Properties: Bitter, pungent, cold
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Liver, Gallbladder and Kidney
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Clears Summerheat or Damp-Heat
Summerheat with low fever, headache, dizziness and a stifling sensation in the chest
- Clears Deficiency fevers
Blood Deficiency or Yin Deficiency fevers
Sequelae of a febrile disease
Especially good when steaming bone patterns are marked by anhidrosis
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Purpuric rashes or epistaxis due to Blood Heat
- Stops malarial disorders and relieves Heat
Malarial disorders with alternating chills and fever
- Clears Liver Heat and brightens the eyes
Liver Yang Rising with red eyes, dizziness and photophobia
- Kills Parasites and expels Ghosts and Demons
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
Around 1st century BCE, it's fragrance was used ritually to mask the smell of the dead (Liu et al., 2013), where it may have earned its ability to treat ghost possession and then other lingering pathogens with perceived supernatural origins.
Suggested Daily Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Notable Constituents:
- Artemisinin
Discovered by Tu Youyou, this compound has shown potent activity against many forms of malarial organisms, including chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum (Tu, 2016) and is currently the front-line treatment for malaria around the world. It may also have a possible role in the treatment of neurological diseases, and be neurotoxic in high enough doses, through modulating the protein gephyrin, the prime scaffolding protein at inhibitory postsynapses and limiting the production of inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (Pacios-Michelena, Kasaragod & Schindelin, 2021). Artemesinin derivatives have also been found to block androgen over-production in a PCOS model (Liu et al., 2024).
Appears in 15 formulae listed on this site: (click to display)
Chu Qi Shi Re Yu Fei Fang (Early Stage Damp-Heat Lung Accumulation Prescription)
From: Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 7), Chinese Medical Journal 2020, 133(9): 1087-1095.
doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000000819 by Wei Pei-Fang (editor), National Health Commission & National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2020)
Dian Zhu Wan (Lightning Pearl Pills)
From: Classical Pearls by Heiner Fruehauf (2025)
Gu Biao Zhi Han Tang (Stabilise the Exterior and Stop Sweating Decoction)
From: Case Histories of Huang Wen-Dong (2001) by Huang Wen-Dong
Hao Qin Qing Dan Tang (Sweet Wormwood and Scutellaria Decoction to Clear the Gallbladder)
From: Revised Popular Guide to the Discussion of Cold Damage by Yu Gen-Chu, Revised by He Bing-Yuan (Qing dynasty)
Jin Hua Qing Gan Ke Li (Honeysuckle Granules to Clear the Senses)
From: Juxiechang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Beijing (2002)
Lei Shi Qing Liang Di Shu Fa (Master Lei's Method for Clearing, Cooling and Scouring Out Summerheat)
From: Discussion of Seasonal Disorders (1882)
Qing Gan Yin (Clear the Liver Drink)
From: Selected and Compiled Clinical Experiences of Wei Chang-Chun (1974) by Wei Chang-Chun
Qing Gu San (Cool the Bones Powder)
From: Indispensable Tools for Pattern Treatment by Wang Ken-Tang (1602)
Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang (Artemisia and Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Decoction [Version 1])
From: Systematic Differentiation of Warm Pathogen Diseases by Wu Tang / Wu Ju Tong (1798)
Qing Hao Bie Jia Tang [Version 2] (Artemisia and Soft-Shelled Turtle Shell Decoction [Version 2])
From: Systematic Differentiation of Warm Pathogen Diseases by Wu Tang / Wu Ju Tong (1798)
Qing Jing San (Clear the Menses Powder)
From: Fu Qing-Zhu's Women's Disorders by Fu Qing-Zhu (1826)
Su He Tang (Perilla and Menthol Decoction)
From: New Methods for the Treatment of Gu Syndrome by Lu Shunde (Qing Dynasty)
Xuan Fei Bai Du Tang (Disperse Lungs and Resolve Toxins Decoction)
From: Reflections on treatment of COVID-19 with traditional Chinese medicine by Boli Zhang and Professor Qingquan Liu (2020)
Zhong Gan Ling Pian (Severe Common Cold Effective Pills)
From: Modern Chinese Patent (20th Century)
Zong Qi Shi Re Yu Fei Fang (Mid-Stage Damp-Heat Lung Accumulation Prescription)
From: Diagnosis and Treatment Protocol for Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (Trial Version 7), Chinese Medical Journal 2020, 133(9): 1087-1095.
doi: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000000819 by Wei Pei-Fang (editor), National Health Commission & National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2020)
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.
