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Huang Qi
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Qi
Chinese: 黄芪
Pharmaceutical: Radix Astragali
Taxonomy: Astragalus membranaceus
English: Astragalus Root / Mongolian Milkvetch Root |
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Tastes: Sweet, warm
Meridians Entered: Lung and Spleen |
Actions & Indications:
- Tonifies Qi and Blood
Postpartum fever due to Qi and Blood Deficiency
Recovery from severe Blood loss
- Strengthens the Spleen and raises the Yang Qi of the Spleen and Stomach
Spleen Qi Deficiency with anorexia, fatigue and diarrhoea
Central Qi Sinking (prolapse)
Lung and Spleen Qi Deficiency
Qi Failing to contain Blood
Qi and Blood Deficiency
Fever from Qi Deficiency
- Tonifies Wei Qi, stabilizes the Exterior and tonifies the Lungs (aids circulation of moisture downward from the face)
Wei Qi Deficiency with spontaneous sweating
Lung Qi Deficiency with frequent colds or shortness of breath
Excessive sweating associated with Qi, Yang or Yin Deficiency
Dampness in the head
- Promotes urination and reduces oedema
Spleen Deficiency oedema or superficial oedema with reduced urination (It can be used as a stand-alone herb for this)
- Promotes the discharge of pus, generates flesh and expels toxins
Chronic ulcerations and sores that either have trouble forming pus or have formed pus but are not draining well
- Generates Body Fluids
Wasting and thirsting disorder (消渴 Xiao Ke)
Bi Syndrome with numbness of the limbs and paralysis
- Relieves numbness and pain
Numbness and pain due to Deficiency of Qi and Blood
- Tonifies the Qi while suppressing Parasites
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Large dosages of up to 30g can be used for severe debilitation, Blood deficiency or unhealing sores (e.g. Dang Gui Bu Xue Tang).
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of exterior excess with excessive pathogen, internal obstruction, yin deficiency with yang hyperactivity, early stage of sores and ulcers of excessive pathogen and no deficiency of heathy qi, because it can tonify qi, raise yang and strengthen superficial.Caution with patients on immunosuppressents due to its immune modulating effects. |
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Fang Feng
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Fang Feng
Chinese: 防风
Pharmaceutical: Radix Saposhnikoviae seu Ledebouriellae
English: Siler |
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Tastes: Pungent, sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Lung, Liver and Spleen |
Actions & Indications:
- Releases the Exterior and expels External Wind
Wind-Cold with headache, chills, aversion to Cold, and body aches
- Expels Wind-Dampness and alleviates pain
Wind-Damp Bi, especially with Wind predominant
- Expels Internal Wind and stops spasms
As an auxiliary for Liver Wind with trembling of hands and feet and tetany
Intestinal-Wind due to imbalance between Spleen and Liver with recurrent tenesmus and painful diarrhoea with bright blood in the stool
Migraine headaches
- Relieves diarrhoea and stops bleeding
Liver and Spleen Disharmony with recurrent painful diarrhoea, borborygmus and abdominal pain
- Aids fasting
Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the middle class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, make the body light. 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).
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Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with caution for blood deficiency and internal wind induced by heat because of its warm property. |
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Chong Wei Zi
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Chong Wei Zi
Chinese: 茺蔚子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Leonuri
English: Asian Motherwort Seed |
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Tastes: Sweet, pungent, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- Invigorates the Blood and regulates the menses
Irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea or postpartum abdominal pain due to Blood Stasis
- Clears Heat and clears the eyes
Headache or red swollen, painful eyes, nebulae or conjunctivitis due to Liver Heat
Pterygium
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Standard Dosage: 6-9g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to liver-blood deficiency, corectasis and pregnant women. |
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Jie Geng
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Jie Geng
Chinese: 桔梗
Pharmaceutical: Radix Platycodi
English: Balloon Flower Root |
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Tastes: Bitter, pungent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- Opens the Lungs, spreads Lung Qi, expels Phlegm and benefits the throat
Cough due to Wind-Cold or Wind-Heat (with profuse sputum, sore throat, loss of voice)
Loss of voice or sore throat due to external Heat, Phlegm Heat or Yin Deficiency Heat
- Expels pus
Lung or throat abscess (Phlegm and Qi Stagnation) with fevers, chest pain, coughing of yellow sputum with a fishy smell and hemoptysis
- Opens and raises Lung Qi, directing the effects of other herbs to the upper body
Reinforces the actions of the other herbs and focuses the formula on the upper body
- Expels Gu Toxins
Vomiting blood due to Gu-Toxins (with Gan Cao; in the Soushen Ji, Record of Searching for Spirits; Wilcox, 2024).
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Overdose can cause nausea and vomiting. |
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Da Huang
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Da Huang
Chinese: 大黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix et Rhizoma Rhei
Taxonomy: Rheum palmatum
English: Chinese Rhubarb Root |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Large Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, Liver and Heart |
Actions & Indications:
- Drains Heat and purges accumulations
Intestinal Heat Excess, with high fever, profuse sweating, thirst, constipation, abdominal distention and pain, delirium, a yellow tongue coat and a full pulse
Yang-Ming Fu Stage
Qi Level Heat in the Intestines
- Drains Fire
Fire from Excess with intense fever, sore throat, and painful eyes and constipation
Fire toxin sores due to Xue Level Heat, especially with constipation
- Clears Heat, transforms Dampness and promotes urination
Damp-Heat with oedema, jaundice, painful urinary dysfunction and acute, hot dysenteric disorders
- Drains Heat from the Blood
Bloody stool either from hemorrhoids or Heat in the Intestines
Chaotic movement of hot Blood with hemoptysis or epistaxis with constipation
It can be powdered and administered orally for bleeding in the upper digestive tract
- Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis
Blood Stasis with amenorrhea, fixed abdominal masses or fixed pain
Blood Stasis due to traumatic injury
Intestinal abscess
- Clears Heat and reduces Fire toxicity
Topically or internally for burns or skin lesions (Chuang Yung) due to Heat
- Clears Heat and eliminates Phlegm
Chronic Accumulation of Phlegm-Heat with cough, dyspnea, mania, disorientation and other symptoms of Phlegm Misting the Heart
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction. Excessive decoction will reduce the purgative action. Therefore it should be added at end to achieve this purpose and over-decocted to eliminate this action.
Cautions: It should be used with caution in case of spleen and stomach deficiency for its bitter and cold property which is easily to damage stomach qi. It is contraindicated to women during pregnancy, menstruation or lactation for it has actions of activating blood and resolving stasis, and can make the purged substances follow lactating out. |
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Huang Qin
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Qin
Chinese: 黄芩
Pharmaceutical: Radix Scutellariae baicalensis
Taxonomy: Scutellaria baicalensis
English: Baical Skullcap Root |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach, Gallbladder, Large Intestine and Bladder |
Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and dries Dampness
Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Damp-Warmth with fever, a stifling sensation in the chest and thirst with no desire to drink
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with painful urinary dysfunction
Damp-Heat jaundice (auxiliary), infectious hepatitis
- Drains Fire and detoxifies
Heat and Fire especially in the Upper Jiao (Lung) with high fever, irritability, thirst, cough and expectoration of thick, yellow sputum
Upper respiratory tract infection
Hot sores and swellings (topical or internal)
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat causing bleeding with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis and hemafecia
- Clears Heat and calms the fetus
Fetal restlessness due to Heat
- Calms ascending Liver Yang
Liver Yang Rising with headache, irritability, red eyes, flushed face and bitter taste
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Gallbladder Heat
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Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
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Huang Lian
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Lian
Chinese: 黄连
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Coptidis
Taxonomy: Coptidis chinensis
English: Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread Rhizome |
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine and Liver |
Actions & Indications:
- 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
- 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)
- Clears Heat and stops bleeding
Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia and hemoptysis
- Clears Heat topically
Infected wounds, red and painful eyes, ulcerations of the tongue and mouth (topical)
- Clears Heart Fire (sedative)
Heart Fire
Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
- Drains Stomach Fire
Stomach Fire
- 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).
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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. |
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Che Qian Zi
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Che Qian Zi
Chinese: 車前子
Pharmaceutical: Semen Plantaginis
Taxonomy: Plantago asiatica
English: Plantago Seeds / Plantain Seeds / Psyllium Seeds |
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Tastes: Sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Kidney, Bladder, Liver and Lung |
Actions & Indications:
- Promotes urination and clears Damp-Heat
Damp-Heat, generally Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with oedema, painful urinary dysfunction
- Promotes urination to solidify the stool
Diarrhoea due to Damp-Heat
Summerheat with Dampness
- Clears Liver Heat and clears the eyes
Eye problems due to Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency with dry eyes and diminished visual acuity
Heat in the Liver Channel with red, painful, swollen eyes and sensitivity to light
Hypertension, high blood sugar, diabetes, obesity and hyperlipidemia (Chen et al., 2022; Zhu et al., 2024)
- Clears the Lungs, expels Phlegm and stops coughing
Lung Heat induced cough with yellow copious Phlegm
- 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 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).
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Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
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Mang Xiao
| 40g | |
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Pinyin: Mang Xiao
Chinese: 芒硝
Pharmaceutical: Natrii Sulfas
Taxonomy: Na2SO4·10H2O
English: Glauber's Salt / Mirabilite |
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Tastes: Salty, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach and Large Intestine |
Actions & Indications:
- Purges accumulations, guides out Stagnation, softens hardness and moistens Dryness
Heat in the Stomach and Intestines with constipation and hard knots
- Clears Heat and drains Fire
Heat in the Stomach or Lungs especially accumulated Phlegm or clumping in the Intestines
- Clears Heat and reduces swelling
Red, swollen, painful eyes
Painful, ulcerated, swollen mouth or throat (topical)
Red, swollen skin lesions (topical)
Mastitis (topical) (promotes lactation)
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g dissolved into decoction at end.
Cautions: Use with caution for women during lactation for its milk regurgitation action. It is contraindicated to pregnant women.
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 Yu Li Ren. If the osmotic laxative effects of salts are required then Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) are more commonly available in the UK, although they still come under the same laws and would have to be included as lifestyle advice, to be sourced and dosed by the patient, not prescribed and given by the herbalist. |
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