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.

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: 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: Hua Shi  Chinese: 滑石
Pharmaceutical: Talcum / Magnesium Silicate
Taxonomy: Mg₃Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂
English: Talc / Talcum Powder

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Promotes urination and drains Heat from the Urinary Bladder (aids the movement of gravel and stones), (expels Damp-Heat)
   Hot Painful Urinary Dysfunction (Lin Syndrome) with hot, painful urination, dark, painful, burning, scanty urine
   Damp-Heat diarrhoea
   Qi Level Heat with Dampness with unremitting fever, heavy feeling in the body, thirst, yellow tongue coat
2. Releases Summeheat and resolves Dampness
   Summerheat (fever, urinary difficulty, thirst)
3. Absorbs Dampness and clears Heat (topically)
   Damp skin lesions (eczema, damp sores, prickly heat)
4. Stops bleeding due to Heat
   Heat type bleeding
   Nosebleed, vomiting blood (taken internally) Bleeding from wounds and sores (topical)
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of minerals which can, with protracted taking, make the body light, 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: 10-20g in decoction, or applied externally.
Cautions: Talc can cause granulomas in the rectum, vagina or wounds and prolonged external use has also been linked to ovarian (Wentzensen & O'Brien, 2021), stomach (Chang et al., 2020) and lung (Chang et al., 2017) cancer but other reviews contradict these findings (Goodman et al., 2020) suggesting this may only be an effect seen in rats (Prueitt et al., 2024). For safety it should therefore not be used for prolonged periods.

It should also not be in inhaled as it can cause lung irritation and remain in the body for up to 40 years (Johnson, 2021).

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 Chi Fu Ling and Ze Xie.

Pinyin: Sheng Ma  Chinese: 升麻
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Actaeae
Taxonomy: Actaea cimicifuga, A. heracleifolia (Da San Ye Sheng Ma), A. dahurica (Xin Gan Sheng Ma), A. simplex (Ye Sheng Ma)
English: Chinese Cohosh

Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Releases the Exterior and vents measles
   Headache due to Wind-Heat Early stages of measles
2. Clears Heat and relieves toxicity
   Fire toxins in the upper or superficial aspects of the body with sore teeth, swollen or painful gums, ulcerated lips or gums, canker sores, painful and swollen throat, sores or maculae from Warm-Heat pathogen diseases
3. Raises Yang and lifts sunken Qi
   Central Qi Sinking or Middle Qi Deficiency with shortness of breath, fatigue and prolapse
   Dai channel spasms
   Guides other herbs upwards
4. Kills Gu Parasites and Scatters Toxins by Releasing the Exterior
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, prevent premature death, 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: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: The patients whose measles have come out or have yin deficiency and heat excess, or yin deficiency and yang going upward adversely are forbidden to use this herb.