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: Tian Men Dong  Chinese: 天門冬
Pharmaceutical: Radix Asparagi
Taxonomy: Asparagus cochinchinensis
English: Asparagus Root

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Lung Heat, sedates Fire and Moistens the Lungs
   Lung Yin Deficiency with Heat signs in the upper Jiao such as Dryness of the mouth, Dryness of the Lung with dry mouth and a dry, non-productive cough or a productive cough with scanty, viscous, Blood-streaked sputum
   Consumption with low-grade afternoon fever
2. Nourishes the Lung and Kidney Yin, resolves Phlegm and generates Fluids
   Lung and Kidney Yin Deficiency, especially Wasting and Thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke) of upper, middle and lower Jiao
   Jing Deficiency due to Kidney Yin Deficiency with leg atrophy
   Constipation due to dry Intestines
3. Aids fasting and expels Evil Spirits
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as one of the superior herbs that will with protracted taking, make the body light, boost Qi 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).
4. Removes the Three Worms and Hidden Corpses
   Said in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing that it removes the Three Worms and Hidden Corpses. This was likely a precursor to the concept of the Three Corpse Worms, maybe deriving from 蠱 Gu Syndrome, whose character contains the character for Worm (蟲 Chong) three times, and may have referred to difficult to treat metabolic disorders. The worms were spiritual parasites which caused overindulgence leading to complex diseases that did not respond to normal medicine and needed to be treated by fasting (Bigu), meditation (Neidan) and medicines (Waidan).

Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for cough due to wind-cold invasion and diarrhea due to deficiency cold because of its cold and smooth properties.

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
   High Blood pressure
   Gallbladder Heat

Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.

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: Ren Shen  Chinese: 人參
Pharmaceutical: Radix Panax ginseng
Taxonomy: Panax ginseng
English: Ginseng Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Lung and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Powerfully tonifies Yuan Qi
   Extreme collapse of Qi or abandoned conditions that manifest in shallow breathing, shortness of breath, cold limbs, profuse sweating and an almost imperceptible pulse (after blood loss, overly profuse sweating or other problems related to severe fluid loss - it can be used alone in these emergencies)
   Collapse of Yang
   Collapse of Yin
2. Tonifies Spleen and Stomach Qi
   Lethargy, anorexia, chest and abdominal distention, chronic diarrhoea and, in severe cases, prolapse of the Stomach, uterus or rectum
3. Tonifies Lung Qi
   Lung Qi Deficiency with wheezing, shortness of breath and labored breathing on exertion
4. Generates Body Fluids and stops thirst
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke) and high fevers with profuse sweating which injures Qi and fluids
5. Tonifies Heart Qi and calms the Spirit
   Heart Qi and Blood Deficiency with palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, forgetfulness and restlessness
6. Treats impotence
   With Kidney Yang tonics for impotence
7. Tonifies Qi in Deficiency patients with Exterior conditions
   Exterior disorder with Interior Deficiency
8. 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).

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction, 10-30g for exhaustion syndrome due to Qi deficiency.
Cautions: Antagonizing to Li Lu; the warm nature of sun-dried raw Ren Shen is weaker than that of Hong Shen.

Pinyin: He Ye  Chinese: 荷叶
Pharmaceutical: Nelumbinis Foliae
English: Lotus Leaf

Tastes: Bitter, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Spleen, Gallbladder and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Relieves Summerheat
   Summerheat and Dampness with fever, irritability, excessive sweating, scanty urine and especially diarrhoea
2. Raises and clears Spleen Yang
   Spleen Yang Deficiency diarrhoea especially in the aftermath of Summerheat
3. Removes Stagnation and stops bleeding
   Bleeding in the Lower Jiao due to Heat or Stagnation Hematemesis (adjunctive)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.