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Zhi Zi
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Zhi Zi
Chinese: 栀子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Gardeniae
Taxonomy: Gardenia jasminoides
English: Gardenia Fruit |
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Tastes: Bitter and cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- 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
- 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
- Cools the Blood and relieves toxicity (stops bleeding by astringing)
Heat in the Blood with epistaxis, hematemesis, hemafecia or hematuria (partially charred)
- Reduces swelling and invigorates the Blood
Blood Stagnation due to trauma (topical)
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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. |
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Dan Dou Chi
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Dan Dou Chi
Chinese: 淡豆豉
Pharmaceutical: Semen Sojae Preparatum
Taxonomy: Glycine max
English: Fermented Soybean |
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Tastes: Pungent, bitter and cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior
Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat
Yin Deficiency with superimposed Exterior disorders
- 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
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
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Ge Gen
| 4.5g | |
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Pinyin: Ge Gen
Chinese: 葛根
Pharmaceutical: Radix Puerariae
Taxonomy: Pueraria lobata
English: Kudzu Vine Root |
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Tastes: Sweet, pungent, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen and Stomach |
Actions & Indications:
- Discharges Exterior conditions and releases the muscles, especially of the neck and upper back
Wind-Heat or Wind-Cold lodged in the muscles of the upper back and neck
- Relieves Heat and generates fluids (relieves thirst)
Thirst due to Stomach Heat or Wind-Heat or Wasting and Thirsting
- Vents and discharges measles
Measles with incomplete expression of the rash
- Raises Spleen Yang and stops diarrhoea
Diarrhoea or dysentery due to Heat
Diarrhoea due to Spleen Deficiency (with appropriate herbs)
- Lowers blood pressure
Hypertension symptoms such as headache, dizziness, tinnitus or paresthesia
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
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Huang Qin
| 3g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Qin
Chinese: 黄芩
Pharmaceutical: Radix Scutellariae baicalensis
Taxonomy: Scutellaria baicalensis
English: Baical Skullcap Root |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach, Gallbladder, Large Intestine and Bladder |
Actions & Indications:
- 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
- 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)
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat causing bleeding with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis and hemafecia
- Clears Heat and calms the fetus
Fetal restlessness due to Heat
- Calms ascending Liver Yang
Liver Yang Rising with headache, irritability, red eyes, flushed face and bitter taste
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Gallbladder Heat
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Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
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Huang Lian
| 0.9g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Lian
Chinese: 黄连
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Coptidis
Taxonomy: Coptidis chinensis
English: Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread Rhizome |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine and Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and drains Dampness
Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Stomach Heat with vomiting and/or acid regurgitation
- Drains Fire and resolves Fire toxicity
Heat with Blazing Fire (Toxic Heat) with high fever. irritability, disorientation, delirium, a red tongue and a rapid, full pulse
Heat from Excess with toxicity: painful, red eyes and a sore throat
Boils, carbuncles and abscesses (Chuang Yung)
- Clears Heat and stops bleeding
Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia and hemoptysis
- Clears Heat topically
Infected wounds, red and painful eyes, ulcerations of the tongue and mouth (topical)
- Clears Heart Fire (sedative)
Heart Fire
Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
- Drains Stomach Fire
Stomach Fire
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, improve memory. 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: 2-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Because its taste is extremly bitter and dryness, overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach, yin and fluids. |
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Mu Dan Pi
| 3g | |
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Pinyin: Mu Dan Pi
Chinese: 牡丹皮
Pharmaceutical: Cortex radicis Moutan
Taxonomy: Paeonia suffruticosa
English: Tree Peony Root Bark / Moutan Peony Root Bark |
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Tastes: Bitter, pungent, light cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Kidney |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and cools (and harmonizes) the Blood
Xue Stage Heat with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis or subcutaneous bleeding
Menorrhagia due to Blood Heat
- Clears Deficiency Fire
Yin Deficiency Heat signs especially in the aftermath of Warm Febrile Disease with fever at night and coolness in the morning (most appropriate when the is no sweating)
- Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, abdominal masses, lumps or bruises due to trauma
Liver Blood Stagnation
- Clears Liver Fire
Liver Fire with headache, eye pain, flank pain, flushing and dysmenorrhea
- Drains pus and reduces swelling
Non-draining sores (topical)
Intestinal abscesses (internal)
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Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of profuse menstruation and pregnant women. |
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Jie Geng
| 3g | |
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Pinyin: Jie Geng
Chinese: 桔梗
Pharmaceutical: Radix Platycodi
English: Balloon Flower Root |
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Tastes: Bitter, pungent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- Opens the Lungs, spreads Lung Qi, expels Phlegm and benefits the throat
Cough due to Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat (with profuse sputum, sore throat, loss of voice)
Loss of voice or sore throat due to external Heat, Phlegm Heat or Yin Deficiency Heat
- Expels pus
Lung or throat abscess (Phlegm and Qi Stagnation) with fevers, chest pain, coughing of yellow sputum with a fishy smell and hemoptysis
- Opens and raises Lung Qi, directing the effects of other herbs to the upper body
Reinforces the actions of the other herbs and focuses the formula on the upper body
- Expels Gu Toxins
Vomiting blood due to Gu-Toxins (with Gan Cao; in the Soushen Ji, Record of Searching for Spirits; Wilcox, 2024).
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Overdose can cause nausea and vomiting. |
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Gan Cao
| 1.5g | | |
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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