be an effect seen in rats (Prueitt et al., 2024). For safety it should therefore not be used for prolonged periods.
It should also not be in inhaled as it can cause lung irritation and remain in the body for up to 40 years (Johnson, 2021).
Mineral products are prohibited from use in the UK under the Medicines Act 1968 ch. 67 which restricts herbalists to the use of plant products only. It is generally substituted with Chi Fu Ling and Ze Xie. |
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Zhi Gan Cao
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Pinyin: Gan Cao
Chinese: 甘草
Pharmaceutical: Radix Glycyrrhizae
Taxonomy: Glycyrrhiza uralensis seu glabra seu inflata
English: Liquorice Root |
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Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Spleen (and all 12 meridians) |
Actions & Indications:
- Tonifies the Spleen and augments Qi
Spleen Qi Deficiency with shortness of breath, lassitude and loose stools
Qi and Blood Deficiency with an irregular pulse and/or palpitations
Heart Qi Deficiency or Heart Yang Deficiency
- Moistens the Lungs, resolves Phlegm and stops coughing
Lung Heat or Cold
Productive or non-productive coughing
- Moderates spasms and alleviates pain
Painful muscle spasms of the abdomen and legs
- Clears Heat and relieves Fire Toxicity
Raw for Toxic Heat with sore throat or carbuncles and sores (Chuang Yung)
- Antidote for many toxic substances (internal and topical)
Poisoning
Bites (after washing the wound, chew Gan Cao and apply a thick layer on the bite wound, changing whenever it dries out; Bao Xiang-Ao, 1846, New Compilation of Proven Formulas)
- Moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs and guides the herbs to all twelve channels
Often added in small doses to harmonise formulas
- Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light and prolong life. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生).
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Standard Dosage: Typically 1.5-9g in decoction. Large doses can be up 30g.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for combining with Hai Zao, Da Ji, Gan Sui and Yuan Hua because of "eighteen antagonisms". It is also contraindicated in cases of dampness obstruction in middle energizer and edema because it can help dampness obstruct qi, and it is prohibited from long-term usage in large dosage (more than 20g/day) and should be avoided or used with extreme caution in patients with high blood pressure because it may raise aldosterone levels in the blood causing retention of sodium.
The NHS recommends avoiding during pregnancy. |
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Zhu Sha
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Pinyin: Zhu Sha
Chinese: 朱砂
Pharmaceutical: Cinnabaris
Taxonomy: HgS
English: Cinnabar / Vermilion / Mercury (II) Sulfide / 丹 Dan / 朱雀 Zhu Que (Red Raven) |
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Tastes: Sweet, cold, toxic
Meridians Entered: Heart |
Actions & Indications:
- Sedates the Heart and calms the Spirit
Restlessness, palpitations, anxiety, insomnia and convulsions associated with a disturbed Spirit
Heart Fire (with appropriate herbs)
Phlegm Fire Disturbs the Heart (with appropriate herbs)
Heart Blood Deficiency (with appropriate herbs)
- Expels Phlegm and sedates jitteriness and convulsions while stopping tremors
Seizures, childhood convulsions and other problems due to Phlegm-Heat Blocking the Pericardium and Heart
Wind-Phlegm dizziness
Lung Heat
- Clears Heat, relieves toxicity and prevents putrefaction
Topically for carbuncles, mouth sores, sore throat and snake bite
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of minerals which can, with protracted taking, enable one to communicate with the spirit light (Shenming) and prevent senility. This may suggest it was part of supplementing the diet when engaging in an "avoiding grain" (Bigu 辟穀) fasting regime to cultivate life (Yangsheng 養生) and spiritual practice.
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Standard Dosage: No dosage is permissible due to mercury toxicity. 0.1-0.5g in powder or pills is traditional.
Cautions: Prohibited from use today due to its mercury content, it is generally omitted or substituted with Hu Po. Historically it was sometimes confused with Xue Jie, so this could also make a potential substitute in the right circumstances.
Zhao, Li & Wang (2022) claim that grinding and washing was a traditional method of removing the toxicity but any amount of mercury toxicity is unacceptable today.
Traditional contraindications include overdose and taking for a long period of time, or calcinification. |
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Subsitutions:
In the UK Hua Shi must be substituted with Xiang Ru and Bai Bian Dou while Zhu Sha should be substituted with Hu Po due to toxicity.
Preparation: Six parts Hua Shi to one part Gan Cao and 2 parts Hu Po (originally 1/3 part Zhu Sha) are ground into a powder and taken in 6g doses with warm water or a decoction of Deng Xin Cao.
Actions: Clears Heat from the Heart, calms the Shen, resolves Dampness, augments the Qi
Research Links:
Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.
