Pinyin: Jin Yin Hua  Chinese: 金银花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Lonicerae japonicae
Taxonomy: Lonicera japonica
English: Honeysuckle Flower

Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, heart, stomach and large intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and resolves Fire Toxicity
   Hot, painful sores and skin eruptions in various stages of development, especially breast, throat and eyes
   Intestinal abscesses
2. Vents and disperses External Wind-Heat
   Early-Stage Wind-Heat Warm-Heat pathogen with fever, chills, slight aversion to Wind, sore throat and headache
   External Summerheat
3. Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao
   Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with dysentery or Lin Syndrome
4. Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (charred)
   Blood Heat dysentery
5. Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
   Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
   Mysterious bruises due to Ghost Strike (鬼擊) (Wilcox, 2024)

Standard Dosage: 6-30g in decoction. Small doses are for expelling Wind-Heat, large doses for Toxic Heat sores. Can be up to 90g in extreme cases (e.g. Si Miao Yong An Tang).

Pinyin: Pu Gong Ying  Chinese: 蒲公英
Pharmaceutical: Herba Taraxaci
Taxonomy: Taraxacum mongolicum seu officinalis
English: Dandelion

Tastes: Bitter, sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Stomach and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Reduces abscesses and dissipates nodules
   Internal abscesses and external sores particularly if they are firm and hard, especially breast and intestinal abscess, Chuang Yung (internally and topically)
2. Clears the Liver and clears the eyes
   Eye redness and swelling (alone as a steam)
   Liver Heat, cirrhosis
3. Clears Heat, resolves Dampness and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat painful urinary dysfunction
   Damp-Heat jaundice
4. Relieves Fire toxicity
   Fire toxicity , swollen, painful throat, upper respiratory tract infection
5. Promotes lactation
   Insufficient lactation due to Heat
6. Clears Heat in the Blood
   Congested Fire of the Spleen and Stomach

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: Overdosage may cause loose bowel or excessive urination. Concurrent use with quinolone antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin may influence the bioavailability and disposition of the quinolone antibiotics.

Pinyin: Zi Hua Di Ding  Chinese: 紫花地丁
Pharmaceutical: Herba Violae
Taxonomy: Viola yedoensis Makino seu prionantha (see notes)
English: Violet herb

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity, cools the Blood and disperses swelling
   Red and swollen eyes
   Mastitis
   Jaundice
   Dysentery
   Sore throat with swelling and pain
   Topically for bruises and snake bites
2. Clears Hot Sores (Chuang Yung), internally and topically
   Deep rooted sores and abscesses, especially if red and swollen and located on the head and back

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ye Ju Hua  Chinese: 野菊花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Chrysanthemi Indici
English: Wild Chrysanthemum Flower

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Lung and Heart

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Fire and resolves toxicity
   Fire toxicity with sore, swollen throat
   Furuncles, carbuncles and sores (Chuang Yung)
   Liver-Wind Fire causing red eyes
   As an external wash for itching

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Tian Kui Zi  Chinese: 天葵子
Pharmaceutical: Radix Semiaquilegiae
Taxonomy: Semiaquilegia adoxoides
English: Semiaquilegia Root

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat, resolves toxicity, reduces swelling and disperses Stagnation
   Abscesses, swelling, toxic sores and deep-rooted furuncles. Some types of cancer

Standard Dosage: 3-9g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for loose stool and spleen deficiency.