Properties: Bitter, cold
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Lung, Stomach, Large Intestine, Liver and Bladder
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Clears Heat and resolves Fire toxicity (Benefits the throat)
Heat in the Lungs and throat, asthma, encephalitis B
Acute infection of the gastrointestinal tract
Chuang Yang, sores and boils
In its fresh form it can be applied topically for snake bite
- Dries Dampness and stops diarrhea
Damp-Heat dysentery (Intestinal Damp-Heat)
Gall Bladder Heat, viral hepatitis, herpes zoster
Hot, painful urinary dysfunction, urinary tract infections
Eczema (topically)
- Cools the Blood
Epistaxis
- Resolves Phlegm
Phlegm Heat with purulent sputum
Suggested Daily Dosage: 3-6g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated to patients with deficiency cold syndrome.
Notable Constituents:
- Andrographolide
Diterpenoid responsible for the very bitter taste and several therapeutic activities including immunomodulatory and cell signalling expressing antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic properties.
Notes:
Native to India and Sri Lanka, this is a prominent herb in Ayurvedic medicine with little historical use in Chinese medicine but is very popular today for colds and flu.
Appears in 1 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
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, has 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.
