Pinyin: Shu Di Huang  Chinese: 熟地黄
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae Preparata
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Prepared Chinese Foxglove Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes the Blood
   Blood Deficiency with facial pallor, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding and postpartum bleeding
2. Nourishes Liver and Kidney Yin
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency with a weak low back and limbs, dizziness, tinnitus, tidal fevers, night sweats and nocturnal emissions
3. Strongly enriches Yin and relieves wasting and thirsting disorder
   Lower Jiao wasting (it can be used as a stand-alone herb for this)
4. Nourishes Jing and Blood and fills the Marrow
   Exhausted Jing and Blood problems such as delayed development during childhood, blunted affect, premature aging, diminished mental acuity, graying of hair, impotence and memory loss
5. Arrests coughing and wheezing
   Kidney Deficient coughing, wheezing and asthma, such as inability of the Kidneys to grasp Qi

Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for spleen and stomach deficiency, loose stool due to fullness in abdomen and qi stagnation with excessive phlegm because it is greasy and will produce indigestion.

Pinyin: Shan Yao  Chinese: 山药
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Dioscoreae
Taxonomy: Dioscorea polystachya syn. batatas
English: Chinese Yam / Shu Yu

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Lung and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Tonifies the Spleen, nourishes Stomach Yin and stops diarrhoea
   Spleen or Stomach Deficiency with diarrhoea, fatigue, spontaneous sweating and anorexia
2. Tonifies Lung Qi and nourishes Lung Yin
   Lung Qi and/or Yin Deficiency with chronic cough
3. Tonifies Kidney Yin and astringes Jing
   Kidney Qi Deficiency with spermatorrhea, urinary frequency and vaginal discharge
   消渴 Xiao Ke due to Qi and Yin Deficiency
4. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, sharpen the ears and eyes, make the body light, make one free from hunger and prolong life. 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). Despite being a starchy vegetable, this may still have been an appropriate addition to a ketogenic diet as the starches are mostly resistant and many of its other compounds have been shown to have blood glucose reducing effects, making it a potential important source of this essential nutrient group while engaging in a low carbohydrate diet.

Standard Dosage: 5-30g in decoction. Very large doses, up to 500g have been used in trials for diabetes management.

Pinyin: Shan Zhu Yu / Shan Yu Rou  Chinese: 山茱萸 / 山萸肉
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Corni
Taxonomy: Cornus officinalis
English: Dogwood Fruit

Tastes: Sour, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Stabilizes the Kidneys and astringes Jing and Body Fluids
   Leakage of fluids due to weak Jing with urinary frequency, incontinence, spermatorrhea and excessive sweating
2. Stops excessive sweating and supports that which has collapsed
   Collapse of Qi with excessive sweating and shock
   Devastated Yang with excessive sweating and shock
   Sweating mistakenly induced as a treatment
3. Tonifies Liver and Kidney Yin and strengthens Kidney Yang
   Lightheadedness, dizziness, soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees or impotence due to Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency and Kidney Yang Deficiency
4. Stabilizes the menses and stops bleeding
   Excessive uterine bleeding and prolonged menstruation due to Deficiency (weak effect)
5. Expels Cold-Dampness and Evil Qi
   The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing places this in the middle class of woods and says it treats "evil qi below the heart and cold and heat. It warms the centre and expels Cold-Damp Bi."
6. Aids fasting
   The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing says this herb 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).
7. Removes the Three Worms
   The Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing also says that it removes the Three Worms. These may refer to difficult to treat metabolic disorders caused by overindulgence and should be accompanied by fasting, meditation and exercise regimes.

Standard Dosage: 5-10g in decoction.

Pinyin: Gou Qi Zi  Chinese: 枸杞子
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Lycii
Taxonomy: Lycium barbarum seu chinense
English: Goji Berries / Wolfberries / Boxthorn Berries

Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes and tonifies Liver and Kidney Blood and Yin
   Blood and Yin Deficiency with sore back and legs, low-grade abdominal pain, impotence, nocturnal emissions, wasting and thirsting disorder and consumption
   Liver and Kidney Deficiency
   Added to baths during spring to promote skin health and delay aging
2. Benefits Jing and brightens the eyes
   Liver and Kidney Deficiency where Jing and Blood cannot nourish eyes with dizziness, blurred vision and diminished visual acuity
3. Nourishes Yin and moistens the Lungs
   Consumptive cough and wasting and thirsting disorder

Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: In vitro testing suggests that unidentified wolfberry phytochemicals in goji tea may inhibit metabolism of other medications, such as those processed by the cytochrome P450 liver enzymes. Such drugs include warfarin, or drugs for diabetes or hypertension. However, no in vivo statistics support this.

Pinyin: Chuan Niu Xi  Chinese: 川牛膝
Pharmaceutical: Radix Cyathulae
Taxonomy: Cyathula officinalis
English: Hookweed Root / Cyathula Root

Tastes: Sweet, slightly bitter, neutral
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Invigorates the Blood, dispels Blood Stasis and unblocks the menses
   Blood Stasis leading to dysmenorrhea or amenorrhea
   Pain due to traumatic injury
2. Expels Wind and drains Dampness
   Wind-Damp Bi pain (especially in the lower back) and atrophy and spasm of the lower extremities
3. Promotes urination and treats dysuria
   Painful urinary dysfunction
4. Descends Blood and Fire
   Abnormal bleeding due to Fire Flaring Upwards with hematemesis, epistaxis, toothache ulceration of the mouth and tongue, dizziness and headache
5. Tonifies the Kidneys and Liver and strengthens the tendons and bones
   Lower back and knee soreness, weakness and pain

Standard Dosage: 6-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for menorrhagia, pregnancy and spermatorrhea.

Pinyin: Tu Si Zi  Chinese: 菟丝子
Pharmaceutical: Semen Cuscutae
English: Chinese Dodder Seeds

Tastes: Sweet, astringing, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Kidney, Spleen and Liver

Actions & Indications:

1. Strengthens Yang, nourishes Yin, astringes Jing and urine and benefits the marrow
   Kidney Yang Deficiency with impotence, nocturnal emissions, premature ejaculation, tinnitus, urinary frequency, sore painful back and vaginal discharge
2. Tonifies the Kidneys and Liver and improves vision
   Deficient Liver and Kidney Yin, Yang and Jing with dizziness, tinnitus, blurred vision or spots before the eyes
3. Benefits the Kidneys and Spleen and stops (astringes) diarrhoea
   Diarrhoea, loose stools and anorexia from Spleen and Kidney Deficiency
4. Calms the fetus
   Habitual or threatened miscarriage
5. Aids fasting
   Mentioned in the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing as part of the superior class of herbs which can, with protracted taking, brighten the eyes, make the body light and prolong life. 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 yin deficiency with effulgent fire and difficult urination because of its warm property and tonifying and astringing actions.

Pinyin: Lu Jiao Jiao  Chinese: 鹿角胶
Pharmaceutical: Colla Cornu Cervi Pantotrichum
English: Deer Antler Glue

Tastes: Sweet, salty, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Kidney

Actions:
Nourish blood and tonify essence.

Indications:
Lumbago, morbid leucorrhea, thin and weak due to asthenic disease, deficiency of kidney-qi, impotence, spermatorrhea, metrorrhagia and metrostaxis, cold uterus, dorsal furuncle

Standard Dosage: 3g melted in boiling water or millet wine, or taken as powder, 3 times per day.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for yin-deficiency leading to hyperactivity of yang.

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 Rou Cong Rong and Xu Duan.

Pinyin: Gui Ban Jiao  Chinese: 龟板胶
Pharmaceutical: Colla Carapacis et Plastri Testudinis
English: Turtle Plastron Glue

Tastes: Sweet, salty, cool
Meridians Entered: Liver, Heart and Kidney

Actions & Indications:

1. Nourishes Yin and anchors Yang
   Yin Deficiency with Yang Rising with fever, night sweats, dizziness, tinnitus and steaming bone disorder
   Kidney and Liver Yin Deficiency generating Internal Wind with facial spasms and tremors of the hands and feet
2. Benefits the Kidneys and strengthens the bones
   Kidney Yin Deficiency with soreness of the lower back, weakness in the legs, retarded skeletal development in children or failure of the fontanel to close
3. Nourishes the Blood, enriches Yin and stabilizes the Chong and Ren channels
   Red and white vaginal discharge or uterine bleeding
4. Cools the Blood and stops uterine bleeding
   Blood Heat causing excessive menstruation or uterine bleeding
5. Nourishes the Blood and tonifies the Heart
   Heart Yin and/or Blood Deficiencies with anxiety, insomnia and forgetfulness
6. Treats non-healing sores and ulcerations
   Non-healing sores and ulcerations

Standard Dosage: 3-9g melted into decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in case of cold and dampness in stomach.

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 Sheng Di Huang and Shu Di Huang.

Turtles may also act as viral reservoirs and have been proposed as the potential intermediate host for coronavirus between bats and humans (Liu et al., 2020).