Pinyin: Qing Dai  Chinese: 青黛
Pharmaceutical: Indigo Naturalis
Taxonomy: Isatis indigotica seu Baphicacanthus cusia seu Polygonum tinctorium
English: Natural Indigo

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood and reduces maculae
   Maculae due to Blood Heat (Xue Stage Heat)
   Can be used alone for bleeding due to Blood Heat, especially epistaxis where it is placed on cotton wool as a nasal plug.
2. Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood, disperses Stagnation and reduces swelling
   Throat inflammation, dysphagia, sores of the mouth or mumps due to blazing Heat (internal or topical)
3. Drains Liver Fire, dispels Summerheat and extinguishes Wind to stop tremors
   Convulsions, red eyes, sore throat and other manifestations of Heat, especially Summerheat, affecting the Liver
4. Clears Liver Fire, drains Lung Heat and cools the Blood
   Cough due to Lung Heat Cough and chest pain due to Liver Fire attacking the Lungs
5. Expels Gu Parasites
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g as pills or powder internally. Should not be decocted because it is insoluble in water.

Pinyin: Fu Rong Ye  Chinese: 芙蓉叶
Pharmaceutical: Folium Hibisci mutabilis
Taxonomy: Hibisci mutabilis
English: Hibiscus Leaf

Tastes: Slightly pungent, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Cools the Blood and expels toxins
   Dermatological disorders characterized by Dampness, Heat and toxins
   Carbuncles, furuncles and sores
   Herpes zoster
   Conjunctivitis
2. Resolves oedema
   Swelling, inflammation
3. Alleviates pain
   Burns, scalds, external and internal trauma

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to pregnant women.

Pinyin: Mang Xiao  Chinese: 芒硝
Pharmaceutical: Natrii Sulfas
Taxonomy: Na₂SO₄·10H₂O
English: Glauber's Salt / Mirabilite

Tastes: Salty, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Purges accumulations, guides out Stagnation, softens hardness and moistens Dryness
   Heat in the Stomach and Intestines with constipation and hard knots
2. Clears Heat and drains Fire
   Heat in the Stomach or Lungs especially accumulated Phlegm or clumping in the Intestines
3. Clears Heat and reduces swelling
   Red, swollen, painful eyes
   Painful, ulcerated, swollen mouth or throat (topical)
   Red, swollen skin lesions (topical)
   Mastitis (topical) (promotes lactation)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g dissolved into decoction at end.
Cautions: Use with caution for women during lactation for its milk regurgitation action. It is contraindicated to pregnant women.

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 Yu Li Ren. If the osmotic laxative effects of salts are required then Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) are more commonly available in the UK, although they still come under the same laws and would have to be included as lifestyle advice, to be sourced and dosed by the patient, not prescribed and given by the herbalist.

Pinyin: Da Huang  Chinese: 大黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Taxonomy: Rheum palmatum
English: Chinese Rhubarb Root

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heat and purges accumulations
   Intestinal Heat Excess, with high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, a yellow tongue coat and a full pulse
   Yang-Ming Fu Stage
   Qi Level Heat in the Intestines
2. Drains Fire
   Fire from Excess with intense fever, sore throat, and painful eyes and constipation
   Fire toxin sores due to Xue Level Heat, especially with constipation
3. Clears Heat, transforms Dampness and promotes urination
   Damp-Heat with oedema, jaundice, painful urinary dysfunction and acute, hot dysenteric disorders
4. Drains Heat from the Blood
   Bloody stool either from hemorrhoids or Heat in the Intestines
   Chaotic movement of hot Blood with hemoptysis or epistaxis with constipation
   It can be powdered and administered orally for bleeding in the upper digestive tract
5. Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
   Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses or fixed pain
   Blood Stasis due to traumatic injury
   Intestinal abscess
6. Clears Heat and reduces Fire toxicity
   Topically or internally for burns or skin lesions (Chuang Yung) due to Heat
7. Clears Heat and eliminates Phlegm
   Chronic Accumulation of Phlegm-Heat with cough, dyspnea, mania, disorientation and other symptoms of Phlegm Misting the Heart

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Excessive decoction will reduce the purgative action. Therefore it should be added at end to achieve this purpose and over-decocted to eliminate this action.
Cautions: It should be used with caution in case of spleen and stomach deficiency for its bitter and cold property which is easily to damage stomach qi. It is contraindicated to women during pregnancy, menstruation or lactation for it has actions of activating blood and resolving stasis, and can make the purged substances follow lactating out.

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: Long Gu  Chinese: 龙骨
Pharmaceutical: Ossa Draconis
English: Fossilised Bones

Tastes: Sweet, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver, Heart and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Settles anxiety and calms the Spirit
   Agitated Heart and Spirit with emotional distress, restlessness, insomnia, palpitations with anxiety, seizures, or withdrawal mania
2. Calms the Liver and anchors and preserves Floating Yang
   Irritability, restlessness, dizziness, vertigo, blurred vision and a bad temper due to Liver Yin Deficiency with Liver Yang Rising
3. Prevents leakage of fluids
   Loss of fluids due to Deficiency with spermatorrhea, night sweats, spontaneous sweating, nocturnal emissions, vaginal discharge and uterine bleeding
4. Topically generates muscles and astringes ulcers
   Chronic non-healing sores and ulcerations
5. Treats Ghost Possession
   Said in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing to treat Heart and Abdomen Ghost Possession, Spiritual Matters (精物 Jing Wu) and Old Ghosts (老鬼). This refers to difficult to treat disorders thought to be of supernatural origin.
6. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of animal parts which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, enable one to communicate with the Spirit Light (Shen Ming 神明), and lengthen the lifespan. 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: 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 Bai Shao and Wu Wei Zi.

If viewed from a western perspective as a source of calcium which may cause sleep disturbances, then supplementation or inclusion of high calcium/magnesium content herbs (e.g. Kun Bu) could be considered, especially if other signs such as oesteoporosis or muscle cramps are present and risk of side effects from calcium/magnesium supplements are low (stones, calcified arteries, GI issues). However, this assumes a mechanism which does not match many of the traditional patterns for which it is prescribed.

Pinyin: Huang Bai  Chinese: 黄柏
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Phellodendri
Taxonomy: Phellodendron amurense seu chinense
English: Amur Corktree Bark

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Gallbladder, Large Intestine, Kidney and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Damp-Heat especially from the Lower Jiao
   Thick, yellow vaginal discharge, foul smelling diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
   Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao
   Hot Leg Qi with red, swollen, painful knees, legs or feet
   Damp-Heat jaundice
2. Drains Kidney Fire (False Heat, Deficiency Heat)
   Kidney Yin Deficiency with Empty Fire Rising (steaming bone disorder, night sweats, afternoon fevers and sweating, occasionally with nocturnal emissions and spermatorrhea)
3. Drains Fire and relieves Fire toxicity
   Toxic sores and Damp-skin lesions (internally and topically)

Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach.

Pinyin: Bai Lian  Chinese: 白蔹
Pharmaceutical: Radix Ampelopsis
English: Japanese Ampelopsis Root

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Fire, relieves toxicity, eliminates Dampness, resolves lumps (reduces swelling), relieves pain, promotes the healing of wounds and generates flesh
   Fire toxicity B (Chuang Yung) with sores and abscesses (can be used as a stand-alone herb) Wounds

Standard Dosage: 4.5-9g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be avoided using in treating patients with deficiency cold of spleen and stomach. It is antagonistic to Wu Tou.

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 snakebite (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: Bai Ji  Chinese: 白芨
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Bletillae
English: Urn Orchid Rhizome

Tastes: Bitter, sweet, stringe, astringe, light cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Astringes leakage of Blood and stops bleeding
   Bleeding from the Lungs and Stomach with Hematemesis, hemoptysis and epistaxis
   Bleeding due to traumatic injury (topical)
2. Reduces swelling, generates flesh and eliminates ulcers
   Topically for sores, ulcers and chapped skin (whether or not the sore has ulcerated)
3. Nourishes the Lungs and resolves Phlegm
   Lung damage

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should not be used with Wu Tou (eighteen antagonisms).

Pinyin: Bai Zhi  Chinese: 白芷
Pharmaceutical: Radix Angelicae dahuricae
Taxonomy: Angelica dahurica
English: Dahurian Angelica Root

Tastes: Pungent and warm
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Expels Wind, eliminates Dampness, unblocks the nasal passages, dispels Cold and alleviates pain
   External Wind-Cold patterns, especially with headache
   Supra orbital pain, nasal congestion and toothache, arthritis
   Any External Wind invasion of the Yangming channels of the head with a frontal headache
2. Reduces swelling, eliminates toxins and expels pus
   Early-stage superficial sores, boils and carbuncles, pruritis
3. Expels Dampness, alleviates discharge and treats leukorrhea and diarrhoea
   Vaginal discharge due to Cold-Dampness in the Lower Jiao
4. Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
   One of the chief herbs for treating Gu Syndrome, along with Bo He and Zi Su Ye, classed as "open the exterior with snake killing herbs" (Fruehauf, 1998).
   Also used topically for fungal infections which may explain some of its anti-Gu actions.

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for Blood Heat induced by Yin deficiency because of its pungent, fragrant, warm, dry property.

Pinyin: Bai Xian Pi  Chinese: 白鲜皮
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Dictamni
Taxonomy: Dictamnus albus
English: Chinese Dittany Root Bark

Tastes: Bitter, slightly pungent, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Gallbladder, Spleen, Stomach, Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, resolves Fire-toxicity, expels Wind and dries Dampness
   Wind-Heat or Damp-Heat Chuang Yang (sores, carbuncles, and rashes) with copious pus, leaking of yellow fluid, moist skin and pruritis
   Damp-Heat Bi
   Damp-Heat jaundice
2. Clears Damp-Heat and stops itching
   Vaginal pruritis with itching

Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Not suitable for deficiency cold syndrome.