Pinyin: Xuan Shen  Chinese: 玄參
Pharmaceutical: Radix Scrophulariae
Taxonomy: Scrophularia ningpoensis
English: Chinese Figwort Root / Ningpo Figwort Root

Tastes: Bitter, sweet, salty, light cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Kidney, Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and cools the Blood
   Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat with hemorrhage (hematemesis), fever, dry mouth and a purplish tongue
2. Nourishes Yin
   Yin Deficiency with Heat signs especially as sequelae from Warm Febrile Disease with Dry Lungs, insomnia, constipation, an unclear Shen and irritability
   Yin Deficiency dry Lungs
   Heart Yin Deficiency
3. Softens hardness and dissipates nodules (Transforms Phlegm-Heat)
   Neck lumps (goiter, scrofula) due to Phlegm Fire
   Severe throat pain and swelling
4. Drains Fire
   Extreme throat pain or red, swollen eyes
5. Relieves toxicity
   Ying Stage Heat
6. Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea due to spleen deficiency. It is antagonistic to Li Lu.

Pinyin: Lian Zi Xin  Chinese: 莲子心
Pharmaceutical: Plumula Nelumbinis
English: Lotus Plumule

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heart Fire and relieves irritability
   Ying Stage Heat Attacking the Pericardium with a high fever, mental confusion or delirium Heart Fire with insomnia or irritability
2. Stops bleeding and astringes Jing
   As a powder for hematemesis or spermatorrhea

Standard Dosage: 1.5-3g in decoction.

Pinyin: Dan Zhu Ye  Chinese: 淡竹叶
Pharmaceutical: Herba Lophatheri
English: Bamboo Leaves and Stem

Tastes: Cold, bitter, sweet and bland
Meridians Entered: Small Intestine, Lung and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and eliminates irritability
   Internal Heat patterns with irritability, restlessness, dry mouth and thirst
   Mouth and lip ulcers ulcers due to Heat in the Heart or Stomach channels
2. Promotes urination and clears Damp-Heat
   Rough, scanty, painful urination
   Especially useful for Heat in the Small Intestine channel with rough, scanty, painful urination, irritability and a dark, red tip of the tongue

Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Lian Qiao  Chinese: 连翘
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Forsythiae
Taxonomy: Forsythia suspensa
English: Weeping Forsythia Capsule / Forsythia Fruit

Tastes: Bitter, slightly pungent, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart and Gall Bladder or Small Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat (especially in the Upper Jiao) and resolves Toxicity
   Wind-Heat with high fever, slight chills and sore throat
   Bound Heat
2. Reduces abscesses and dissipates clumps
   Toxic Heat sores and swellings (Chuang Yung), swollen welling abscesses, malign sores, scrofula, goiter and tumours of the neck
   Throat Bi
3. Clears Blood Heat
   Blood Heat
4. Promotes urination
   Lin syndrome (urinary stones), dysuria, haematuria
5. Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as an inferior herb that treats Gu Toxins
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Shui Niu Jiao  Chinese: 水牛角
Pharmaceutical: Cornu Bubali
English: Water Buffalo Horn

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat from the Ying and Xue, relieves Fire toxicity, cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Very high fever and chaotic movement of Blood (erythema, purpura, epistaxis, hematemesis, convulsions and delirium)
2. Clears Heat and arrests tremors
   Unremitting high fever, loss of consciousness, delirium, convulsions or manic behaviour due to Warm-Disease
   Used externally as a material for Gua Sha tools where it excels in regulating the Blood and clearing Heat

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction or made into Gua Sha tools for external use.

Pinyin: Mai Men Dong  Chinese: 麥門冬
Pharmaceutical: Radix Ophiopogonis
English: Dwarf Lilyturf Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Lung and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Moistens the Lungs, nourishes Yin and stops coughing
   Lung Yin Deficiency with a hacking, dry cough or a cough with thick, difficult to expectorate sputum, or hemoptysis
   Pathogenic Warm-Dryness Dryness that has transformed into Fire
2. Nourishes Stomach Yin and generates Fluids
   Stomach Yin Deficiency with dry mouth and tongue
3. Moistens the Intestines
   Constipation, dry mouth and irritability as a result of febrile disease or Yin Deficiency
4. Clears the Heart and eliminates irritability
   Ying Stage Heat with fever and irritability which is worse at night
   Yin Deficiency with fever and irritability which is worse at night
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the middle class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, prevent senility and make one free from hunger. 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: 10-15g in decoction.