Pinyin: Tu Fu Ling  Chinese: 土茯苓
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae
English: Greenbiars Rhizome / Smilax Rhizome

Tastes: Sweet, bland, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Liver and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Damp-Heat from the skin
   Chuang Yung (recurrent ulcers or other hot skin lesions)
2. Promotes urination and dispels Heat from the Lower Jiao
   Re (Heat) Lin with burning, painful urination
3. Expels Gu Parasites
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 15-60g in decoction.

Pinyin: Huang Jing  Chinese: 黄精
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Polygonati
Taxonomy: Polygonatum sibiricum seu kinganum seu cyrtonema
English: Solomon's Seal Root / Tai Yang Cao

Tastes: Sweet, neutral to warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Lung and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies Spleen Qi and nurtures Stomach Yin
   Spleen and Stomach Qi Deficiency with lassitude, fatigue, loss of appetite and poor mental focus
   Stomach Yin Deficiency with a dry mouth, loss of appetite, loss of taste, dry stools and abdominal distention due to Qi Stagnation
   Used to be used during times of famine as a source of nutrition and appetite suppressant
2. Moistens Lung Yin
   Lung Qi and Yin Deficiency with a dry cough, little sputum, and cough due to consumption
   Any type of cough where Dryness is significant
3. Tonifies the Kidney Blood and Yin, strengthens Jing and relieves wasting and thirsting
   Kidney Yin and Jing Deficiency with lower back pain, light-headedness, weakness of the lower extremities and memory loss
   Often used as a less cloying alternative to Shu Di Huang as it tonifies Kidney Yin and Spleen Qi
   Wasting and thirsting disorder, can be used for both weight gain in the malnourished and to stabilise blood sugars in the obese. Irregular heart rhythms, elevated cholesterol or low immunity (low WBC) due to Blood deficiency
   Developmental issues in children
4. Kills Parasites and calms the spirit
   One of the chief spirit calming herbs for Gu Sydnrome considered by Hua Tuo as both an energy tonic with a calming influence on meditation and as an anti-parasitic herb (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for dampness accumulation due to spleen deficiency, damp-phlegm stagnation and distending abdomen due to qi stagnation because of sticky and greasy properties.

Pinyin: Pu Gong Ying  Chinese: 蒲公英
Pharmaceutical: Herba Taraxaci
Taxonomy: Taraxacum mongolicum seu officinalis
English: Dandelion

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Reduces abscesses and dissipates nodules
   Internal abscesses and external sores particularly if they are firm and hard, especially breast and intestinal abscess, Chuang Yung (internally and topically)
2. Clears the Liver and clears the eyes
   Eye redness and swelling (alone as a steam)
   Liver Heat, cirrhosis
3. Clears Heat, resolves Dampness and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat jaundice
4. Relieves Fire toxicity
   Fire toxicity , swollen, painful throat, upper respiratory tract infection
5. Promotes lactation
   Insufficient lactation due to Heat
6. Clears Heat in the Blood
   Congested Fire of the Spleen and Stomach

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: Overdosage may cause loose bowel or excessive urination. Concurrent use with quinolone antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin may influence the bioavailability and disposition of the quinolone antibiotics.

Pinyin: Ma Chi Xian  Chinese: 馬齒莧
Pharmaceutical: Herba Portulacae
English: Parslane Herb

Tastes: Sour, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, resolves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood
   Toxic Fire dysentery
   Damp-Heat dysentery
   Blood Heat
   Blood Lin (urinary dysfunction)
   Primarily used for bacillary dysentery with incomplete bowel movements
2. Clears Damp-Heat and treats sores
   Fire toxin carbuncles or sores Chuang Yung (internal and topical)
   Red and white vaginal discharge
3. Antidote for the pain and swelling of snakebite and wasp stings
   Snakebite and wasp stings
4. Stops bleeding, disperses Blood Stagnation and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Bloody painful urinary dysfunction (Blood Lin)
   Uterine bleeding, especially postpartum
   Hot. painful urinary dysfunction

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Xian He Cao  Chinese: 仙鹤草
Pharmaceutical: Herba Agrimoniae
Taxonomy: Agrimonia pilosa
English: Agrimony

Tastes: Bitter, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Astringes leakage of Blood and stops bleeding
   Various types of bleeding such as hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistaxis, bleeding gums, hematuria, intestinal bleeding and uterine bleeding With appropriate herbs, it can be used for bleeding due to Heat, Cold Excess or Deficiency
2. Astringes diarrhoea and dysentery
   Chronic diarrhoea and dysentery
3. Kills parasites
   Trichomonas vaginitis (topical), tapeworm and malarial disorders (internal)
4. Tonifies Qi and Blood
   Qi and Blood Deficiencies due to overexertion
5. Reduces swelling and eliminates pus
   The vine is used topically or internally, treats breast abscesses, swellings and ulcerations

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Che Qian Cao  Chinese: 車前草
Pharmaceutical: Herba Plantaginis
Taxonomy: Plantago asiatica seu major seu depressa seu lanceolata
English: Plantago / Plantain / Psyllium

Tastes: Sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Kidney, Lung and Small Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and promotes urination
   Heat binding in the Bladder, inhibited urination, stangury-turbidity, bloody urine
   Leucorrhoea, vaginal discharge
   Summerheat-Damp diarrhoea
   Jaundice, oedema
2. Cools Blood and resolves Toxicity
   External bleeding, nosebleed
   Swelling toxins of welling abscesses and sores
   Sore throat
3. Improves vision
   Swelling and pain of eye
4. Dispels Phlegm
   Cough

Standard Dosage: 9-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Yi Yi Ren  Chinese: 薏苡仁
Pharmaceutical: Semen Coicis
Taxonomy: Coix lacryma-jobi
English: Job's Tears / Chinese Pearl Barley

Tastes: Sweet, Bland, Slightly Cold
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Strengthens the Spleen and resolves Dampness
   Dampness Stagnation or Spleen Deficiency Dampness with diarrhoea, leg Qi, painful urinary dribbling
   Damp-Warmth (treats root and manifestations)
2. Expels Wind-Dampness and relieves pain
   Wind-Damp Bi (increases joint mobility and decreases spasms in chronic cases) for stiffness of the muscles, severe arthralgia and joint immobility
3. Clears Heat and expels pus
   Soft, pustulated carbuncles, Lung and Intestinal abscess
4. Clears Damp-Heat
   Any Damp-Heat condition at any level with a greasy, white tongue coat and digestive problems
5. 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 boost the Qi. 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). At ~70% carbohydrates (Zhu, 2017), this would represent one important source of of this nutrient class which could be had in the amounts that could be foraged, as opposed to farmed, to maintain this kind of diet long term. Its root is also suggested to expel the Three Worms.

Standard Dosage: 9-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Chuan Xiong  Chinese: 川芎
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Ligusticum
Taxonomy: Ligusticum chuanxiong syn. striatum syn. wallichii
English: Sichuan Lovage root / Cnidium root

Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Pericardium

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood and promotes the movement of Qi
   Blood Stasis, especially in gynecology with dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, difficult labor or retained lochia
   Qi and Blood Stagnation with pain and soreness in the chest, flanks and hypochondria
2. Expels Wind and alleviates pain
   Externally contracted Wind with headache, dizziness or painful obstruction (Bi Syndrome) - especially useful for headaches due to Wind-Heat, Wind-Cold or Blood Deficiency (depending on the combination)
   Wind skin disorders
3. Relieves the symptoms of Gu Syndrome while suppressing parasites (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for headache due to Liver Yang rising or Yin deficiency with effulgent Fire because of its warm and dry properties.
Use with caution during pregnancy or in those who bruise or bleed easily.
May have synergistic effects in those taking anticoagulant drugs.

Pinyin: Chuan Niu Xi  Chinese: 川牛膝
Pharmaceutical: Radix Cyathulae
Taxonomy: Cyathula officinalis
English: Hookweed Root / Cyathula Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly bitter, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood, dispels Blood Stasis and unblocks the menses
   Blood Stasis leading to dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea
   Pain due to traumatic injury
2. Expels Wind and drains Dampness
   Wind-Damp Bi pain (especially in the lower back) and atrophy and spasm of the lower extremities
3. Promotes urination and treats dysuria
   Painful urinary dysfunction
4. Descends Blood and Fire
   Abnormal bleeding due to Fire Flaring Upwards with hematemesis, epistaxis, toothache ulceration of the mouth and tongue, dizziness and headache
5. Tonifies the Kidneys and Liver and strengthens the tendons and bones
   Lower back and knee soreness, weakness and pain

Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for menorrhagia, pregnancy and spermatorrhea.

Pinyin: Hai Piao Xiao  Chinese: 烏賊骨
Pharmaceutical: Os Sepiae
English: Cuttlefish Bone

Tastes: Salty, astringent, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Restrains, holds in and stops bleeding
   A wide variety of bleeding patterns, especially due to Deficiency
   Topically as a powder to stop bleeding from traumatic injury
2. Secures Jing and stops discharge
   Nocturnal emissions, premature ejaculation, or vaginal discharge due to Kidney Deficiency.
   It treats vaginal discharge due to a wide variety of causes
3. Controls acidity and alleviates pain
   Stomach acidity with Stomach or epigastric pain, distasteful belching or acid regurgitation
4. Resolves Dampness and promotes healing (moves Blood)
   Powdered and used topically for chronic, non-healing skin ulcers or Damp rashes of long duration

Standard Dosage: 6-20g in decoction.

Pinyin: Wu Mei  Chinese: 烏梅
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Mume
Taxonomy: Prunus mume
English: Black Plum

Tastes: Sour, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen, Lung, and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Astringes leakage of Lung Qi, stops leakage of sweat and stops coughs
   Chronic Lung Deficiency coughs, dysphagia, regurgitation
2. Generates Yin and Yang fluids and alleviates thirst
   Thirst due to Heat from Deficiency Qi and Yin Deficiency
   Wasting and thirsting (消渴 Xiao Ke) disorder due to Deficiency Heat
3. Expels roundworms and alleviates pain
   Roundworm induced vomiting and abdominal pain
   Occasionally used for abdominal pain and vomiting not associated with parasites
4. Astringes the Intestines and stops diarrhoea
   Chronic, incessant diarrhoea or dysentery and fecal incontinence and hemafecia (can be used alone charred for these purposes)
   Rectal prolapse
5. Stops bleeding
   Bleeding (hemafecia, and excessive uterine bleeding) with symptoms of Blood Deficiency (Dryness, thirst and a parched mouth
   Can be used alone charred and powdered for bleeding from the vagina, anus or urethra
6. Treat corns and warts topically
   Corns and warts

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction, but can be up to 30g.

Pinyin: Gan Cao  Chinese: 甘草
Pharmaceutical: Radix Glycyrrhizae
Taxonomy: Glycyrrhiza uralensis seu glabra seu inflata
English: Liquorice Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Spleen (and all 12 meridians)

Actions & Indications:

1. 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
2. Moistens the Lungs, resolves Phlegm and stops coughing
   Lung Heat or Cold
   Productive or non-productive coughing
3. Moderates spasms and alleviates pain
   Painful muscle spasms of the abdomen and legs
4. Clears Heat and relieves Fire Toxicity
   Raw for Toxic Heat with sore throat or carbuncles and sores (Chuang Yung)
5. 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)
6. 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
7. Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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: 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.