Huang Qin
| 3-6g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Qin
Chinese: 黄芩
Pharmaceutical: Radix Scutellariae baicalensis
Taxonomy: Scutellaria baicalensis
English: Baical Skullcap Root
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Stomach, Gallbladder, Large Intestine and Bladder
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and dries Dampness
Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Damp-Warmth with fever, a stifling sensation in the chest and thirst with no desire to drink
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with painful urinary dysfunction
Damp-Heat jaundice (auxiliary), infectious hepatitis
- Drains Fire and detoxifies
Heat and Fire especially in the Upper Jiao (Lung) with high fever, irritability, thirst, cough and expectoration of thick, yellow sputum
Upper respiratory tract infection
Hot sores and swellings (topical or internal)
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding
Xue Stage Heat or Blood Heat causing bleeding with epistaxis, hemoptysis, hematemesis and hemafecia
- Clears Heat and calms the fetus
Fetal restlessness due to Heat
- Calms ascending Liver Yang
Liver Yang Rising with headache, irritability, red eyes, flushed face and bitter taste
High Blood pressure
Gallbladder Heat
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Standard Dosage: 5-15g in decoction.
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Huang Lian
| 3-6g | |
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Pinyin: Huang Lian
Chinese: 黄连
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Coptidis
Taxonomy: Coptidis chinensis
English: Coptis Rhizome / Goldthread Rhizome
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Tastes: Bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Stomach, Large Intestine and Liver
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and drains Dampness
Damp-Heat in the Stomach or Intestines with diarrhoea or dysenteric disorder
Stomach Heat with vomiting and/or acid regurgitation
- Drains Fire and resolves Fire toxicity
Heat with Blazing Fire (Toxic Heat) with high fever. irritability, disorientation, delirium, a red tongue and a rapid, full pulse
Heat from Excess with toxicity: painful, red eyes and a sore throat
Boils, carbuncles and abscesses (Chuang Yung)
- Clears Heat and stops bleeding
Blood Heat with epistaxis, hematuria, hemafecia and hemoptysis
- Clears Heat topically
Infected wounds, red and painful eyes, ulcerations of the tongue and mouth (topical)
- Clears Heart Fire (sedative)
Heart Fire
Lack of communication between the Heart and Kidneys
- Drains Stomach Fire
Stomach Fire
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Standard Dosage: 2-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for deficiency-cold syndrome. Because its taste is extremly bitter and dryness, overdosage and long-time taking will impair spleen and stomach, yin and fluids. |
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Mai Men Dong
| 9-12g | |
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Pinyin: Mai Men Dong
Chinese: 麥門冬
Pharmaceutical: Radix Ophiopogonis
English: Dwarf Lilyturf Root
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Tastes: Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Stomach, Lung and Heart
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Actions & Indications:
- Moistens the Lungs, nourishes Yin and stops coughing
Lung Yin Deficiency with a hacking, dry cough or a cough with thick, difficult to expectorate sputum, or hemoptysis
Pathogenic Warm-Dryness Dryness that has transformed into Fire
- Nourishes Stomach Yin and generates Fluids
Stomach Yin Deficiency with dry mouth and tongue
- Moistens the Intestines
Constipation, dry mouth and irritability as a result of febrile disease or Yin Deficiency
- Clears the Heart and eliminates irritability
Ying Stage Heat with fever and irritability which is worse at night
Yin Deficiency with fever and irritability which is worse at night
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
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Chuan Xiong
| 3-6g | |
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Pinyin: Chuan Xiong
Chinese: 川芎
Pharmaceutical: Rhizoma Ligusticum
Taxonomy: Ligusticum chuanxiong syn. striatum syn. wallichii
English: Sichuan Lovage root / Cnidium root
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Tastes: Pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Liver and Pericardium
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Actions & Indications:
- Invigorates the Blood and promotes the movement of Qi
Blood Stasis, especially in gynecology with dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, difficult labor or retained lochia
Qi and Blood Stagnation with pain and soreness in the chest, flanks and hypochondria
- Expels Wind and alleviates pain
Externally contracted Wind with headache, dizziness or painful obstruction (Bi Syndrome) - especially useful for headaches due to Wind-Heat, Wind-Cold or Blood Deficiency (depending on the combination)
Wind skin disorders
- Relieves the symptoms of Gu Syndrome while suppressing parasites (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated for headache due to Liver Yang rising or Yin deficiency with effulgent Fire because of its warm and dry properties.
Use with caution during pregnancy or in those who bruise or bleed easily.
May have synergistic effects in those taking anticoagulant drugs. |
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Dang Gui
| 9-12g | |
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Pinyin: Dang Gui
Chinese: 當歸
Pharmaceutical: Radix Angelicae sinensis
Taxonomy: Angelica sinensis
English: Chinese Angelica Root / Tang-Kuei / Dong Quai Root
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Tastes: Sweet, Pungent, Warm
Meridians Entered: Heart and Liver
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Actions & Indications:
- Tonifies the Blood and regulates the menses
Blood Deficiency, especially when affecting the Heart and Liver with pale, ashen complexion, lusterless nails, tinnitus, blurred vision and palpitations
Blood Deficiency associated irregular menstruation, amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea
- Invigorates and harmonizes the Blood and disperses Cold (stops pain due to Blood Stasis)
Blood Stasis causing abdominal pain and carbuncles and pain due to Blood Stasis from traumatic injury, especially when accompanied by Deficiency Cold
Postpartum menstruation
Pregnancy (use with caution)
Blood Deficiency with chronic Wind-Damp-Bi
- Moistens the Intestines and unblocks the bowels
Dry Intestines due to Blood Deficiency
- Reduces swelling, expels pus, generates flesh and alleviates pain
Sores and abscess (Chuang Yung), internally and topically
- Stops coughing and treats dyspnea
Used adjunctively for coughing
- Tonifies the Blood while suppressing Parasites
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 6-12g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of Damp-Heat stagnating in the Middle, Lung Heat with Phlegm Fire, and Yin deficiency with effulgent Yang because it is warm and sweet in properties. In addition, it should be used with caution in cases of loose stool because it can moisten intestines to smooth stool.
Many sources recommend using caution, avoiding or only taking under guidance of a TCM physician during pregnancy as it can cause uterine contractions. However, there are no studies supporting this and the only scientific literature seems to suggest that Z-Ligustilide has anti-spasmodic activities that alleviate dysmenorrhoea by inhibiting uterine contractions (Du et al., 2006; Dietz et al., 2016).
Caution is also advised in breast cancer patients due to its oestrogen stimulating activity. This based upon Lau et al (2005) who found it may stimulate breast cancer growth in vitro, however Yue et al, (2019) demonstrated that it is not that stimulatory in breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo through a series of tests, although they suggested it should still be used with caution in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. Conversely, a large population study in Taiwan by Wu et al (2014) found it reduced the subsequent risk of endometrial cancer in breast cancer survivors taking tamoxifen, especially in those of reproductive age. |
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Bai Shao
| 9-12g | |
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Pinyin: Bai Shao
Chinese: 白芍
Pharmaceutical: Radix Paeoniae Alba
Taxonomy: Paeonia lactiflora
English: White Peony Root
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Tastes: Bitter, sour, sweet, slightly cold
Meridians Entered: Spleen and Liver
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Actions & Indications:
- Nourishes the Blood and regulates menstruation
Liver Blood Deficiency with menstrual dysfunction, vaginal discharge and uterine bleeding accompanied by a pale face, a lusterless complexion and dull, lusterless nails
Anemia
Breast distention and premenstrual syndrome
- Astringes Yin and adjusts the Ying and Wei
Yin Deficiency sweating Sweating due to Yin Collapse
Disharmony between the Liver and Spleen
Disharmony between the Ying and Wei with non-productive sweating
- Calms Liver Yang and Liver Wind and alleviates pain
Liver Qi Stagnation with Liver Yang Rising
Liver Wind with Yin and Blood Deficiency
Bi syndrome due to Blood Deficiency with pain and spasms
- Softens the Liver and relieves pain
Diarrhoea, borborygmus and abdominal pain
Dysenteric disorders with tenesmus
- Tonifies the Blood while suppressing Parasites
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: Caution with anticoagulants as it may slow clotting time. May also slow the absorption of phenytoin. |
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Sheng Di Huang
| 9-12g | | |
Pinyin: Sheng Di Huang
Chinese: 生地黃
Pharmaceutical: Radix Rehmanniae
Taxonomy: Rehmannia glutinosa
English: Chinese Foxglove Root / Rehmannia Root
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Tastes: Sweet, bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Heart, Liver, Stomach and Kidney
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and cools the Blood
Ying Stage Heat with high fever, thirst and a scarlet tongue
Xue Stage Heat
Hemorrhage due to Blood Heat
- Nourishes Yin, generates fluids, increases saliva and treats wasting and thirsting
Yin Deficiency with Heat signs
Injury to fluids
Throat pain due to Yin Deficiency
Wasting and thirsting disorder (Xiao Ke - diabetes)
- Cools Heart Fire
Heart Fire
- Calms the Spirit agitated by Parasites damaging the Yin
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
Cautions: It is contraindicated in cases of diarrhea, abdomen distention due to spleen deficiency. |
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