Pinyin: Shi Gao  Chinese: 石膏
Pharmaceutical: Gypsum Fibrosum / Calcium Sulphate
Taxonomy: CaSO₄
English: Gypsum / Plaster of Paris

Tastes: Pungent, sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat in the Qi Stage, drains Fire, relieves irritability and quenches thirst
   Heat in the Qi Stage or Yangming Heat with high fever, no chills, irritability, intense thirst, profuse sweating, restlessness, encephalitis, a flooding, big pulse and a red tongue with a yellow coat
2. Clears Excess Heat from the Lungs
   Lung Heat with cough, wheezing, fever and a thick viscous sputum
3. Clears Blazing Stomach Fire
   Stomach Fire with headache, toothache or swollen gums
4. Heals eczema, burns and ulcerated sores and wounds
   Sores and wounds (topically or internally)

Standard Dosage: 15-60g in decoction.
Cautions: 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.

Conventional replacements include Huang Lian and Zhi Mu but its actions are difficult to substitute in many cases and the patient may have to rely on OTC mineral based antacids from the pharmacy such as sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate which have a similar effect of binding and neutralising the stomach acid, then using herbal medicines as an adjunctive treatment. Another possibility would be to use sodium alginate that is often found in antacid medications and extracted from seaweed.

Pinyin: Shu Di Huang  Chinese: 熟地黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae Preparata
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Prepared Chinese Foxglove Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes the Blood
   Blood Deficiency with facial pallor, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding and postpartum bleeding
2. Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency with a weak low back and limbs, dizziness, tinnitus, tidal fevers, night sweats and nocturnal emissions
3. Strongly enriches Yin and relieves wasting and thirsting disorder
   Lower Jiao wasting (it can be used as a stand-alone herb for this)
4. Nourishes Jing and Blood and fills the Marrow
   Exhausted Jing and Blood problems such as delayed development during childhood, blunted affect, premature aging, diminished mental acuity, graying of hair, impotence and memory loss
5. Arrests coughing and wheezing
   Kidney Deficient coughing, wheezing and asthma, such as inability of the Kidneys to grasp Qi

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for spleen and stomach deficiency, loose stool due to fullness in abdomen and qi stagnation with excessive phlegm because it is greasy and will produce indigestion.

Pinyin: Zhi Mu  Chinese: 知母
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Anemarrhenae
Taxonomy: Anemarrhena asphodeloides
English: Anemarrhena Rhizome

Tastes: Bitter, sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and drains Fire (Clears Heat from the Qi Stage, from the Lungs and from the Stomach)
   Heat in the Qi Stage with high fever, irritability, restlessness, thirst and a rapid, flooding pulse.
   Lung Heat and Dryness with cough and expectoration of thick, yellow Phlegm
   Yang Ming Heat
   Stomach Heat
2. Nourishes Yin and moistens Dryness
   Lung and Kidney Yin Deficiency with night sweats, steaming bone disorder, irritability, afternoon or low grade fever, Five Sole Heat and bleeding gums
   (Stomach Yin Deficiency)
   Kidney Heat with spermatorrhea, nocturnal emissions and an abnormally elevated sex drive
3. Generates Fluids, clears Deficiency Fire and quenches thirst
   Oral ulcers and inflammation, steaming bones and Xiao Ke (diabetes) due to Yin Deficiency
4. Ameliorates the Dryness of tonifying or warming herbs
   For use with herbs such as Rx. Astragali Huang Qi, Ram. Cinnamomi Gui Zhi, Rx. Aconiti Lateralis Preparata Zhi Fu Zi when there is concern that these herbs may be too drying

Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is not suitable for deficiency cold syndrome. Being cold and moist in property, it is prohibited to be used for those who have a spleen-deficiency diarrhea.

Pinyin: Mai Men Dong  Chinese: 麥門冬
Pharmaceutical: Radix Ophiopogonis
English: Dwarf Lilyturf Root

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Moistens the Lungs, nourishes Yin and stops coughing
   Lung Yin Deficiency with a hacking, dry cough or a cough with thick, difficult to expectorate sputum, or hemoptysis
   Pathogenic Warm-Dryness Dryness that has transformed into Fire
2. Nourishes Stomach Yin and generates Fluids
   Stomach Yin Deficiency with dry mouth and tongue
3. Moistens the Intestines
   Constipation, dry mouth and irritability as a result of febrile disease or Yin Deficiency
4. Clears the Heart and eliminates irritability
   Ying Stage Heat with fever and irritability which is worse at night
   Yin Deficiency with fever and irritability which is worse at night
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the middle class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, prevent senility and make one free from hunger. 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.

Pinyin: Zi Shi Ying  Chinese: 紫石英
Pharmaceutical: Fluoritum
Taxonomy: CaF₂
English: Fluorite

Tastes: Sweet, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Sedates the Heart and settles tremors and palpitations
   Disorientation, insomnia, palpitations with anxiety or convulsions due to Heart Blood Deficiency or Liver Yang Rising
2. Warms the Lungs and descends Qi
   Cough or wheezing due to Deficiency Cold of the Lungs or Evil Qi
   Used for wheezing with copious sputum
3. Warms the Womb and warms and unblocks the Chong and Ren channels
   Excessive menstruation, uterine bleeding
   Chronic infertility due to Deficiency Cold of the Uterus
4. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of minerals which can, with protracted taking, warm the centre, 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).

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of yin deficiency with effulgent fire.

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.

Pinyin: Ci Shi  Chinese: 磁石
Pharmaceutical: Magnetitum
Taxonomy: Fe²⁺Fe³⁺₂O₄
English: Magnetite

Tastes: Salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Anchors Liver Yang and calms the Spirit
   Agitated Heart and Spirit with restlessness, palpitations, insomnia, tremors, dizziness and vertigo in patients with Yin Deficiency with Yang Rising, especially when Kidney Rising, especially when Kidney Yin Deficiency leads to Liver Fire that deranges and disturbs the Spirit Convulsions in children caused by shock or fear
2. Benefits Yin, nourishes the Kidneys, augments the Liver and improves hearing and vision
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiencies with impaired hearing or deafness, tinnitus, or visual disturbances
3. Aids the Kidneys in grasping Qi
   Chronic asthma due to Kidneys Unable to Grasp Qi

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.
Cautions: 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 Gong Lao Ye and Hu Po.

Pinyin: Bai Wei  Chinese: 白薇
Pharmaceutical: Radix Cynanchi Atrati
English: Blackened Swallow Wort Root

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Cools the Blood and clears Deficiency Heat
   Ying and Xue level Heat
   Yin Deficient fever
   Persistent Summertime fever in children
   Postpartum fever and recovery from febrile disease (most commonly used)
   Lingering fever as a result of warm febrile disease that injures Blood or Yin
2. Promotes urination
   Hot or bloody painful urinary dysfunction, especially before or after giving birth
3. Relieves toxicity and treats sores
   Toxic sores, swollen and painful throat and snake bite (internal or topical - weak action)

Standard Dosage: 4.5-9g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of poor appetite and diarrhea due to deficient cold of spleen and stomach.

Pinyin: Shi Jue Ming  Chinese: 石决明
Pharmaceutical: Concha Haliotidis
English: Abalone Shell

Tastes: Salty, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Liver Fire, pacifies the Liver and anchors and sedates Liver Yang
   Liver Fire and Liver Yang Rising patterns with headache, dizziness and red eyes Hypertension with Liver Yang Rising
2. Improves the vision and causes superficial visual obstruction to recede
   Liver Heat causing visual problems with photophobia, pterygium or other superficial visual obstruction, red eyes and blurred vision
3. Calms Internal Wind
   Liver Wind
4. Clears Stomach Fire and stops pain and bleeding
   Stomach Fire with acid reflux, heartburn, bleeding ulcers and Stomach pain (best calcined)

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.
Cautions: The high mineral content of this medication may prevent the oral absorption of the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics.

Animal 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 Xia Ku Cao or Cao Jue Ming.

Pinyin: Ban Xia  Chinese: 半夏
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Pinelliae
Taxonomy: Pinellia ternata
English: Pinellia Rhizome

Tastes: Pungent, warm, toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Dries Dampness and transforms Phlegm
   Cold-Phlegm in the Lungs (cough with copious sputum)
   Especially effective for Damp-Phlegm of the Spleen (Cold-Damp Stagnation)
2. Descends Rebellious Qi and stops vomiting (harmonizes the Stomach)
   Vomiting due to Phlegm-Damp in the Stomach (Tan Yin), Cold thin mucus, Stomach Deficiency, Stomach Heat or pregnancy
3. Dissipates nodules and reduces Stagnation (clumps)
   Phlegm in the chest (nodules, pressure, distention, pain)
   Phlegm nodules in the neck (goiter, scrofula)
   Focal distension in the chest and epigastrium
   Obstruction caused by Phlegm anywhere in the body
4. Treats sores, skin ulcerations and carbuncles and reduces swelling (external)
   Topically as a powder for sores, skin ulcerations and carbuncles

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Contraindicated to Wu Tou. Use with cautions during gestation.

Must be processed before use as raw Ban Xia is toxic. Ingesting the raw form can cause severe irritation of the mouth, pharynx, and gastrointestinal tracts, and has toxic effects on the nervous system. Symptoms of toxicity include a dry mouth, numbness of the tongue, gastric discomfort, burning sensations and swelling of the mouth, tongue, throat and salivation. In serious cases ingesting Ban Xia can result in hoarseness, spasms, dyspnoea and asphyxia.

Processing can be done with ginger and alum (Jiang Ban Xia) to make a warming herb best suited for Cold-Damp and thin Phlegm conditions, or with liquorice (Fa Ban Xia) to make a more neutral herb that is less drying and can be used for Damp-Heat conditions too.