Pinyin: Deng Xin Cao  Chinese: 灯心草
Pharmaceutical: Medulla Junci
Taxonomy: Juncus effusus
English: Bulrush Pith / Rush Pith

Tastes: Sweet, mild, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Small Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination, leaches out Dampness and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Heat Excess Hot painful urinary dysfunction with dark, scanty urination
2. Clears Heat from the Heart channel by directing Fire downward and calms the Spirit
   Pediatric sleep disorders with dark, scanty urine and irritability (especially at night) (can be used alone)
   Lack of Communication between the Heart and Kidneys with insomnia and restless sleep
   Heart Fire with Kidney Yin Deficiency
   Heart and Kidney Yin Deficiency
   Small Intestine Shi Heat
3. Clears Lung Heat
   Sore throat (charred internally and topically relieves pain)
4. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Use charred to stop bleeding

Standard Dosage: 1-3g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of urinary incontinence or deficiency-cold in lower energizer.

Pinyin: Tong Cao  Chinese: 通草
Pharmaceutical: Medulla Tetrapanax Papyriferus
English: Rice Paper Plant Pith

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination, resolves Dampness and clears Heat
   Damp-Warm febrile disease Damp-Heat painful urinary dysfunction
   It is usually used as an assistant
2. Promotes lactation
   Insufficient or absent lactation

Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: Used with caution for pregnant women.

Pinyin: Ze Xie  Chinese: 澤瀉
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Alismatis
Taxonomy: Alisma plantago-aquatica seu orientale
English: Water Plantain Rhizome

Tastes: Sweet, bland, cold
Meridians Entered: Kidney and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination and leaches out Dampness
   Stagnation due to Dampness with urinary difficulty, painful urinary dysfunction, diarrhoea and dizziness
   Especially useful for Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao
2. Settles Ministerial Fire in the Kidneys by draining Damp-Heat from the lower Jiao
   Spermatorrhea due to Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao disturbing the ministerial Fire of the Kidneys
3. Drains Kidney Fire
   Kidney Yin Deficiency with Fire Rising
4. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, sharpen the ears and eyes, make one free from hunger, prolong life, make the body light, render the face brilliant, and enable one to walk over water. 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: 4.5-15g in decoction. Sometimes up to 30g in extreme cases.
Cautions: Overdose, extended use or combination with diuretic drugs could cause electrolyte imbalance due to diuretic effect.

Pinyin: Qu Mai  Chinese: 瞿麦
Pharmaceutical: Herba Dianthi
Taxonomy: Dianthus superbus
English: Fringed Pink Dianthus

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Small Intestine and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Damp-Heat from the Urinary Bladder, promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat Painful Urinary Dysfunction, especially Blood Lin
2. Breaks up Blood Stasis, invigorates Blood circulation and regulates menstruation
   Amenorrhea due to Blood Stasis (auxiliary)
3. Unblocks the bowels
   Constipation
4. Purges Heart and Small Intestine Fire
   Heart Fire leading to Small Intestine Excess Heat

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is cold and descending in property and can cause abortion, so it is contraindicated for pregnant women.

Pinyin: Hu Po  Chinese: 琥珀
Pharmaceutical: Succinum
English: Amber

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Stops tremors and palpitations and calms the Spirit
   Shen disturbance with palpitations with anxiety, excessive dreams, insomnia, forgetfulness, and seizures
   Childhood convulsions and seizures due to Heart Blood Deficiency with Internal Wind
2. Activates the Blood, dissipates Stasis and unblocks the menses
   Amenorrhea or pain associated with palpable immobile masses due to Blood Stasis (can be used alone for this)
   Coronary artery disease
3. Promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Urinary retention or painful urinary dysfunction (especially bloody urine)
4. Reduces swelling and promotes healing (topical)
   Sores, carbuncles, and skin ulcerations
   Swelling and pain of the scrotum or vulva

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in powder or pills. Should not be decocted.

Pinyin: Bian Xu  Chinese: 萹蓄
Pharmaceutical: Herba Polygoni Avicularis
Taxonomy: Polygonum avicularis
English: Knotweed / Common Knotgrass / Polygonum

Tastes: Bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Damp-Heat from the Urinary Bladder, promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat Painful Urinary Dysfunction (Lin Syndrome)
   Damp-Heat jaundice
2. Expels parasites and stops itching
   Damp lesions with itch including tinea
   Intestinal parasites such as tapeworm, hookworm and pinworm
3. Kills the Three Worms
   Said in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing that it removes the Three Worms. These may refer to difficult to treat metabolic disorders caused by overindulgence and should be accompanied by fasting, meditation and exercise regimes.

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Mu Tong  Chinese: 木通
Pharmaceutical: Caulis Akebiae seu Caulis Clematis
Taxonomy: Akebia trifoliata, A. quinata, A. trifoliata var. australis seu Clematis armandii
English: Akebia or Clematis Stem

Tastes: Bitter, cool
Meridians Entered: Heart, Small Intestine and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat Painful Urinary Dysfunction (Lin Syndrome) with dribbling, painful and rough urination
   Oedema and ascites
2. Drains Heart Heat through the Small Intestine
   Small Intestine Shi Heat with irritability accompanied by mouth or tongue sores and scanty urination
3. Promotes lactation and unblocks Blood vessels
   Lactation Insufficiency
   Amenorrhea and pain and stiffness of the joints (Heat Bi)

Standard Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for qi deficiency, spermatorrhea and pregnant women.

This herb is prohibited from use in the UK under the banned and restricted herbal ingredients list issued by the MHRA because it can also refer to Aristolochia manshuriensis (Guan Mu Tong) which contains toxic aristolochic acid. In some European countries with statutory testing of imports the species can be identified but the UK has chosen to ban all species to avoid regulation. It is generally substituted with Qu Mai or Tong Cao.

Pinyin: Che Qian Zi  Chinese: 車前子
Pharmaceutical: Semen Plantaginis
Taxonomy: Plantago asiatica
English: Plantago Seeds / Plantain Seeds / Psyllium Seeds

Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Kidney, Bladder, Liver and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination and clears Damp-Heat
   Damp-Heat, generally Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with oedema, painful urinary dysfunction
2. Promotes urination to solidify the stool
   Diarrhoea due to Damp-Heat
   Summerheat with Dampness
3. Clears Liver Heat and clears the eyes
   Eye problems due to Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency with dry eyes and diminished visual acuity
   Heat in the Liver Channel with red, painful, swollen eyes and sensitivity to light
4. Clears the Lungs, expels Phlegm and stops coughing
   Lung Heat induced cough with yellow copious Phlegm
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 slow ageing. 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: 9-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Fu Ling  Chinese: 茯苓
Pharmaceutical: Poria
Taxonomy: Poria cocos syn. Wolfiporia extensa
English: China-Root / Hoelen / Tuckahoe / Indian Bread

Tastes: Sweet, bland, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Spleen, and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Strengthens the Spleen and harmonizes the Middle Jiao
   Spleen Deficiency Dampness with anorexia, diarrhoea and epigastric distention
2. Strengthens the Spleen
   Phlegm Dampness due to Spleen Deficiency with thin mucus in which Phlegm moves upward manifesting as palpitations, headache, dizziness and a thick, greasy tongue coat
3. Promotes urination and leaches out Dampness
   Urinary difficulty, diarrhoea or oedema due to Stagnation of Fluids or Dampness
4. Quiets the Heart, calms the Spirit and soothes the nerves
   Palpitations, insomnia or forgetfulness due to either Spleen and Heart Insufficiency or Internal Obstruction of Turbid Phlegm
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, quiet the Hun, nourish the Shen, make one free from hunger 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: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for spermatorrhea due to deficiency-cold.

Pinyin: Zhu Ling  Chinese: 猪苓
Pharmaceutical: Polyporus Sclerotium
Taxonomy: Polyporus umbellatus / Grifola frondosa
English: Umbrella Polypore Mushroom

Tastes: Sweet, bland, neutral
Meridians Entered: Kidney, and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination and leaches out Dampness
   Dampness (Fluid Stagnation) with oedema, scanty urination, vaginal discharge, turbid painful urinary dysfunction (Milky Lin), jaundice and diarrhoea
   Can be used alone for Lin Syndrome during pregnancy
2. Dispels Damp-Heat
   Damp-Heat with turbid painful urinary dysfunction (Milky Lin) and jaundice
3. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the lower class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light and slow ageing. 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: 6-12g in decoction. Mushrooms should ideally be decocoted for at least 40 minutes and preferably 1-2 hours to fully extract the polysaccharides from within the chitin cell walls.