Pinyin: Mo Yao  Chinese: 沒藥
Pharmaceutical: Resina Commiphorae
Taxonomy: Commiphora mukul
English: Myrrh

Tastes: Pungent, Bitter, Neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood, dispels Blood Stasis, alleviates pain and reduces swelling
   Blood Stasis with pain from trauma, sores, carbuncles, swellings, fixed abdominal masses, painful obstruction, chest pain, abdominal pain and amenorrhea
2. Generates flesh and promotes healing
   Chronic non-healing sores

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decocotion.
Cautions: Like Ru Xiang this herb is drastically pungent with strong stimulation to stomach and easily causes nausea and vomiting. It should not be taken by large dose or for a long time. Use with cautions for patients with weak stomach; prohibited for pregnant women.

Pinyin: He Zi  Chinese: 诃子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Terminaliae Chebulae
Taxonomy: Terminalia Chebula
English: Myrobalan Fruit

Tastes: Bitter, sour, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Astringes the Intestines and stops diarrhoea
   Chronic diarrhoea and dysenteric disorders (both Heat and Cold patterns)
   Intestinal Wind with hemafecia
2. Contains leakage of Lung Qi, stops coughing, improves the condition of the throat (Descends Lung Qi) and relieves Qi Stagnation in the diaphragm and chest
   Chronic cough, wheezing, and especially loss of voice
   Cough due to Phlegm-Fire Obstructing the Lungs (in combination)
3. Kills Parasites and expels Demons
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Mao He Zi  Chinese: 毛訶子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Terminaliae Billericae
Taxonomy: Terminalia Billerica
English: Belleric Fruit

Tastes: Sweet, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Spleen and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity
   Diarrhoea, hepatobiliary diseases, Heat syndromes
2. Astringes and Tonifies Blood
   Weakness after illness
3. Harmonises the properties of medicine
   Added to other formulas as assistant

Standard Dosage: 3-9g as pills or powder.

Pinyin: Yu Gan Zi  Chinese: 余甘子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Phyllanthi emblica
Taxonomy: Phyllanthus emblica
English: Emblic / Indian Gooseberry / Emblic Leaf-flower Fruit

Tastes: Sweet, sour, astringent, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes digestion and strengthens the stomach, promotes the secretion of saliva
   Abdominal distension
   Indigestion
   Dry mouth
2. Relieve cough
   Cough with sore or painful throat
3. Clears Heat, cools and invigorates the Blood
   Blood stasis with Heat

Standard Dosage: 3-9g in pills or powder
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold in spleen and stomach.

Pinyin: Kuan Jin Teng  Chinese: 寬筋藤
Pharmaceutical: Caulis Tinosporae
Taxonomy: Tinospora sinensis seu cordifolia
English: Heart-leafed Moonseed

Tastes: Slightly bitter, cool
Meridians Entered: Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind-Dampness and relaxes the sinews
   Hot Bi, especially cramping and stiffness in the knees, legs, back and joints
2. Relaxes the sinews and unblocks the channels
   Redness, swelling, Heat and pain associated with traumatic injury or overstrain

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Sheng Jiang  Chinese: 生姜
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens
Taxonomy: Zingiber officinale
English: Fresh Ginger

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Releases the Exterior, induces perspiration and disperses Cold
   Wind-Cold
2. Warms the Middle and stops vomiting
   Cold in the Stomach especially with vomiting
3. Warms the Lungs and stops coughing
   Cough due to Wind-Cold Cough due to Lung Deficiency with Phlegm
4. Reduces the toxicity of other herbs and seafood
   Herb toxicity or seafood poisoning
5. Adjusts the Ying and Wei - normalizes the flow of Qi at the center
   Taiyang Zhong Feng - Wind-Cold with Deficiency

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with caution for yin deficiency with internal heat and heat exuberance because it helps promote fire and injure yin.

Pinyin: Hu Jiao  Chinese: 胡椒
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Piperis nigra
Taxonomy: Piper nigrum
English: Black Pepper

Tastes: Pungent, hot
Meridians Entered: Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Warms the Middle Jiao and disperses Cold and relieves pain
   Stomach Cold with vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain

Standard Dosage: 2-4g in decoction. 0.5-1.5g as powder.

Pinyin: Bi Ba  Chinese: 蓽茇
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Piperis Longi
English: Long Pepper

Tastes: Pungent, hot
Meridians Entered: Spleen and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Warms the Middle Jiao, disperses Cold from the Stomach and Intestines, Descends Qi and stops pain
   Cold congealing and leading to Qi Stagnation in the epigastrium and abdomen with nausea, vomiting, belching, acid regurgitation, loss of appetite and abdominal pain
   Stomach Cold
2. Treats toothache (topical)
   As a powder for toothache

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in decoction.

Pinyin: Xian Suan Qiang  Chinese: 咸酸蔃
Pharmaceutical: Radix Embeliae
Taxonomy: Embelia ribes
English: Whiteflower Embelia Root

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, hot.

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood and regulates menstruation
   Amenorrhea
2. Clears Heat and drains Dampness
   Dysentery, diarrhoea
   Child head sores, itchy skin
3. Resolves Toxicity and disperses swelling
   Knocks and falls, bleeding due to trauma
   Poisonous snake bites

Standard Dosage: 1-15g per day in decoction.
Cautions: Pregnancy, hot temperements.

This herb is prohibited from use in the UK under the banned and restricted herbal ingredients list issued by the MHRA.

Pinyin: Ba Dou  Chinese: 巴豆
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Crotonis
Taxonomy: Croton Tiglium
English: Croton Fruit

Tastes: Pungent, Hot, Toxic
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Large Intestine, and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Warmly unblocks and vigorously purges (purges accumulated Cold)
   Severe Internal Cold Accumulation leading to constipation, abdominal fullness, distention and pain
   Food Stagnation
2. Drives out water and reduces oedema
   Ascites due to end stage schistomiasis
3. Breaks up clogged Phlegm and improves the condition of the throat
   Difficult breathing, wheezing, and severe fullness and distention in the chest and diaphragm
   Phlegm Blocking the Orifices
4. Promotes healing of abscesses and ulcers topically and kills parasites
   Abscesses that have suppurated but not ulcerated
   Severe ulcers
5. Stops diarrhoea
   Diarrhoea due to Cold
6. Kills Parasites
   Insecticide topically
   Internally for Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)

Standard Dosage: 0.1-0.3g powder taken separately.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in pregnancy, those anxious about their health, and is incompatible with Qian Niu Zi.
While not actually on the list of banned and restricted herbal ingredients in the UK it is generally substituted with Wu Zhu Yu due to lack of availability.

Pinyin: He Guo Teng  Chinese: 盒果藤
Pharmaceutical: Radix Operculinae
Taxonomy: Operculina terpethum
English: Turpeth

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, sweet, hot

Actions & Indications:

1. Breaks up accumulations and purges Toxins through the bowel
   Constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, haemorrhoids
2. Clears Heat and Drains Dampness
   Chronic skin conditions
   Rheumatoid arthritis, gout
3. Clear cholesterol
   Obesity

Standard Dosage: 10-30mg of powder per day.
Cautions: Do not use in pregnancy or in those with a hot constitution.