Properties: Sweet, neutral
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver, Stomach, Small Intestine and Large Intestine
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Tonify Blood and moisten dryness
Dizziness, headache
Poor night vision
Diabetes (消渴 Xiao Ke)
Constipation
- Stop bleeding
Nosebleed
Haemorrhoids
Blood in the stool
- Calms the Liver
Hot eyes
Suggested Daily Dosage: Cook for eating or drink juice.
Cautions: Do not take too much.
Notable Constituents:
- Iron
Essential heavy metal necessary for the formation of haemoglobin and oxygen transport of red blood cells.
- Oxalate
A dicarboxylic acid that is converted to oxalic acid where it can accumulate in the kidneys and forms the main constituent of kidney stones. It is found in high concentrations of the leaves of beets, chard and spinach and so these should not be consumed too often or in too large amounts.
Does not appear in any formulae listed on this site
Research Links & References: (click to display)
Research Links:
Reference Notes:
Individual herb information has sourced mainly from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes. Zhou, Xie and Yan (2011): Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicines, Vol. 5, and A+ Medical Encyclopaedia have been used for entries not available from those sources with additional material searched for and filled in where available. Western herbs not appearing in the Chinese literature have used Ross (2010): Combining Western Herbs and Chinese Medicine: A Clinical Materia Medica, White Rabbit Institute of Healing and therapeutika.ch. Choices of which source to use or combine have been my own.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted. Actions and indications are taken from traditional uses and do not necessarily reflect the evidence base which should be researched independently. Dosages are for guidance only and will vary dependening on the potency of the batch and the tolerance of the individual so should be evaluated by a professional based on individual needs.
