Properties: Bitter, cold
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Heart, Small Intestine and Bladder
Divergent Zones: Taiyang
Extraordinary Vessels: Yin Qiao
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Drains Damp-Heat from the Urinary Bladder, promotes urination and unblocks painful urinary dysfunction
Damp-Heat Painful Urinary Dysfunction, especially Blood Lin
- Breaks up Blood Stasis, invigorates Blood circulation and regulates menstruation
Amenorrhea due to Blood Stasis (auxiliary)
- Unblocks the bowels
Constipation
- Purges Heart and Small Intestine Fire
Heart Fire leading to Small Intestine Excess Heat
Suggested Daily Dosage: 9-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is cold and descending in property and can cause abortion, so it is contraindicated for pregnant women.
Appears in 6 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, 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.
