Properties: Sweet, warm
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver, Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Activates the Blood and resolves Blood Stasis
Traumatic injury
Abdominal pain due to blood stasis
Bloody purulent stool
Prolonged post-partum bleeding
- Tonifies the Spleen and promotes digestion
Food stagnation
Recently used for high cholesterol
Suggested Daily Dosage: 6-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for Spleen Yin deficiency and people without Food Stagnation and Blood Stasis.
Notes:
Lovastatin, a cholesterol lowering medication is an extract made from yeast rice.
Xuezhikang, an extract from this herb appears frequently in the Cochrane Review of Chinese Herbs for Hypercholestrolaemia by Liu et al. (2012) but concludes that evidence must be treated with caution due to high risk of bias.
The NHS has also reviewed this with a fairly positive recommendation: Red yeast rice extract and heart disease.
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, 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.
