Xiang Ru
| 6g | |
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Pinyin: Xiang Ru
Chinese: 香薷
Pharmaceutical: Herba Moslae seu Elscholtsiae
English: Aromatic Madder / Mosla / Elscholtzia
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Tastes: Pungent, slightly warm
Meridians Entered: Lung, Spleen, Stomach and Gallbladder
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Actions & Indications:
- Induces sweating, releases the Exterior, expels Summeheat, transforms Dampness and harmonizes the Spleen and Stomach
Wind-Cold during the summer, especially when accompanied by Dampness with chills, fever, headache, anhidrosis, body aches, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting
Externally contracted Summerheat or Dampness
- Promotes urination and reduces swelling
Edema and urinary difficulty especially if associated with external invasion
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Standard Dosage: 6-15g in decoction. Small doses decocted for a short time are best for sweating, large doses decocted for a long time are better for inducing diuresis.
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Bian Dou Hua
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Bian Dou Hua
Chinese: 扁豆花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Dolichoris
English: Hyacinth Bean Flower
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Tastes: Sweet, neutral
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine
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Actions: Relieve summer-heat, resolve dampness, temper the spleen and stomach. |
Indications:
Diarrhea due to summer-heat and damp, leukorrhea with reddish discharge |
Standard Dosage: 3-9g in decoction.
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Bai Bian Dou
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Bian Dou
Chinese: 扁豆
Pharmaceutical: Semen Lablab
Taxonomy: Lablab album
English: White Hyacinth Bean
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Tastes: Sweet, slightly bitter
Meridians Entered: Spleen and Stomach
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Summerheat and resolves Dampness
Summerheat with pronounced or chronic diarrhoea, dysentery, nausea, vomiting and loud borborygmus
- Strengthens the Spleen
Spleen Deficiency
- Expels Gu Parasites
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-30g in decoction.
Cautions: Raw material is toxic. It should be stir baked for use. |
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Hou Po
| 6g | |
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Pinyin: Hou Po
Chinese: 厚朴
Pharmaceutical: Cortex Magnoliae
Taxonomy: Magnolia officinalis
English: Magnolia Bark
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Tastes: Bitter, pungent, warm
Meridians Entered: Spleen, Stomach, Lung and Large Intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Promotes the movement of Qi in the Middle Jiao and resolves Stagnation
Abdominal, epigastric, and/or chest fullness, bloating, loss of appetite, poor digestion, constipation
Plum Pit Qi, a feeling of a lump in throat, usually considered psychosomatic today (globus hystericus). Hou Po has modern indications as neuroprotective and also features in formulas like Da/Xiao Cheng Qi Tang which deal with neuropsychiatric symptoms like delirium.
- Promotes the movement of Qi downward, dries Dampness and transforms Phlegm
Dampness or Phlegm Obstructing the Middle Jiao with distention, fullness, nausea and diarrhoea
- Descends Rebellious Qi, reduces Phlegm and calms wheezing
Cough and wheezing due to Phlegm congesting the Lungs
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Standard Dosage: 3-10g in decoction.
Cautions: It should be used with cautions for the syndrome of qi deficiency and fluid consumption, and in pregnant women. Due to some of the anticoagulant effects of its constituents it should be used with caution in conjunction with blood thinners. |
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Jin Yin Hua
| 9g | |
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Pinyin: Jin Yin Hua
Chinese: 金银花
Pharmaceutical: Flos Lonicerae japonicae
Taxonomy: Lonicera japonica
English: Honeysuckle Flower
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Tastes: Pungent, slightly bitter, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, heart, stomach and large intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat and resolves Fire Toxicity
Hot, painful sores and skin eruptions in various stages of development, especially breast, throat and eyes
Intestinal abscesses
- Vents and disperses External Wind-Heat
Early-Stage Wind-Heat Warm-Heat pathogen with fever, chills, slight aversion to Wind, sore throat and headache
External Summerheat
- Clears Damp-Heat from the Lower Jiao
Damp-Heat in the Lower Jiao with dysentery or Lin Syndrome
- Cools the Blood and stops bleeding (charred)
Blood Heat dysentery
- Kills Parasites and expels Demons
Gu Sydnrome (Fruehauf, 1998)
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 6-30g in decoction. Small doses are for expelling Wind-Heat, large doses for Toxic Heat sores. Can be up to 90g in extreme cases (e.g. Si Miao Yong An Tang).
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Lian Qiao
| 6g | | |
Pinyin: Lian Qiao
Chinese: 连翘
Pharmaceutical: Fructus Forsythiae
Taxonomy: Forsythia suspensa
English: Weeping Forsythia Capsule / Forsythia Fruit
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Tastes: Bitter, slightly pungent, cold
Meridians Entered: Lung, Heart and Small Intestine
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Actions & Indications:
- Clears Heat (especially in the Upper Jiao) and relieves toxicity
Wind-Heat with high fever, slight chills and sore throat
- Reduces abscesses and dissipates clumps
Toxic Heat sores and swellings (Chuang Yung), scrofula and throat Bi
- Clears Blood Heat
Blood Heat
- Promotes urination
Lin syndrome, dysuria, hematuria
- Kills Gu Parasites and Scatters Toxins by Releasing the Exterior
Chronic inflammatory disease (Fruehauf, 1998; 2015)
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Standard Dosage: 10-15g in decoction.
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Reference Notes: (click to display)
Most formulas are found in Scheid, Bensky, Ellis & Barolet (2009): Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas & Strategies and Chen & Chen (2015) Chinese Herbal Formulas and Applications. Others are from translations of primary sources. It is recommended that the original material is cross-referenced for mistakes and additional information.
Substitutions have been taken from Ken Lloyd & Prof. Leung (2004): Mayway UK Substitution List or the above publications and are intended as suggestions to help navigate the tight restrictions in the UK quickly. More applicable substitutions may be appropriate in specific situations.
Individual herb information has initially been sourced from TCM Wiki and American Dragon for basic data and then updated manually with my own notes.
These pages are intended to assist clinicians and are not intended for self-diagnosis or treatment for which a qualified professional should be consulted.