Pinyin: Shen Jin Cao  Chinese: 伸筋草
Pharmaceutical: Herba Lycopodii
English: Clubmoss / Ground Pine / Creeping Cedar

Tastes: Slightly bitter, pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind and eliminates Dampness
   Wind-Damp Bi, especially when there are problems flexing and extending joints
2. Relaxes the sinews, invigorates the collaterals and invigorates the Blood
   Swelling and pain due to Blood Stasis from external or internal trauma
   Difficulty bending and stretching the body after hemiplegia

Standard Dosage: 3-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used cautiously in pregnant women.

Pinyin: Qing Feng Teng  Chinese: 青風藤
Pharmaceutical: Caulis Sinomenii
Taxonomy: Sinomenium acutum
English: Orientvine

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind-Damp Bi, unblocks the channels and collaterals and relieves pain
   Wind-Damp Bi
   Numbness, itching, trauma and swollen sores
2. Facilitates urination
   Swelling and pain from leg Qi
   Edema, scanty urination, Damp swellings

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.

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: Tou Gu Cao  Chinese: 透骨草
Pharmaceutical: Caulis Speranskiae seu Impatientis
Taxonomy: Speranskia tuberculata seu Impatiens balsamina
English: Garden Balsam Stem

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates Blood circulation, breaks up Blood Stasis, reduces swelling and generates flesh
   External and traumatic injuries with bruising, swelling, inflammation and pain
2. Clears Heat, eliminates toxins, cools the Blood and relieves pain
   Toxic sores, burns, carbuncles and swellings (topical)
3. Drains Damp-Heat
   Acute jaundice
   Hepatitis
4. Dispels Wind and Dampness and relaxes the muscles and sinews
   Arthritis and arthralgia
   Muscle and bone contracture
   Beriberi due to Cold-Dampness
   Tinea

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction. Often used in external washes and soaks.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to pregnant women.

Pinyin: Lei Gong Teng  Chinese: 雷公藤
Pharmaceutical: Radix Tripterygii Wilfordii
Taxonomy: Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F.
English: Thunder God Vine

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, cool, toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind and Dampness, strongly clears Heat, resolves toxicity, reduces swellings and stops pain.
   Stubborn Damp-Heat Bi Syndromes with swollen joints and difficulty moving, especially rheumatoid, psoriatic and other autoimmune forms of arthritis
2. Eliminates Dampness, kills parasites and bugs and stops itching
   Stubborn skin disorders including Behcet’s syndrome, psoriasis, eczema, leprosy. Best for those with excruciating itching.
   Maggots, rats and snake venom (topically)

Standard Dosage: 5-12g in decoction, often with licorice to reduce toxicity. Can also be decocted for 1-2 hours and made into syrup, or pounded into powder and taken in tablets 0.5-1.5g per time, three times per day.
Cautions: Contraindicated for those with cardiac, hepatic, renal or gastrointestinal problems, arrhythmias or anemia, during pregnancy or lactation and in the debilitated. Should not be used without careful monitoring of blood and liver enzymes.

Although not on the UK Banned and Restricted Herbal Medicines List, it is rarely used outside of China where proper monitoring is possible. Side effects can include immunosuppression, reproductive issues, adverse skin reactions, hematologic and cardiovascular events. External application for longer than half an hour may cause blisters.

Pinyin: Feng Fang  Chinese: 松鼠
Pharmaceutical: Nidus Vespae
Taxonomy: Vespa
English: Wasp's Nest

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Relieves toxicity, expels Wind and alleviates pain and itching
   Topically as an ointment or wash skin rashes, itching, scabies, tinea, sores and carbuncles
   As a gargle for severe toothaches that feel as if a worm is burrowing into the tooth
2. Expels Wind, dries Dampness and stops pain and itching
   Wind-Damp Bi
   Wind-Rash
   Internal Wind
3. Treats tumors
   Cancers
4. Kills parasites
   Insecticide

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Very toxic. Contraindicated for those with sores that have already burst, those with renal insufficiency or Qi deficiency and as an antihelmintic as the dosage required causes nephritis.

Antagonizes Gan Jiang, Dan Shen, Bai Shao or Chi Shao and Mu Li.

Pinyin: Bu Gu Zhi  Chinese: 補骨脂
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Psoraleae
Taxonomy: Psoralea cordyfolia
English: Psoralea Fruit / Scurf Pea Berry / Po Gu Zhi 破故紙

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, astringent, warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney, Spleen, Lung, Pericardium

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies the Kidneys, strengthens Yang, stabilizes Jing and astringes urine
   Impotence, premature ejaculation, enuresis, urinary frequency, a cold and painful lower back and extremities
   Wheezing and shortness of breath due to Kidneys not grasping the Lung Qi
   Weakening of Ming Men Fire
2. Tonifies and warms Spleen and Kidney Yang to stop diarrhoea
   Diarrhoea with borborygmus and abdominal pain
   Cock-crow diarrhoea
   Most appropriate for those with both Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency
3. Warms the skin and regulates the blood (soaked in wine and applied topically)
   Cold-type psoriasis, vitiligo and eczema
   Hyperpigmentation
   Dry, dull or loose skin with fine lines or rough texture

Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
Cautions: Contraindicated in cases of Yin deficiency with effulgent Fire and constipation.

Due to the psoralen content which increases the response to UV light, patients should be advised to avoid excessive exposure to the sun or discontinue taking if traveling to a hot climate.

Pinyin: Chuan Wu  Chinese: 川乌
Pharmaceutical: Radix Aconiti Preparata
Taxonomy: Aconitum carmichaeli
English: Sichuan Aconite Root / Monkshood Mother Root

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, hot, strongly toxic
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Kidney and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Expels Wind-Dampness, disperses Cold, warms and activates the channels and stops pain
   Wind-Damp Painful Obstruction (Bi) with
   Severe sub-cardiac and abdominal pain from Wind-Cold-Dampness
   Headache
   Trauma
   Anesthesia
   (Can be applied topically)
2. Reduces swellings, induces ulceration and dispels putrefication
   Topically for Yin flat abscesses
   Used when hard abscesses do not soften and ulcerate or do not heal
3. Treats unconsciousness caused by Phlegm Stagnation
   Unprocessed can treat unconsciousness, deviation of the mouth and eyes and a roaring sound of Phlegm in the throat (very rare usage)

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to pregnancy, and antagonistic to Ban Xia, Gua Lou, Bei Mu, Bai Lian and Bai Ji. It should be processed for oral administration by decocting until no numbing taste is left before adding the other herbs. Caution should be paid when the crude products are taken orally or it is used in wine soak and decocted in wine which will easily lead to toxic reactions.

This herb is prohibited from use in the UK under the banned and restricted herbal ingredients list issued by the MHRA. It is generally substituted with various Yang tonics depending on the presentation although none can imitate its powerful cardiovascular effects making them ineffective substitutes for rescuing devastated Yang. External use is permitted at 1.3% or below.

Pinyin: Cao Wu / Wu Tou  Chinese: 草烏 / 烏頭
Pharmaceutical: Radix Aconiti Kusnezoffii seu Agrestis
Taxonomy: Aconitum Kusnezoffii seu Agrestis
English: Wild Aconite Root / Kusnezoff Monkshood Root / Monkshood Daughter Root

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, hot, toxic
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Kidney and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Disperses Cold, scours out Wind, overcomes Dampness and stops pain
   Almost exclusively used topically
   Gu Parasites / chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
2. Reduces swellings and treats abscesses and lesions
   Yin sores
   Stubborn sores that do not ulcerate
   Ulcerated sores that do not heal

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in decoction, or applied externally.
Cautions: The raw products should be used cautiously and decocted for a long time to detoxify prior to adding the other ingredients. It is antagonistic to Ban Xia, Gua Lou, Bei Mu, Bai Lian and Bai Ji.

This herb is prohibited from use in the UK under the banned and restricted herbal ingredients list issued by the MHRA. It is generally substituted with various Yang tonics depending on the presentation although none can imitate its powerful cardiovascular effects making them ineffective substitutes for rescuing devastated Yang. External use is permitted at 1.3% or below.

Pinyin: Hua Jiao / Chuan Jiao  Chinese: 花椒 / 川椒
Pharmaceutical: Pericarpium Zanthoxyli
Taxonomy: Zanthoxylum bungeanum seu schinifolium
English: Sichuan Pepper

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Warms the Middle Jiao, disperses Cold, dispels Dampness, relieves diarrhoea and alleviates pain
   Spleen and Stomach Deficiency Cold with Cold and pain in the abdomen, vomiting and diarrhoea
2. Kills Parasites and alleviates abdominal pain
   Abdominal pain due to roundworms
   Moist dermal ulcers
   Gu Parasites / chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ru Xiang  Chinese: 乳香
Pharmaceutical: Olibanum
Taxonomy: Boswellia serrata
English: Frankincense

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver, Heart and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood and promotes the movement of Qi
   Pain due to Blood Stasis from traumatic injury
   Early stage toxic sores, carbuncles, swellings and pain
   Blood Stasis with chest, epigastric or abdominal pain
2. Relaxes the sinews, activates the channels and alleviates pain
   Wind-Damp Bi with rigidity and spasms
3. Reduces swelling and generates flesh
   Topically as an ointment or powder to reduce swelling, generate flesh, alleviate pain and promote healing of sores, carbuncles, and traumatic injury
   Pain, redness and swelling of the gums, mouth and throat

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: This herb is drasticly pungent with strong stimulation to stomach and easily causes nausea and vomiting. So 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: 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: 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.