Pinyin: Tian Men Dong  Chinese: 天門冬
Pharmaceutical: Radix Asparagi
Taxonomy: Asparagus cochinchinensis
English: Asparagus Root

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Lung Heat, sedates Fire and Moistens the Lungs
   Lung Yin Deficiency with Heat signs in the upper Jiao such as Dryness of the mouth, Dryness of the Lung with dry mouth and a dry, non-productive cough or a productive cough with scanty, viscous, Blood-streaked sputum
   Consumption with low-grade afternoon fever
2. Nourishes the Lung and Kidney Yin, resolves Phlegm and generates Fluids
   Lung and Kidney Yin Deficiency, especially Wasting and Thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke) of upper, middle and lower Jiao
   Jing Deficiency due to Kidney Yin Deficiency with leg atrophy
   Constipation due to dry Intestines
3. Aids fasting and expels Evil Spirits
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as one of the superior herbs that will with protracted taking, make the body light, boost Qi 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).
4. Removes the Three Worms and Hidden Corpses
   Said in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing that it removes the Three Worms and Hidden Corpses. This was likely a precursor to the concept of the Three Corpse Worms, maybe deriving from 蠱 Gu Syndrome, whose character contains the character for Worm (蟲 Chong) three times, and may have referred to difficult to treat metabolic disorders. The worms were spiritual parasites which caused overindulgence leading to complex diseases that did not respond to normal medicine and needed to be treated by fasting (Bigu), meditation (Neidan) and medicines (Waidan).

Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for cough due to wind-cold invasion and diarrhea due to deficiency cold because of its cold and smooth properties.

Pinyin: Shu Di Huang  Chinese: 熟地黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae Preparata
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Prepared Chinese Foxglove Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes the Blood
   Blood Deficiency with facial pallor, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding and postpartum bleeding
2. Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency with a weak low back and limbs, dizziness, tinnitus, tidal fevers, night sweats and nocturnal emissions
3. Strongly enriches Yin and relieves wasting and thirsting disorder
   Lower Jiao wasting (it can be used as a stand-alone herb for this)
4. Nourishes Jing and Blood and fills the Marrow
   Exhausted Jing and Blood problems such as delayed development during childhood, blunted affect, premature aging, diminished mental acuity, graying of hair, impotence and memory loss
5. Arrests coughing and wheezing
   Kidney Deficient coughing, wheezing and asthma, such as inability of the Kidneys to grasp Qi

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for spleen and stomach deficiency, loose stool due to fullness in abdomen and qi stagnation with excessive phlegm because it is greasy and will produce indigestion.

Pinyin: Ren Shen  Chinese: 人參
Pharmaceutical: Radix Panax ginseng
Taxonomy: Panax ginseng
English: Ginseng Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Lung and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Powerfully tonifies Yuan Qi
   Extreme collapse of Qi or abandoned conditions that manifest in shallow breathing, shortness of breath, cold limbs, profuse sweating and an almost imperceptible pulse (after blood loss, overly profuse sweating or other problems related to severe fluid loss - it can be used alone in these emergencies)
   Collapse of Yang
   Collapse of Yin
2. Tonifies Spleen and Stomach Qi
   Lethargy, anorexia, chest and abdominal distention, chronic diarrhoea and, in severe cases, prolapse of the Stomach, uterus or rectum
3. Tonifies Lung Qi
   Lung Qi Deficiency with wheezing, shortness of breath and labored breathing on exertion
4. Generates Body Fluids and stops thirst
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke) and high fevers with profuse sweating which injures Qi and fluids
5. Tonifies Heart Qi and calms the Spirit
   Heart Qi and Blood Deficiency with palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, forgetfulness and restlessness
6. Treats impotence
   With Kidney Yang tonics for impotence
7. Tonifies Qi in Deficiency patients with Exterior conditions
   Exterior disorder with Interior Deficiency
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: 5-10g in decoction, 10-30g for exhaustion syndrome due to Qi deficiency.
Cautions: Antagonizing to Li Lu; the warm nature of sun-dried raw Ren Shen is weaker than that of Hong Shen.