Pinyin: Xue Li  Chinese: 雪梨
Pharmaceutical: Pyrus pyrifolia
English: Asian Pear

Tastes: Sweet, slightly sour, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Stomach

Actions:
Clear heat and resolve phlegm, promote the secretion of body fluid and relieve thrist.

Indications:
Cough due to lung dryness, diabetes, sores and boils, scalds and burns, fever, hot eyes, dry mouth

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ou Jie  Chinese: 藕节
Pharmaceutical: Nodus Nelumbinis Rhizomatis
English: Lotus Rhizome Node

Tastes: Sweet, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver, Lung, Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Stops bleeding, astringes leakage of Blood and removes Blood Stasis
   Bleeding, especially due to Lung or Stomach Heat with hematemesis and hemoptysis Chronic bleeding (with appropriate herbs)
2. Eliminates Heat from the Blood
   Blood Heat
3. 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, slow ageing, 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: 10-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: He Geng  Chinese: 荷梗
Pharmaceutical: Nelumbinis Petiole
Taxonomy: Nelumbo nucifera
English: Lotus Petiole

Tastes: Bitter, neutral
Meridians Entered: Spleen and Bladder

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and relieves Summerheat
   Chest stuffiness due to Summerheat and damp
   Dysentery, diarrhoea
2. Smooths the flow of Qi and promotes urination
   Stranguria, morbid leucorrhoea

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ju Luo  Chinese: 橘絡
Pharmaceutical: Medullam Citri reticulatae
Taxonomy: Citrus reticulata
English: Tangerine Pith

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Regulates Qi and resolves Phlegm
   Chronic cough and chest pain
   Phlegm with blood
   Thirst due to drinking too much wine
2. Dredges the meridians
   Stagnation of Qi in the meridians

Standard Dosage: 2.5-4.5g in decoction.

Pinyin: Gan Cao  Chinese: 甘草
Pharmaceutical: Radix Glycyrrhizae
Taxonomy: Glycyrrhiza uralensis seu glabra seu inflata
English: Liquorice Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Spleen (and all 12 meridians)

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies the Spleen and augments Qi
   Spleen Qi Deficiency with shortness of breath, lassitude and loose stools
   Qi and Blood Deficiency with an irregular pulse and/or palpitations
   Heart Qi Deficiency or Heart Yang Deficiency
2. Moistens the Lungs, resolves Phlegm and stops coughing
   Lung Heat or Cold
   Productive or non-productive coughing
3. Moderates spasms and alleviates pain
   Painful muscle spasms of the abdomen and legs
4. Clears Heat and relieves Fire Toxicity
   Raw for Toxic Heat with sore throat or carbuncles and sores (Chuang Yung)
5. Antidote for many toxic substances (internal and topical)
   Poisoning
   Bites (after washing the wound, chew Gan Cao and apply a thick layer on the bite wound, changing whenever it dries out; Bao Xiang-Ao, 1846, New Compilation of Proven Formulas)
6. Moderates and harmonizes the harsh properties of other herbs and guides the herbs to all twelve channels
   Often added in small doses to harmonise formulas
7. Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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: Typically 1.5-9g in decoction. Large doses can be up 30g.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for combining with Hai Zao, Da Ji, Gan Sui and Yuan Hua because of "eighteen antagonisms". It is also contraindicated in cases of dampness obstruction in middle energizer and edema because it can help dampness obstruct qi, and it is prohibited from long-term usage in large dosage (more than 20g/day) and should be avoided or used with extreme caution in patients with high blood pressure because it may raise aldosterone levels in the blood causing retention of sodium.

The NHS recommends avoiding during pregnancy.

Pinyin: Sheng Jiang  Chinese: 生姜
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens
Taxonomy: Zingiber officinale
English: Fresh Ginger

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Releases the Exterior, induces perspiration and disperses Cold
   Wind-Cold
2. Warms the Middle and stops vomiting
   Cold in the Stomach especially with vomiting
3. Warms the Lungs and stops coughing
   Cough due to Wind-Cold Cough due to Lung Deficiency with Phlegm
4. Reduces the toxicity of other herbs and seafood
   Herb toxicity or seafood poisoning
5. Adjusts the Ying and Wei - normalizes the flow of Qi at the center
   Taiyang Zhong Feng - Wind-Cold with Deficiency

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with caution for yin deficiency with internal heat and heat exuberance because it helps promote fire and injure yin.

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.