Properties: Sweet, light, slightly Cold
Meridans Entered:
Primary: Spleen, Liver, Lung
Traditional Actions/Indications:
- Strengthens the Spleen and resolves Dampness
Poor appetite, loose bowels, lassitude, general weakness
- Clears Heat and resolves Toxicity
Jaundice due to Dampness and Heat, chronic active hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis
Damp-Heat Bi Syndrome
- Treats tumours
Various tumours including breast cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, stomach cancer and esophageal cancer (see constituents)
- Stops coughing and eases breathing
Chronic coughing and asthma
Coughing spasms in children
Suggested Daily Dosage: 15-30g in decoction. Mushrooms should ideally be decocoted for at least 40 minutes and preferably 1-2 hours to fully extract the polysaccharides from within the chitin cell walls. Some sources recommend days.
Notable Constituents:
- Polysaccharide-K (Krestin, PSK)
A heterogeneous mixture of glycoproteins which has attracted considerable research and controversy for potential anti-cancer activity and is used as an adjuvant therapy for cancer in Japan.
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, 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.
