Pinyin: Huang Lian  Chinese: 黄连
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Coptidis
Taxonomy: Coptidis chinensis
English: Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread Rhizome

Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Clears Heat and drains Dampness
   Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
   Stomach Heat with vomiting and/or acid regurgitation
2. Drains Fire and resolves Fire toxicity
   Heat with Blazing Fire (Toxic Heat) with high fever. irritability, disorientation, delirium, a red tongue and a rapid, full pulse
   Heat from Excess with toxicity: painful, red eyes and a sore throat
   Boils, carbuncles and abscesses (Chuang Yung)
3. Clears Heat and stops bleeding
   Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia and hemoptysis
4. Clears Heat topically
   Infected wounds, red and painful eyes, ulcerations of the tongue and mouth (topical)
5. Clears Heart Fire (sedative)
   Heart Fire
   Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
6. Drains Stomach Fire
   Stomach Fire
7. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, improve memory. 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: 2-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Because its taste is extremly bitter and dryness, overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach, yin and fluids.

Pinyin: Tian Hua Fen  Chinese: 天花粉
Pharmaceutical: Radix Trichosanthis
English: Snakegourd Root

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

Actions & Indications:

1. Drains Heat and generates Fluids
   Lung Heat and Dryness with thirst and irritability
   Yin Deficiency thirst
   Wasting and thirsting disorder (Xiao Ke)
   Thick sputum, blood streaked sputum
2. Clears and drains Lung Heat, transforms Phlegm and moistens Lung Dryness
   Phlegm Heat above the diaphragm, especially when the Heat has led to Dryness
3. Relieves toxicity, expels pus and reduces swelling
   Chuang Yung (especially breast abscesses - internal and topical)

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Ren Ru Zhi  Chinese: 人乳汁
Pharmaceutical: Lac Hominis
Taxonomy: Homo sapiens
English: Human Breast Milk

Tastes: Sweet, salty, neutral
Meridians Entered: Heart, Lung and Stomach

Actions:
Tonify yin and nourish blood, moisten dryness and alleviate thrist.

Indications:

1. Tonifies Yin and nourishes Blood, moistens dryness and alleviates thrist
   
   Diabetes (Xiao Ke), consumptive disease, paralysis
   
   Constipation
   
   Dysphagia
   
   Amenorrhea due to blood deficiency

Standard Dosage: Drunk fresh or used as eye drops.

Pinyin: Ou  Chinese: 藕
Pharmaceutical: Radix nelumbinis
English: Lotus Root

Tastes: Sweet, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Spleen and Stomach

Actions:
Raw: Clears heat and cools the blood, dissipating blood stasis.
Boiled: Strengthens the spleen, stimulates the appetite, tonifies blood and promotes tissue regeneration.

Standard Dosage: Eaten directly, raw or cooked.

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: 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: Feng Mi  Chinese: 蜂蜜
Pharmaceutical: Mel
Taxonomy: Apis mellifera
English: Honey

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes the Spleen and Stomach and relieves pain
   Spleen and Stomach Deficiencies
   Assists herbal preparations by protecting the Spleen and Stomach
2. Moistens the Intestines
   Dry stool
   Constipation
3. Nourishes the Lungs and stops coughing
   Dry cough
4. Resolves Toxicity
   Heat toxins of the skin
   Ingestion of poisonous substances
   Open wounds; used for centuries to prevent infection and is currently supported by evidence (Tashkandi, 2021), and even recommended by the NHS (Oxford NHS trust, 2015)
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of animal products which can, with protracted taking, fortify the will (志 Zhi), make the body light and free from hunger, and prevent senility. 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). Honey is particularly interesting due to its high sugar content which contradicts the idea that Bigu was a keto diet but several reviews have concluded that honey lowers blood glucose levels and improves metabolic health (Meo et al., 2017; Bobis et al., 2018; Zamanian & Azizi-Soleiman, 2020; Ahmed et al., 2022)

Standard Dosage: Decocted in water, used to form pills, used to prepare herbs or applied to wounds.
Cautions: It is used with caution in cases of Damp obstruction, Phlegm stagnation, loose stool or diarrhoea because it can increase Dampness, and induce abdominal fullness.