Pinyin: Hai Feng Teng  Chinese: 海风藤
Pharmaceutical: Caulis Piperis Kadsurae
English: Kadsura Pepper Stem

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Heart and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind-Dampness and unblocks the channels
   Wind-Cold-Damp Bi with stiff joints, lower back pain, sore knees and cramping of muscles and sinews
2. Disperses Cold and stops pain
   Cold Invading Spleen and Stomach
   Trauma pain

Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.

Pinyin: Xu Chang Qing  Chinese: 徐長卿
Pharmaceutical: Radix Cynanchi paniculati
Taxonomy: Cynanchus Paniculatus
English: Paniculate Swallowwort Root / Liao Diao Zhu / Shi Xia Chang Qing

Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Stomach

Actions & Indications:

1. Removes Wind and Dampness, invigorates Blood and stops pain
   Wind-Damp Bi Syndrome
   Pain due to trauma
   Abdominal pain due to Deficiency Cold
2. Resolves toxins and stops itching
   Wind rashes (topical and internal)
   Toxic sores (Chuang Yung)
   Skin itching including eczema and snakebite (can be used as a stand-alone herb)
3. Treats Ghost Possession and Gu Toxins
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as treating Ghost Possession, Spirit Matters (精物 Jing Wu), Evil and Malign Qi. It kills the hundred Spirits, Gu Toxins, and old Ghost Possessions manifesting as running about, crying, sadness, and trance.

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to weak people.

Pinyin: Song Mu Gen  Chinese: 楤木根
Pharmaceutical: Radix Araliae Chinensis
English: Chinese Angelica Tree

Tastes: Pungent, neutral, bitter
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen and Kidney

Actions:
Expel wind-damp, disperse blood stasis, resolve swelling, induce diuresis.

Indications:
Rheumatic arthritis, stomachache, sores and boils, scrofula, traumatic injury, metrorrhagia, gonorrhea, hepatitis, ascites due to cirrhosis, nephritis dropsy

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to pregnant women.

Pinyin: Zhu Sha Gen  Chinese: 朱砂根
Pharmaceutical: Radix Ardisiae crenatae
Taxonomy: Ardisia crenata
English: Coral Ardisia Root

Tastes: Slightly bitter, pungent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind and Eliminates Dampness
   Rheumatic arthritis
2. Activates Blood and alleviates pain
   Traumatic injury
3. Resolves Toxicity and dissipates swelling
   Sore throat

Standard Dosage: 3-9g in decoction.

Pinyin: Xiang Jia Pi  Chinese: 香加皮
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Periplocae
English: Chinese Silkvine Root Bark

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

Actions:
Dispel wind-damp, induce diuresis to alleviate edema.

Indications:
1. Arthralgia syndrome due to wind-damp
2. Edema, difficulty in micturition

Standard Dosage: 3-6g in decoction, or soaked in wine.
Cautions: Overdosage should be avoided because it contains toxic cardiac glycosides.

Pinyin: Bo He  Chinese: 薄荷
Pharmaceutical: Herba Menthae haplocalycis
Taxonomy: Mentha haplocalyx
English: Field Mint / Wild Mint

Tastes: Pungent, cool
Meridians Entered: Lung and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Disperses Wind-Heat, cools and clears the head and eyes and benefits the throat
   Wind-Heat with fever, cough, headache, red eyes and a sore throat
2. Vents rashes
   Early-stage rashes e.g. measles
3. Relieves Stagnation of Liver Qi
   Liver Qi Stagnation with pressure in the chest or flanks, emotional instability and gynecological problems
4. Expels turbid filth
   Exposure to unclean Qi in the Summertime leading to gastric distress with abdominal pain, vomiting. diarrhoea and a thick, yellow, greasy tongue coat
5. Releases the Exterior and Drives Out Snakes
   Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
   One of the chief herbs for treating Gu Syndrome, along with Bai Zhi and Zi Su Ye, classed as "open the exterior with snake killing herbs" (Fruehauf, 1998).

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Zhang Nao  Chinese: 樟脑
Pharmaceutical: Camphorae
Taxonomy: Cinnamomum camphora
English: Camphor

Tastes: Pungent, hot, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Heart and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Expels Wind and Dampness and kills parasites
   Wind-Damp skin lesions
   Scabies, tinea and itching sores
2. Opens the Orifices and expels turbidity
   Delirium and loss of consciousness due to Hot disorders
3. Invigorates the Blood, Disperses Cold and alleviates pain
   Topically for Blood Stagnation due to traumatic injury (injuries from falls, fractures, contusions, sprains pain and swelling)
   Toothache

Standard Dosage: 0.06-0.15g as powder or pills. It should not be decocted.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for qi deficiency and pregnant women. It should be used very carefully for people with skin allergy. It should not be overdose for qi deficiency when taking orally.

Pinyin: Tu Bie Chong  Chinese: 土鳖虫
Pharmaceutical: Eupolyphagae seu Steleophagae
Taxonomy: Eupolyphaga sinensis seu Steleophaga plancyi
English: Woodlouse

Tastes: Salty, cold, lightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Breaks up and drives out Blood Stasis, invigorates Blood circulation and disperses lumps and masses
   Blood Stasis with abdominal masses and amenorrhea
   Swollen tongue due to Blood Stasis
2. Knits together sinews and joins bones
   Traumatic injury with lacerations, contusions and fractures
   Lumbar strain (toasted and ground into a powder)

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction, or 1-1.5g in yellow wine.
Cautions: Animal 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 E Zhu and Ru Xiang.

Pinyin: Zao Jiao  Chinese: 皂角
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Gleditsiae Abnormalis
Taxonomy: Gleditsia sinensis
English: Abnormal Chinese Honeylocust Fruit / Soap bean

Tastes: Pungent, salty, warm, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Lung and Large Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Phlegm
   Obstruction due to stubborn Phlegm impairing the normal descent of Lung Qi with cough or wheezing with copious sputum that is difficult to expectorate as well as Phlegm nodules
2. Opens the Orifices and revives the Spirit
   Sudden loss of consciousness with facial paralysis or seizures due to excessive Phlegm. (treats only the manifestation, combine with other herbs to treat the root)
3. Dissipates clumps and reduces swellings
   Initial stages of abscesses or boils Abscesses in which there is difficulty in discharging pus
4. Unblocks the bowels and expels roundworms as a suppository
   Constipation and Intestinal obstruction due to roundworms

Standard Dosage: 1-1.5g as pills or powder.
Cautions: Do not overuse orally to avoid vomiting and diarrhea. It has drastic pungent, strong property of pungent, distracting and moving and use with cautions for stubborn syndrome and strong body. Prohibited for pregnant women, qi and yin deficiency and who tends to bleed.

Pinyin: Jiang Huang  Chinese: 姜黄
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Curcumae longae
Taxonomy: Curcuma longa
English: Turmeric Root

Tastes: Pungent, bitter, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Spleen

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood, eliminates Blood Stasis and unblocks menstruation
   Blood Stasis Menstrual problems and chest or abdominal pain due to Blood Stasis from Deficiency Cold
2. Promotes the movement of Qi and opens the channels and collaterals to alleviate pain
   Liver Qi Stagnation with epigastric and abdominal pain
3. Expels Wind and invigorates the Blood
   Wind-Damp-Bi with Blood Stasis, especially in the shoulders
4. Reduces swelling
   Swelling and pain from sores and lesions caused by toxic Heat Accumulation with Qi and Blood Stagnation

Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: Generally safe but its ability to increase bile secretion means caution should be used in cases of gallstones and avoided in biliary tract obstruction.

Pinyin: Ke Teng Zi  Chinese: 榼藤子
Pharmaceutical: Semen Entadae
English: Entada phaseoloides

Tastes: Slightly bitter, cool, toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen, Stomach and Kidney

Actions:
Tonify qi and blood, strengthen the stomach and promote digestion, dispel wind and alleviate pain, strengthen the tendons and bones.

Indications:
Abdominal pain, poor appetite, indigestion, pale face, weakness in the limbs, frigidity, rheumatic arthritis, blood deficiency

Standard Dosage: 1-3g, stir-baked into charcoal and made into powder.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to use the raw product.

Pinyin: Liang Mian Zhen  Chinese: 两面针
Pharmaceutical: Radix Zanthoxyli Nitidum
English: Shiny-leaf Prickly Ash Root

Tastes: Bitter, pungent, neutral, slightly toxic
Meridians Entered: Liver and Stomach

Actions:
Activate blood and remove stasis, promote the circulation of qi and alleviate pain, dispel wind and dredge meridians, remove toxicity and resolve swelling.

Indications:
Traumatic injury, stomachache, toothache, snake bites, rheumatic arthritis; burns for external application

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It cann’t be taken overdosage. It is contraindicated to eat with sour food.

Pinyin: Hu Zhang  Chinese: 虎杖
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Polygoni cuspidati
Taxonomy: Polygonum cuspidatum
English: Japanese Knotweed Root

Tastes: Bitter and cold
Meridians Entered: Liver, Gallbladder and Lung

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood, dispels Blood Stasis, unblocks the channels and stops pain
   Amenorrhea due to Blood Stasis
   Wind-Damp Bi
   Traumatic injury
2. Clears Heat and resolves Dampness
   Damp-Heat jaundice
   Turbid vaginal discharge
   Turbid, painful urinary dysfunction
3. Discharges toxins and disperses swelling
   Toxic skin conditions, burns and carbuncles
4. Drains Heat, transforms Phlegm and stops cough
   Lung Heat cough
   Constipation due to clumping of Heat

Standard Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for pregnant women.

Caution should also be taken if growing or wild foraging as careless harvesting can encourage propagation which is illegal in the UK due to the extreme invasive nature and damage to property values and biodiversity that this plant can do.

Pinyin: Qian Jin Ba  Chinese: 千斤拔
Pharmaceutical: Radix Flemingiae Philippinensis
English: Philippine Flemingia Root

Tastes: Sweet, astringent, neutral
Meridians Entered: Lung, Kidney and Bladder

Actions:
Strengthen the tendons and bones, astringe the lung and relieve sore throat.

Standard Dosage: 15-30g in decoction.

Pinyin: Shi Nan Teng  Chinese: 石南藤
Pharmaceutical: Caulis et folium Piperis wallichii
Taxonomy: Piper wallichii
English: Stem and leaves of piper wallichii

Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver, Spleen and Small Intestine

Actions & Indications:

1. Dispels Wind-Dampness
   Wind-Cold-Damp Bi syndrome
2. Tonifies the Kidneys, strengthens the lumbar spine and invigorates Yang
   Aching in the lower back and knees
   Impotence
3. Alleviates cough and calms wheezing
   Cough and wheezing
4. Invigorates the Blood and alleviates pain
   Dysmenorrhea
   Painful swelling from knocks and falls

Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction, or applied externally.
Cautions: Those with Yin deficiency or Excess Fire should use with caution.