Properties: Sweet, sour, bitter, warm

Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver and Stomach

1. Invigorates Blood, dispels Blood Stasis and stops pain
   Abdominal pain, due to Blood Stasis or Qi Stagnation (especially with Mu Xiang)
   Assists other herbs to break up masses and tumors in the abdomen (e.g. Da Huang, and also reduces its purgative effects)
   Applied externally with powdered Da Huang and mixed into a paste for early stage boils, first-degree and second-degree burns, or on its own for bruises and contusions due to external trauma
   As a mouthwash to relieve the pain of toothache.
2. Courses the Liver, regulates Qi, and moves Stagnation
   Enhances the Qi-regulating and pain-reducing properties of other herbs (e.g. Xiang Fu, Qing Pi or Xiao Hui Xiang)
   With cooling herbs can treat headaches due to Liver Fire or ascending Liver Yang
3. Relieves Toxicity
   Sore throat (egg white cooked in vinegar)
   As an external wash to prevent insect bites, or as a treatment after an insect bite has occurred
   Clear epidemic toxins from the air and prevent colds and flu
   Used in cooking to remove any toxicity that might be present in meat and fish and to prevent food stagnation
   Diluted in water to relieve the symptoms of hangovers.
4. Expels roundworms
   Especially if lodged in the Gall Bladder

Suggested Daily Dosage: 10-30ml in decoction. Usually combined with other herbs by washing them to bring out their Qi and Blood moving aspects, or added to a decoction to enhance these aspects in the entire formula.

Cautions: Overuse can damage the spleen and stomach.

• Acetic acid
  Extracts minerals very well and some non-polar constituents usually extracted with alcohol. It is useful for extraction and fixing of certain alkaloids which would have otherwise separated out of the mixture and also lowers the pH of the formula which may affect extraction rates.

Notes:

Actions and Indications are taken from Jiang, Vinegar, The "Bitter" Herb, Acupuncture Today, Jul, 2004, 5(7) and A+ Hospital.