Pinyin: Ce Bai Ye  Chinese: 侧柏叶
Pharmaceutical: Cacumen Platycladi
English: Oriental Arborvitae Tip / Biota Leaves

Tastes: Bitter, astringent cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Liver and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
   Blood Heat bleeding with hematemesis, bleeding gums, hemafecia, hematuria, bloody dysenteric disorders and uterine bleeding
   This herb may be combined with appropriate herbs to treat bleeding associated with Cold patterns
2. Stops cough and asthma and expels Phlegm
   Lung Heat with cough
   Phlegm Heat, especially important for viscous, difficult-to-expectorate, blood-streaked sputum
3. Promotes the healing of burns and generates flesh (topical)
   Burns (topically in powdered form in the early stages over a moderate area)
4. Promotes hair growth
   Hair loss
5. Clears Damp-Heat
   Vaginal discharge due to Damp-Heat
6. Dispels Wind-Dampness
   Wind-Damp Bi

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Sheng Di Huang  Chinese: 生地黃
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Chinese Foxglove Root / Rehmannia Root

Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and cools the Blood
   Ying Stage Heat with high fever, thirst and a scarlet tongue
   Xue Stage Heat
   Hemorrhage due to Blood Heat
2. Nourishes Yin, generates fluids, increases saliva and treats wasting and thirsting
   Yin Deficiency with Heat signs
   Injury to fluids
   Throat pain due to Yin Deficiency
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke - diabetes)
3. Cools Heart Fire
   Heart Fire
4. Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
5. Breaks up Blood Stasis, expels Cold and Hot Bi, replenishes Bone Marrow and promotes the growth of Muscles and Flesh
   Broken bones or severed sinews from falls and a damaged center (Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing)
6. 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 prevent forgetfulness. 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.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea, abdomen distention due to spleen deficiency.

Pinyin: He Ye  Chinese: 荷叶
Pharmaceutical: Nelumbinis Foliae
English: Lotus Leaf

Tastes: Bitter, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Spleen, Gallbladder and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Relieves Summerheat
   Summerheat and Dampness with fever, irritability, excessive sweating, scanty urine and especially diarrhoea
2. Raises and clears Spleen Yang
   Spleen Yang Deficiency diarrhoea especially in the aftermath of Summerheat
3. Removes Stagnation and stops bleeding
   Bleeding in the Lower Jiao due to Heat or Stagnation Hematemesis (adjunctive)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ai Ye  Chinese: 艾叶
Pharmaceutical: Folium Artemisiae argyi
Taxonomy: Artemisia argyi (may also refer to vulgaris and indica species)
English: Mugwort Leaf

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Warms the channels, warms the womb, stops bleeding and calms the fetus
   Excess and/or prolonged menstrual bleeding due to Deficiency Cold
   Restless fetus, lower abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding (threatened miscarriage)
   Infertility due to Cold womb
2. Disperses Cold and alleviates pain
   Cold abdominal pain
   Cold menstrual pain
3. Eliminates Dampness and stops itching
   Decocted and applied externally as a wash for skin problems marked by Dampness and itching
4. Resolves Phlegm and stops cough and asthma
   As an extracted oil for wheezing, and coughing with profuse sputum
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, sharpen the eyes and ears and prevent forgetfulness. 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.