Pinyin: Shui Niu Jiao  Chinese: 水牛角
Pharmaceutical: Cornu Bubali
English: Water Buffalo Horn

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat from the Ying and Xue, relieves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Very high fever and chaotic movement of Blood (erythema, purpura, epistaxis, hematemesis, convulsions and delirium)
2. Clears Heat and arrests tremors
   Unremitting high fever, loss of consciousness, delirium, convulsions or manic behaviour due to Warm-Disease
   Used externally as a material for Gua Sha tools where it excels in regulating the Blood and clearing Heat

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction or made into Gua Sha tools for external use.

Pinyin: Sheng Di Huang  Chinese: 生地黃
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Chinese Foxglove Root / Rehmannia Root

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and cools the Blood
   Ying Stage Heat with high fever, thirst and a scarlet tongue
   Xue Stage Heat
   Hemorrhage due to Blood Heat
2. Nourishes Yin, generates fluids, increases saliva and treats wasting and thirsting
   Yin Deficiency with Heat signs
   Injury to fluids
   Throat pain due to Yin Deficiency
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke - diabetes)
3. Cools Heart Fire
   Heart Fire
4. Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
5. Breaks up Blood Stasis, expels Cold and Hot Bi, replenishes Bone Marrow and promotes the growth of Muscles and Flesh
   Broken bones or severed sinews from falls and a damaged center (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing)
6. 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 prevent forgetfulness. 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).

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea, abdomen distention due to spleen deficiency.

Pinyin: Jin Yin Hua  Chinese: 金银花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Lonicerae japonicae
Taxonomy: Lonicera japonica
English: Honeysuckle Flower

Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, heart, stomach and large intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and resolves Fire Toxicity
   Hot, painful sores and skin eruptions in various stages of development, especially breast, throat and eyes
   Intestinal abscesses
2. Vents and disperses External Wind-Heat
   Early-Stage Wind-Heat Warm-Heat pathogen with fever, chills, slight aversion to Wind, sore throat and headache
   External Summerheat
3. Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao
   Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with dysentery or Lin Syndrome
4. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (charred)
   Blood Heat dysentery
5. Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
   Mysterious bruises due to Ghost Strike (鬼擊) (Wilcox, 2024)

Standard Dosage: 6-30g in decoction. Small doses are for expelling Wind-Heat, large doses for Toxic Heat sores. Can be up to 90g in extreme cases (e.g. Si Miao Yong An Tang).

Pinyin: Lian Qiao  Chinese: 连翘
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Forsythiae
Taxonomy: Forsythia suspensa
English: Weeping Forsythia Capsule / Forsythia Fruit

Tastes: Bitter, slightly pungent, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart and Gall Bladder or Small Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat (especially in the Upper Jiao) and resolves Toxicity
   Wind-Heat with high fever, slight chills and sore throat
   Bound Heat
2. Reduces abscesses and dissipates clumps
   Toxic Heat sores and swellings (Chuang Yung), swollen welling abscesses, malign sores, scrofula, goiter and tumours of the neck
   Throat Bi
3. Clears Blood Heat
   Blood Heat
4. Promotes urination
   Lin syndrome (urinary stones), dysuria, haematuria
5. Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as an inferior herb that treats Gu Toxins
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ban Lan Gen  Chinese: 板蓝根
Pharmaceutical: Radix Isatidis
English: Indigo Woad Root

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heat, relieves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood and benefits the throat
   Warm febrile disease Epidemic disorders Seasonal toxic pathogens such as mumps, and painful, swollen throat conditions Damp-Heat jaundice Gallbladder Heat Blood Heat

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Huang Qin  Chinese: 黄芩
Pharmaceutical: Radix Scutellariae baicalensis
Taxonomy: Scutellaria baicalensis
English: Baical Skullcap Root

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach, Gallbladder, Large Intestine and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and dries Dampness
   Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
   Damp-Warmth with fever, a stifling sensation in the chest and thirst with no desire to drink
   Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat jaundice (auxiliary), infectious hepatitis
2. Drains Fire and detoxifies
   Heat and Fire especially in the Upper Jiao (Lung) with high fever, irritability, thirst, cough and expectoration of thick, yellow sputum
   Upper respiratory tract infection
   Hot sores and swellings (topical or internal)
3. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat causing bleeding with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis and hemafecia
4. Clears Heat and calms the fetus
   Fetal restlessness due to Heat
5. Calms ascending Liver Yang
   Liver Yang Rising with headache, irritability, red eyes, flushed face and bitter taste
   Hypertension (high blood pressure)
   Gallbladder Heat

Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Shi Chang Pu  Chinese: 石菖蒲
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Acori tatarinowii seu graminei
Taxonomy: Acorus tatarinowii seu gramineus
English: Grass-leaf Sweet Flag Rhizome

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Heart, Spleen and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Opens the Orifices, vaporizes Phlegm, removes filth, calms the Spirit and disperses Wind
   Phlegm-Dampness Veiling and Blocking the Sensory Orifices with deafness, dizziness, forgetfulness, dulled senses, and seizures or stupor
   Wind-Phlegm with seizures or stupor
2. Transforms turbid Dampness, harmonizes the Middle Jiao, awakens the Spleen and promotes the movement of Qi
   Dampness Distressing the Spleen and Stomach with chest and epigastric fullness and abdominal fullness and pain due to Dampness and Turbidity Obstructing the Middle Jiao
3. Promotes Blood flow, reduces swelling and alleviates Wind-Damp Bi and sores (internally and topically)
   Wind-Cold-Damp Bi Sores (internally and topically)
   Trauma
4. Benefits the throat
   Hoarse voice due to laryngitis or inflammation of the vocal cords
5. Kills Parasites and expels Demons
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
6. 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, improve memory, prevent confusion 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).

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Avoid high doses for long periods due to β-asarone content (see below).

Pinyin: Dan Dou Chi  Chinese: 淡豆豉
Pharmaceutical: Semen Sojae Preparatum
Taxonomy: Glycine max
English: Fermented Soybean

Tastes: Pungent, bitter and cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Releases the Exterior
   Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat
   Yin Deficiency with superimposed Exterior disorders
2. Eliminates irritability, harmonizes the Middle Jiao and relieves stuffy sensations in the chest
   Irritability, restlessness, insomnia, stifling sensations in the chest and insomnia following a febrile disease

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Tian Hua Fen  Chinese: 天花粉
Pharmaceutical: Radix Trichosanthis
English: Snakegourd Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly bitter and slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heat and generates Fluids
   Lung Heat and Dryness with thirst and irritability
   Yin Deficiency thirst
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (Xiao Ke)
   Thick sputum, blood streaked sputum
2. Clears and drains Lung Heat, transforms Phlegm and moistens Lung Dryness
   Phlegm Heat above the diaphragm, especially when the Heat has led to Dryness
3. Relieves toxicity, expels pus and reduces swelling
   Chuang Yung (especially breast abscesses - internal and topical)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Xuan Shen  Chinese: 玄參
Pharmaceutical: Radix Scrophulariae
Taxonomy: Scrophularia ningpoensis
English: Chinese Figwort Root / Ningpo Figwort Root

Tastes: Bitter, sweet, salty, light cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Kidney, Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and cools the Blood
   Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat with hemorrhage (hematemesis), fever, dry mouth and a purplish tongue
2. Nourishes Yin
   Yin Deficiency with Heat signs especially as sequelae from Warm Febrile Disease with Dry Lungs, insomnia, constipation, an unclear Shen and irritability
   Yin Deficiency dry Lungs
   Heart Yin Deficiency
   The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing places it as a middle herb and indicates it is for "postpartum ailments in women, tonifies Kidney Qi and improves eyesight"
3. Softens hardness and dissipates nodules (Transforms Phlegm-Heat)
   Neck lumps (goiter, scrofula) due to Phlegm Fire
   Severe throat pain and swelling
   The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing indicates it is for "abdominal distension"
4. Drains Fire and relieves Toxicity
   Extreme throat pain or red, swollen eyes
   Ying Stage Heat
   The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing indicates it is for "heat accumulation"
5. Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. It is antagonistic to Li Lu.

Pinyin: Zi Cao  Chinese: 紫草
Pharmaceutical: Radix Lithospermi seu Arnebiae
English: Purple Gromwell Root / Chinese Stoneseed Root

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, cools the Blood, invigorates Blood circulation, relieves Fire toxins and encourages rashes
   Xue Stage Heat, Blood Heat, Toxic Heat and dark purple rashes (measles, chicken pox)
2. Moistens the Intestines, unblocks the bowels and promotes urination
   Blood Heat constipation and rashes accompanied by constipation and/or urinary dysfunction
3. Clears Damp-Heat from the skin (aids healing of tissues)
   Damp-Heat skin lesions or vaginal itching topically Burns and wounds topically

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction. For external use it is usually soaked in oil.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea due to spleen deficiency, for its defecation-promoting action.
In the UK it is prohibited for internal use due to pyrrolizidine alkaloid content. External use is still permitted.